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The 2024 general election in Northern Ireland is scheduled to be held on 4 July 2024, with all 18 Northern Irish seats in the House of Commons to be contested. The general election will occur after the recently completed constituency boundaries review.
MPs will be elected in 18 single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post.
On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced 4 July 2024 as the election date. [1]
In June 2023, it was published that The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland had made final recommendations for the new boundaries for Northern Ireland's 18 parliamentary constituencies. The report was submitted to the speaker of the UK House of Commons and the UK Government was required to submit a draft of an Order in Council to activate the new boundaries within four months. [2]
Changes include:
Ten wards were moved and as approved by MPs, the new boundaries became effective on 1 November 2023. [3] These changes were approved at a meeting of the Privy Council on 15 November [4] and came into force on 29 November. [5]
In the run up to the election, there was speculation to the extent at which unionist electoral pacts will be active in some constituencies. [6] In July 2023, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie clarified that his party intends to stand candidates in 17 constituencies, but there is still speculation about whether the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) will field candidates. [7] The TUV leader Jim Allister has said that in seats held by non-unionists where the sitting MP could potentially be ousted, it will support an “agreed single unionist candidate". [8]
In North Down, there have been calls for unionist parties to drop their own candidates and unite behind a single contender to defeat incumbent Alliance MP Stephen Farry. [9] Farry was confirmed as Alliance's candidate for North Down at the next election on 26 November 2023. [10] On 24 January 2024, the UUP selected former Iraq War veteran Tim Collins as their candidate for North Down, with the UUP leader Doug Beattie saying his party "does not do pacts". [11] Alex Easton is set to announce his Independent Unionist candidacy for the seat. [12]
In October 2023 the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland revealed that they intended to target Lagan Valley, seat of the then-leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Jeffrey Donaldson. They unveiled their candidate as Sorcha Eastwood and will require a 7.16% swing to gain the seat from the DUP. [13]
Amongst majority nationalist constituencies, due to their strong performance in the 2022 Assembly election and the 2023 local elections, Sinn Féin look "likely to increase its number of seats at Westminster", with the possibility of gaining Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood's seat of Foyle. [14]
The campaign has got underway in South Belfast and North Down, with both incumbent MPs, Claire Hanna and Stephen Farry seeking re-election. North Down Ulster Unionist candidate Tim Collins has said he is "very confident" of unseating Farry. [15]
In January 2024, the Ulster Unionist Party selected their former leader and Minister of Health Robin Swann as their candidate for South Antrim [16] and announced their deputy leader, Robbie Butler, as the party's candidate for Lagan Valley. [17]
On 16 March 2024, the Traditional Unionist Voice formed an electoral pact with Reform UK, in which the two parties would stand mutually agreed candidates within Northern Ireland. [18] On 24 May they announced that they were supporting Alex Easton, the Independent Unionist candidate in North Down, and would not stand a candidate in that constituency. [19]
The leader of the Green Party Northern Ireland, Sen. Mal O'Hara, told Slugger O'Toole on 26 April 2024 that they will stand in every constituency and will not pursue any electoral pacts. [20]
On 7 May 2024, the UUP announced that 19 year-old Jay Basra, who is Punjabi-British, would be their candidate for Mid Ulster. [21] Following the announcement, Basra was the target of racial abuse on social media. The abuse was condemned by UUP leader Doug Beattie and former First Minister Arlene Foster, as well as deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. [22]
| Parties | Number of candidates [23] | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | 18 | |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 18 | |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 17 | |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 16 | |
| Sinn Féin | 14 | |
| Traditional Unionist Voice | 14 | |
| Green Party Northern Ireland | 11 | |
| Aontú | 10 | |
| Independents | 9 (7 constituencies) | |
| Conservative Party | 5 | |
| People Before Profit | 3 | |
| Cross-Community Labour Alternative | 1 | |
| Total | 136 | |
Candidates in bold were MPs at dissolution and represented a constituency in that parliamentary term which is succeeded at least partially by the constituency they're standing for election in at this election, in some cases not for the party they were aligned with when they were originally elected, and also includes those elected at by-elections in the preceding parliament. Italics denotes incumbent MPs not contesting the election.
