Party members and supporters will gather in Belfast tonight for the lavish farewell event for the 82-year-old First Minister who has led the DUP since its formation in 1971.

Mr Paisley, who said he hoped to take up a role as a trade ambassador for Northern Ireland after he leaves office, will give a valedictory speech before DUP members in the Balmoral Hall in south Belfast. More than 350 people are expected to attend the £100-a-head dinner.

Tomorrow, he will then hand over the leadership of his party to his long-standing deputy, East Belfast MP, Stormont Finance Minister Peter Robinson.

Next Thursday, Mr Robinson will take over as First Minister.

The outgoing DUP leader had arranged a number of interviews at Stormont Castle with the media before his retirement.

Belfast Telegraph reporter David Gordon, who reported a number of controversies involving Mr Paisley and his son Ian Paisley jnr, was excluded from interviewing Mr Paisley without an explanation.

But speaking to PA, Mr Paisley said he expects there to be change under Robinson.

"Peter will be in charge and he will do his own thing in his own way, and rightly so.

"I wouldn't want him doing it any other way, I don't want him to be an aper of me, I want him to be himself.

"And I hope we are going to get a lot more younger people into office in the new councils that are going to be set up and also in the next election to the Assembly, there will be a lot of old fellas like me will be paid off and told to go and drink their buttermilk."

He has also revealed that he is set to write a book about secret political negotiations that led to the power-sharing deal with Sinn Fein. Mr Paisley said he felt he owed it to the people of Northern Ireland to pen a book explaining how the country is where it is.

The out-going First Minister also said he will leave office without shaking the hand of his partner in government Martin McGuinness.

"We've never shook hands, I've said to him I don't believe in handshaking, it's whether you have a proper practice (between you)," he said.

He said he feared the long term affect the Troubles would have on business.

"The business community put up their wee notices 'business as usual' but their hearts were sad and broken. That was a terrible time."