DURKAN TO QUIT AS LEADER OF SDLP; He'll resign before 50th birthday.

Byline: MAURICE FITZMAURICE

MARK Durkan will step down as SDLP leader after next year's General Election, he admitted yesterday.

The Foyle MP said he would defend his Foyle seat but does not believe he should continue to hold a dual mandate at the Stormont Assembly.

He told Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme that he already indicated he did not want to continue as party leader beyond his 50th birthday in June. Mr Durkan replaced John Hume as leader in 2001. He said: "I said when I became leader that I didn't want to be leader for 10 years and that I wanted to be out of the leadership by the time I was 50.

"Now I'm 49, so it's important that we make a change well in time to allow a new leader to be well in place in time for the build-up to Assembly and local government elections that are planned for 2011."

Mr Durkan would not expand on his plans or who he thinks might succeed him. However, party sources told the Mirror yesterday that there would likely be a leadership contest.

It's understood Mr Durkan believes the new chief should be based in the Assembly and not Westminster.

The source added: "Obviously the Deputy Leader [Alasdair McDonnell] will be in the mix but given Mark's view the leader should be in the Assembly that might not fly.

"Other people have said Margaret Ritchie could be a contender given how well she's done and how her profile has improved since becoming Social Development Minister." The selection next year would come during the party's 40th anniversary.

Mr Durkan added that he believed Northern Ireland could be hit by cuts in public spending after the next election, and this influenced his decision.

He said: "If there is a Tory government elected, the implications in terms of the welfare system and other matters are such that I think there is more work to done at Westminster now. I think in that instance I need to be a full-time MP for Foyle."

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DECADE AT TOP Durkan