The list of candidates standing in Northern Ireland was published by the Electoral Office on Friday 7 June: [24]
| Constituency (2024–) | Constituency (2010–24) | Sinn Féin | DUP | Alliance | UUP | SDLP | TUV | Green | Aontú | Others | Incumbent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast East | Gavin Robinson | Naomi Long | Ryan Warren | Séamas de Faoite | John Ross | Brian Smyth | Ryan North (Independent) | DUP | Gavin Robinson | ||||
| Belfast North | John Finucane | Phillip Brett | Nuala McAllister | Carl Whyte | David Clarke | Mal O'Hara | Fiona Ferguson (PBP) | SF | John Finucane | ||||
| Belfast South and Mid Down | Belfast South | Tracy Kelly | Kate Nicholl | Michael Henderson | Claire Hanna | Dan Boucher | Áine Groogan | SDLP | Claire Hanna | ||||
| Belfast West | Paul Maskey | Frank McCoubrey | Eóin Millar | Ben Sharkey | Paul Doherty | Ann McClure | Ash Jones | Gerard Herdman | Gerry Carroll (PBP) Tony Mallon (Independent) | SF | Paul Maskey | ||
| East Antrim | Oliver McMullan | Sammy Wilson | Danny Donnelly | John Stewart | Margaret Anne McKillop | Matthew Warwick | Mark Bailey | DUP | Sammy Wilson | ||||
| East Londonderry | Kathleen McGurk | Gregory Campbell | Richard Stewart | Glen Miller | Cara Hunter | Allister Kyle | Jen McCahon | Gemma Brolly | Claire Scull (Conservative) | DUP | Gregory Campbell | ||
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Pat Cullen | Eddie Roofe | Diana Armstrong | Paul Blake | Carl Duffy | Gerry Cullen (CCLA) | SF | Michelle Gildernew | |||||
| Foyle | Sandra Duffy | Gary Middleton | Rachael Ferguson | Janice Montgomery | Colum Eastwood | John Boyle | Shaun Harkin (PBP) Anne McCloskey (Independent) | SDLP | Colum Eastwood | ||||
| Lagan Valley | Jonathan Buckley | Sorcha Eastwood | Robbie Butler | Simon Lee | Lorna Smyth | Patricia Denvir | Independent (elected as DUP) | Jeffrey Donaldson | |||||
| Mid Ulster | Cathal Mallaghan | Keith Buchanan | Padraic Farrell | Jay Basra | Denise Johnston | Glenn Moore | Alixandra Halliday | John Kelly (Independent) | SF | Francie Molloy | |||
| Newry and Armagh | Dáire Hughes | Gareth Wilson | Helena Young | Sam Nicholson | Pete Byrne | Keith Ratcliffe | Liam Reichenberg | Samantha Rayner (Conservative) | SF | Mickey Brady | |||
| North Antrim | Philip McGuigan | Ian Paisley Jr | Sian Mulholland | Jackson Minford | Helen Maher | Jim Allister | Ráichéal Mhic Niocaill | Tristan Morrow (Independent) | DUP | Ian Paisley Jr | |||
| North Down | Stephen Farry | Tim Collins | Déirdre Vaughan | Barry McKee | Alex Easton (Independent) Chris Carter (Independent) | APNI | Stephen Farry | ||||||
| South Antrim | Declan Kearney | Paul Girvan | John Blair | Robin Swann | Roisin Lynch | Mel Lucas | Lesley Veronica | Siobhan McErlean | DUP | Paul Girvan | |||
| South Down | Chris Hazzard | Diane Forsythe | Andrew McMurray | Michael O'Loan | Colin McGrath | Jim Wells | Declan Walsh | Rosemary McGlone | Hannah Westropp (Conservative) | SF | Chris Hazzard | ||
| Strangford | Noel Sands | Jim Shannon | Michelle Guy | Richard Smart | Will Polland | Ron McDowell | Alexandra Braidner | Gareth Burns (Independent) Garreth Falls (Independent) Barry Hetherington (Conservative) | DUP | Jim Shannon | |||
| Upper Bann | Catherine Nelson | Carla Lockhart | Eóin Tennyson | Kate Evans | Malachy Quinn | DUP | Carla Lockhart | ||||||
| West Tyrone | Órfhlaith Begley | Tom Buchanan | Stephen Donnelly | Matthew Bell | Daniel McCrossan | Stevan Patterson | Leza Houston | Stephen Lynch (Conservative) | SF | Órfhlaith Begley | |||
 | This section needs to be updated.(June 2024) |
