Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows has appointed Lagan Valley assembly member Robbie Butler as Northern Ireland's new health minister on 20 August 2026, filling the vacancy left after Mike Nesbitt resigned from the post following a public disagreement with Burrows over the future of emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital. Butler said he had been given "no red lines" by his party leader and would base decisions on "expert evidence opinion" as well as the "voices of the people". Nesbitt had held the health portfolio since May 2024.
In his resignation letter on 18 August, Nesbitt said he did not wish to be a minister who found out his party leader's position on major issues from media coverage rather than from direct communication. He noted that when Burrows became party leader, he had told him his "one 'red line'" was puberty blockers and opposition to Northern Ireland participating in the Pathways trial. Nesbitt wrote that Burrows had now "introduced a second red line" regarding emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital, and that he only came to know this due to media reports. He added: "Yesterday, I offered you a way to manage this situation. As I have not received a timely response and given the shock waves you have created in the HSC system, this matter needs resolved."
Why did Nesbitt resign?
The row centred on a proposal from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to strip emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine and concentrate that service at Antrim Area Hospital, a plan first put forward in May 2025, according to a BBC News report. Burrows told a town hall meeting in Coleraine that he opposed removing the service from Causeway Hospital, arguing instead that emergency surgery there should be strengthened rather than scaled back. The trust, for its part, maintained that running emergency general surgery across two sites had become increasingly difficult to sustain and pressed for a managed transition to a single site to prevent the service from failing outright, per the same broadcaster's report. Health service figures rallied behind Nesbitt after his departure, crediting him with offering firm political direction while following clinical guidance, the report added.
Burrows said on 19 August that he was disappointed by Nesbitt's decision to step down and indicated he would settle on a replacement overnight. The Ulster Unionist Party reportedly had a seven-day window in which to nominate someone to take over the health portfolio, according to the Fermanagh Herald's coverage of the resignation.
Who is Robbie Butler?
Butler previously served as deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and has on two occasions weighed a bid for the party leadership itself, only to withdraw before formally entering the contest. Speaking to a national broadcaster after his appointment, Butler said he felt there was a "disconnect" between medical officials and the people who would be affected by changes to Causeway Hospital. "What my job is at the moment is to try and repair that disconnect and then take my time not to make a hasty decision but to make the right decision, and that's my promise to the people of Causeway," he said. He added that he would work to convince people that "any changes that come, wherever that may be, is made in the best interests of the people" and that "the people need to also be at the centre of any decisions that are made."
Butler also said he wants Northern Ireland to have a "world-class healthcare system" that people can access more quickly, according to a BBC News report.
What happens next?
According to the Irish Times, Butler said no proposals on emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital had yet been taken to ministers and no decision had been made. Any final decision on altering emergency general surgery arrangements at Causeway Hospital will still require sign-off from the sitting health minister before it can move forward. Butler has indicated he will take his time before making a decision on the matter, suggesting the next formal ministerial decision remains pending.
Key Facts
- Robbie Butler, Ulster Unionist MLA for Lagan Valley, was appointed Northern Ireland's health minister on 20 August 2026.
- Mike Nesbitt resigned after Jon Burrows publicly opposed removing emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital, a position Nesbitt said he learned about through media reports rather than direct communication.
- Nesbitt had served as health minister since May 2024 and was previously leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
- The Northern Health and Social Care Trust wants emergency surgery concentrated at Antrim Area Hospital, a plan dating to May 2025.
- Butler said he has been given "no red lines" by Burrows and will base decisions on expert evidence and public input, with no decision yet made on Causeway Hospital services.
