Robbie Butler to be new health minister

Lagan Valley Ulster Unionist assembly member (MLA) Robbie Butler is to become the new health minister, BBC News NI understands.

His appointment comes after Mike Nesbitt resigned as health minister after his party leader Jon Burrows told a town hall meeting that he did not support emergency general surgery (EGS) being removed from Causeway Hospital.

On Monday, Burrows said he was disappointed by Nesbitt's decision to quit and said he would decide "overnight" who would replace him.

Butler is a former UUP deputy leader and has twice considered running for leadership, only to withdraw at the last moment.

He is expected to sign the ministerial pledge of office around lunchtime before meeting staff in the department.

Former UUP leader Doug Beattie has said Nebsitt had no choice but to resign after Burrows "undermined" his position as health minister.

Beattie, who quit the UUP in May after an internal party dispute , said Nesbitt was left with "no other choice" but to resign after Burrows voiced his opposition to withdrawing services from Causeway Hospital.

The Upper Bann MLA, who now sits at Stormont as an independent, said there was "something seriously wrong" with how the UUP's MLA team was being treated in terms of communication.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster, Beattie said he was "pretty shocked" to learn of Nesbitt's resignation as health minister on Tuesday.

He said Burrows had "huge support" within the UUP but there has been "a lack of communication".

"Jon Burrows is an incredibly good communicator to the public through the media, but what I notice and what seems to be the case is he doesn't really communicate well with his MLA group," he added.

"When his MLA group don't even know that Mike has resigned and they find out through the media, then there is something seriously wrong about how they are being treated."

Beattie denied there was "animosity" between MLAs and Burrows but he described issues over some policies being "changed radically on the hoof".

"I really think by listening to the words that Jon said undermined Mike, undermined Mike's position as the health minister, and Mike had no other choice in many ways on reflection," he added.