Former UTV newsreader becomes party leader
Former UTV News presenter Mike Nesbitt has been elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
The 54 year old was elected at the UUP annual general meeting in Belfast. Before joining the UUP he was one of the main evening news presenters on UTV but began his career as a sports presenter for BBC Radio Northern Ireland.
His rise from journalist to politician is similar to that of former BBC war reporter Martin Bell who stood as an independent candidate in 1997 and won a large majority in Tatton, Cheshire beating conservative Neil Hamilton.