PUTTING himself up for election with a promise to do the job part-time was never going to be a good look for Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
But for the British government to then pull the rug from under the DUP leader's feet makes him look foolish indeed.
Boris Johnson gave way to pressure yesterday by confirming that an amendment which would allow MPs to join the assembly without giving up their Westminster seat was being withdrawn.
Six Stormont parties had written an open letter demanding the 'double-jobbing' plan be ditched, accusing the government of interfering in the forthcoming assembly election by offering the DUP a leg up.
While Sir Jeffrey denied there had been a deal, there is no doubt he would have been a beneficiary of the change.
Having pledged to lead the party from Stormont, the Lagan Valley MP now runs a risk of ending up with no job if he stands alongside two high-profile party colleagues in a constituency that returned only two DUP MLAs in 2017.
In addition, a new candidate faces the prospect of a tricky parliamentary by-election in a constituency where Alliance took a huge bite out of Sir Jeffrey's majority last time out.
Whatever the intention of the amendment, it was clearly right that it should be withdrawn.
Representing constituents in any parliament should be a full-time role and in the six years since 'dual mandates' were outlawed, nothing has happened to suggest voters want MLAs spending less time doing their jobs.
As Tory MP Simon Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, told the prime minister: "The vast majority of people and indeed politicians across Northern Ireland believe that whatever the question, double-jobbing is not the answer".
Sir Jeffrey argued yesterday that voters should have had the opportunity to decide whether they wanted him to represent them at both Westminster and the assembly.
What people might instead be asking is why, after being so publicly betrayed by Boris Johnson over Brexit, the DUP has found itself in a position where it has been embarrassed by this government again.
The party has been desperately seeking to restore a sense of authority following the chaotic scenes last year that saw former leader Arlene Foster ousted, followed just weeks later by her replacement, Edwin Poots.
DUP members may begin to wonder after this latest misjudgement if they made the right choice in Jeffrey Donaldson.