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | DUP | Sinn Féin | Alliance | SDLP | UUP | TUV | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10–13 May2024 | LucidTalk [25] | Belfast Telegraph | 3,316 | 20% | 26% | 15% | 10% | 13% | 8% | 8% | 6 |
| 28 Jan–11 Feb2024 | Social Market Research [26] | Irish News–University of Liverpool | 1,206 | 23.5% | 31.1% | 15.2% | 8.1% | 11.1% | 4.8% | – | 6.6 |
| 26 Oct–3 Nov2023 | Social Market Research [27] | Institute of Irish Studies | 1,074 | 25% | 31% | 15% | 9% | 11% | 5% | 5% | 6 |
| 14 Jan – 7 Sep 2023 | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey [lower-alpha 7] | ARK | 1,200 | 19% | 24% | 28% | 9% | 13% | – | 9% Greens on 5% Others on 4% | 4% |
| 12 Dec2019 | 2019 general election | – | 30.6% | 22.8% | 16.8% | 14.9% | 11.7% | N/A | 3.2% | 7.8% | |
Michelle O'Neill
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Michelle O'Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland since 3 February 2024, Vice President of Sinn Féin since 10 February 2018 and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 11 January 2020 to 4 February 2022.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 43% | 37% | 20% | +6% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 41% | 37% | 22% | +4% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 41% | 40% | 19% | +4% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 46% | 37% | 17% | +9% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 40% | 42% | 18% | –2% |
Jeffrey Donaldson
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 30 June 2021 to 29 March 2024.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 24% | 66% | 10% | –42% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 27% | 65% | 8% | –38% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 25% | 63% | 12% | –38% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 29% | 65% | 6% | –36% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 27% | 64% | 9% | –37% |
Naomi Long
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Naomi Long, the leader of the Alliance Party since 26 October 2016.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 38% | 39% | 23% | –1% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 40% | 38% | 22% | +2% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 37% | 38% | 25% | –1% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 45% | 37% | 18% | +8% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 46% | 37% | 17% | +9% |
Doug Beattie
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Doug Beattie, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) since 27 May 2021.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 34% | 38% | 28% | –4% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 38% | 33% | 29% | +5% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 28% | 42% | 30% | –14% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 37% | 32% | 31% | +5% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 34% | 34% | 32% | 0% |
Colum Eastwood
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Colum Eastwood, the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) since 14 November 2015.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 26% | 43% | 31% | –17% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 32% | 40% | 28% | –8% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 33% | 38% | 29% | –5% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 31% | 39% | 30% | –8% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 34% | 39% | 27% | –5% |
Jim Allister
The following polls asked about voters' opinions on Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) since 7 December 2007.
