Image caption Doug Beattie, a retired Army captain, sits on the Northern Ireland Assembly

Doug Beattie has said he will not stand for the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party, but will instead endorse colleague Steve Aiken.

In September, Robin Swann announced he would not be seeking re-election as party leader.

Mr Beattie, a retired Army captain, had said he would "take soundings" with regard to the leadership position.

However, in a statement on Monday, the Upper Bann MLA said a leadership contest would be a distraction.

"I believe we are in a time of real political and social change, and Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, must change to meet the challenges of the future," Mr Beattie said.

"The Ulster Unionist Party must remain vigilant in the face of Brexit as well as a possible general election and I believe a leadership contest would be a distraction in this compressed political environment."

Image copyright Pacemaker Image caption Mr Beattie said he would back Steve Aiken, MLA for South Antrim, to be the party's new leader

He said if elected Mr Aiken had the authority to bring the party on to a "more progressive path both internally and externally".

Mr Beattie said he had been "humbled" by the support he had received from people asking him to stand for the leadership but it was time to focus "on our country" and how unionism should be promoting inclusive politics.

The new leader is due to be selected in November.

BBC News NI political editor Mark Devenport said it was probably now a once-horse race, given the Ulster Unionists had brought the date of the leadership election forward and Mr Beattie had endorsed Mr Aiken.

"I think both Doug Beattie and Steve Aiken would be seen as being largely on the liberal side of the party," he added.

Electoral decline

Mr Swann has been leader of the UUP for more than two years, taking over from Mike Nesbitt in 2017.

The party has been facing electoral decline in recent years.

In 2017, it lost six seats in the assembly election, before going on to lose its two MPs at Westminster in the general election several months later.

Mr Swann said he considered resigning after the European election results in May.

The party's candidate Danny Kennedy came sixth, after UUP support plummeted by more than 30,000 votes from its result in 2014.

The party lost 13 councillors in the local government elections in May and, in particular, polled very poorly in Belfast City Council where it saw its seats drop from seven to just two.