The embattled Ulster Unionist leader at the centre of a row over historical Twitter posts said he had received the unanimous support of his Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and party officers to continue in his post.

       Doug Beattie had earlier said he was "on the cusp" of quitting after facing accusations of misogyny and racism over the content of tweets posted before he entered political life.

       Speaking after meeting with his party's MLAs, Mr Beattie said: "I have had detailed conversations with all of my MLAs.

       "I apologised for what I had done directly to each one of them and then I spoke (about) whether or not I still had their support to remain as party leader. Overwhelmingly every one of them said 'yes, I did'."

       He said conversations would continue with other UUP members over the historical tweets.

       Defamation proceedings issues

       Meanwhile, Edwin Poots, the DUP minister, and his wife, Glynis, have issued defamation proceedings against Mr Beattie after he tweeted a joke about her that referenced a brothel.

       Proceedings have also been initiated against Simon Hoare, the Conservative MP and chair of Westminster's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, who retweeted Mr Beattie's joke.

       Mr Beattie had earlier said he offered to resign on Monday, but close colleagues in the party urged him to take time to consider his future.

       The Upper Bann MLA conceded that the posts, the majority of which were written around a decade ago, were "horrendous and horrific".

       The furore erupted on Saturday evening when Mr Beattie tweeted a joke that referred to the wife of Mr Poots. He later deleted the post and apologised for it.

       'Truly sorry'

       He reiterated that apology on the floor of the Assembly on Monday, insisting he was "truly sorry".

       The controversy escalated after focus turned to Mr Beattie's historical conduct on Twitter, with a series of derogatory remarks about women, Muslims, members of the Travelling community, and people with mental health issues unearthed.

       The dramatic turn in fortunes for Mr Beattie came just hours after a newspaper opinion poll indicated he is the most popular political leader in Northern Ireland.

       Mr Beattie said his confidence has been rocked by the controversy and he has isolated himself from friends and loved ones.

       "I have to pick myself up and come out of the shadows and face this head-on," he said.