RHI whistleblower Jonathan Bell to stand as an Independent in Assembly election

RHI whistleblower and former DUP MLA for Strangford Jonathan Bell is set to stand as a Independent for the constituency in the upcoming Assembly election.

Mr Bell said that he had not left the DUP and had been 'begged to stand' by his constituents.

He was suspended from the DUP after revealing that he had tried to close the controversial RHI scheme but was prevented from doing so.

Mr Bell's revelations led to the fall of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The 'cash for ash' scandal is set to cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer £490m over the next 20 years if a solution is not found.

The aim of the scheme was to encourage businesses to use more renewable energy. Businesses taking part in the scheme ended up receiving more in funding than the cost of fuel and the scheme became oversubscribed.