| Date(s) conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample Size | Good/Great | Bad/Awful | Don't know | Net approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 Aug 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 2,950 | 23% | 63% | 14% | –40% |
| 21–24 Apr 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,957 | 27% | 61% | 12% | –34% |
| 20–23 Jan 2023 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 1,449 | 27% | 57% | 16% | –30% |
| 4–7 Nov 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,351 | 27% | 59% | 14% | –32% |
| 12–15 Aug 2022 | LucidTalk | Belfast Telegraph | 3,384 | 31% | 54% | 15% | –23% |
| MP | Seat | First elected | Party | Date announced | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francie Molloy | Mid Ulster | 2013 | Sinn Féin | 13 February 2024 [29] | |
| Mickey Brady | Newry and Armagh | 2015 | Sinn Féin | 19 February 2024 [30] | |
| Jeffrey Donaldson | Lagan Valley | 1997 | Independent [lower-alpha 8] | 22 May 2024 [31] | |
| Michelle Gildernew | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 2001 | Sinn Féin | 23 May 2024 [32] | |
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movement. Following the partition of Ireland, it was the governing party of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. It was supported by most unionist voters throughout the conflict known as the Troubles, during which time it was often referred to as the Official Unionist Party (OUP).
Sylvia Eileen, Lady Hermon is a retired Unionist politician from Northern Ireland. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of North Down from 2001 to 2019.
James Hugh Allister is a British Unionist politician and barrister in Northern Ireland. He founded the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) political party in 2007, leading the party since its formation. Allister has served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim since 2011, and is the TUV’s only representative in the Assembly.
Mid Ulster is a parliamentary constituency in the UK House of Commons. The current MP is Francie Molloy of Sinn Féin.
East Antrim is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Sammy Wilson of the DUP.
South Antrim is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Paul Girvan of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Belfast North is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is John Finucane of Sinn Féin.
Belfast South is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Claire Hanna of the SDLP.
North Down is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Stephen Farry of the Alliance Party. Farry was elected to the position in the 2019 general election, replacing the incumbent Sylvia Hermon. Hermon had held the position since being elected to it in the 2001 general election, but chose not to contest in 2019.
Thomas Beatty Elliott is a Northern Irish unionist politician and farmer who was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2010 to 2012, and has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone since 2022, having previously served from 2003 to 2015. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2015 to 2017. He was a soldier in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) from 1982 to 1992 and its successor the Royal Irish Regiment from 1992 to 1999. He backed a Leave vote in the 2016 EU membership referendum.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. In common with all other Northern Irish unionist parties, the TUV's political programme has as its sine qua non the preservation of Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom. A founding precept of the party is that "nothing which is morally wrong can be politically right".
The 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election took place on Thursday, 5 May, following the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly at midnight on 24 March 2011. It was the fourth election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998.
The 2010 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland occurred on 6 May 2010 and all 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. 1,169,184 people were eligible to vote, up 29,191 from the 2005 general election. 57.99% of eligible voters turned out, down 5.5 percentage points from the last general election.
The 2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 5 May 2005 and all 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. 1,139,993 people were eligible to vote, down 51,016 from the 2001 general election. 63.49% of eligible voters turned out, down 5.1 percentage points from the last general election.
A by-election for the UK House of Commons constituency of Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland was held on 7 March 2013. The election was triggered by the resignation of Martin McGuinness, who had been elected to the seat in 1997 as the Sinn Féin candidate. The election was won by Francie Molloy, also of Sinn Féin.
The 2015 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 7 May 2015 and all 18 seats were contested. 1,236,765 people were eligible to vote, up 67,581 from the 2010 general election. 58.45% of eligible voters turned out, an increase of half a percentage point from the last general election. This election saw the return of Ulster Unionists to the House of Commons, after they targeted 4 seats but secured 2.
The 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 2 March 2017. The election was held to elect members (MLAs) following the resignation of deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. McGuinness' position was not filled, and thus by law his resignation triggered an election.
The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months after the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed due to the resignation of the First Minister, Paul Givan of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
A Northern Ireland Assembly election will be held to elect 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly on or before 6 May 2027.
