List of political parties in Northern Ireland

Last updated

Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats do not contest elections there (though the Liberal Democrats have links with the Alliance Party), and the Conservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.

Contents

The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected by single transferable vote and the composition of the Northern Ireland Executive is by power sharing determined by the D'Hondt system, among the members elected to the assembly. Northern Ireland also elects 18 MPs to the House of Commons, and there are elections to 11 local government districts.

Some parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Workers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all-United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland-specific parties and these, on the whole, predominate.

The distinction between "unionist/loyalist", "nationalist/republican" and "other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position on the "Border Question" than on other political issues.

For example, the former Republican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost a socialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly the Workers' Party has its roots in the republican Official IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violent socialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. The Northern Ireland Assembly requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other". This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.

There are some who see the terms "Unionist"/"Loyalist" and "Nationalist"/"Republican" as being of more relevance to the community that the party seeks to represent rather than the position on the border question. Several of the "Other" parties strive to be non-sectarian but have a clear position on the border.

Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, or UK level

Party details

PartyFoundedPolitical
position
Ideology Designation Leader(s) Local
government
Northern Ireland Assembly House of Commons
(NI Seats)
House of Lords

Sinn Féin
1905 Centre-left [1] to
left-wing
[2]
Irish republicanism
Democratic socialism
Left-wing nationalism
Nationalist Michelle O'Neill (cropped from Martin McGuinness, Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams).jpg Michelle O'Neill [Note 1]
144 / 462
27 / 90

Democratic Unionist Party
1971 Right-wing [3] [4] British unionism
British nationalism
National conservatism
Right-wing populism
Euroscepticism
Unionist Official portrait of Gavin Robinson MP crop 2.jpg Gavin Robinson
122 / 462
25 / 90
5 / 18
6 / 779
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland logo.svg
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
1970 Centre [5] Liberalism [6] [7] [8]
Nonsectarianism [9] [10]
Pro-Europeanism [11]
Other Naomi Long MLA.jpg Naomi Long
67 / 462
17 / 90
1 / 18
0 / 779
[Note 2]

Ulster Unionist Party
1905 Centre-right [12] Unionist Mike Nesbitt 2024.jpg Mike Nesbitt
54 / 462
9 / 90
1 / 18
2 / 779
Social Democratic and Labour Party Logo 2020.png
Social Democratic and Labour Party
1970 Centre-left [15] [16] Nationalist Official portrait of Claire Hanna MP crop 2.jpg Claire Hanna
39 / 462
8 / 90
2 / 18
0 / 779
[Note 3]
Logo of the Traditional Unionist Voice.svg
Traditional Unionist Voice
2007 Right-wing [18] Unionist Official portrait of Jim Allister MP crop 2.jpg Jim Allister
10 / 462
1 / 90
1 / 18
People Before Profit logo.svg
People Before Profit
2005 Left-wing [22] to
far-left [23]
Trotskyism [24]
Socialism [25]
Anti-capitalism [26]
Irish reunification [27]
Other [Note 4] Richard Boyd Barrett, December 2022 (cropped).jpg Richard Boyd Barrett [28]
2 / 462
1 / 90
Green Party NI logo.svg
Green Party NI
1985 Centre-left to
left-wing
Green politics [13]
Nonsectarianism
Pro-Europeanism [11]
Other Mal O'Hara.png Malachai O'Hara
5 / 462
Progressive Unionist Party logo.svg
Progressive Unionist Party
1985 Centre-left [29] [30] to
left-wing [30]
British unionism
Ulster loyalism
Democratic socialism [31] [32]
Social democracy
Unionist Russell Watton
1 / 462

Northern Ireland Conservatives
1989 Centre-right to right-wing British unionism
Conservatism
Economic liberalism
Unionist Paul Leeman
2 / 779

Labour Party in Northern Ireland
2003 Centre-left Social democracy Unionist Erskine Holmes
1 / 779

Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats
1988 Centre to
centre-left
Liberalism
Social liberalism
Nonsectarianism
Pro-Europeanism
Unionist Stephen Glenn
1 / 779

Party representation

PartyRepresentation (as of 3 October 2023) [33]
UK Parliament Assembly Local councils
House of Commons House of Lords
Sinn Féin 7027144
Democratic Unionist Party 5625122
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 10 [nb 1] 1767
Ulster Unionist Party 12954
Social Democratic and Labour Party 20 [nb 2] 839
Traditional Unionist Voice 10110
People Before Profit 0012
Green Party Northern Ireland 0005
Progressive Unionist Party 0001
Aontú 0000
Northern Ireland Conservatives 0200
Labour Party in Northern Ireland 0100
Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats 0100
    1. Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Lib Dem whip.
    2. Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019, resigning from the party to do so.

    Other registered parties

    Unionist and loyalist

    PartyFoundedPolitical
    position
    IdeologyLeader(s)

    Heritage Party
    2020 Right-wing Euroscepticism
    British unionism
    British nationalism
    Social conservatism
    Right-wing populism
    David Kurten.jpg David Kurten

    Nationalist and republican

    PartyFoundedPolitical
    position
    IdeologyLeader(s)

    Aontú
    English: Unity
    2019 Irish republicanism [34]
    Social conservatism [35]
    Peadar Toibin (official portrait) (cropped).jpg Peadar Tóibín
    Communist Party of Ireland.svg
    Communist Party of Ireland
    Irish: An Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann
    1933
    1970 (refoundation)
    Far-left Communism
    Marxism-Leninism
    Jimmy Corcoran (General Secretary)
    Logo of the Fianna Fail.svg
    Fianna Fáil
    English: Warriors of Fál or
    Soldiers of Destiny
    [Note 5]
    1926 Centre [38] [39] [40] to
    centre-right [41] [42] [43]
    Irish republicanism
    Conservative liberalism
    Christian democracy
    Micheal Martin TD (cropped).jpg Micheál Martin
    IRSP logo, circa 2022.png
    Irish Republican Socialist Party
    1974 Far-left Communism
    Marxism-Leninism
    Irish republicanism
    Dissident republicanism
    Hard euroscepticism
    Ard Chomhairle
    English: National Executive

    Republican Network for Unity
    2007 Left-wing Irish republicanism
    Dissident republicanism
    Socialism

    Saoradh
    English: Liberation
    2016 Far-left [44] [45] Irish republicanism
    Dissident republicanism [46]
    Revolutionary socialism
    Hard Euroscepticism [47]
    Anti-imperialism
    Stephen Murney

    Workers' Party
    Irish: An Páirtí na nOibrithe
    1970 Far-left Communism
    Marxism-Leninism
    Irish republicanism
    Collective leadership

    Others

    PartyFoundedPolitical
    position
    IdeologyLeader(s)Notes

    Cross-Community Labour Alternative
    2015 Left-wing Democratic socialism
    Anti-capitalism
    Nonsectarianism
    Owen McCracken

    Socialist Party
    1996 Left-wing to far-left Democratic socialism
    Political radicalism [48]
    Trotskyism [49]
    Euroscepticism [50]
    Collective leadership

    Unregistered parties

    Candidates for unregistered parties may choose either to be listed as "Non-Party", or to leave the section blank on the ballot paper, in the same manner as independent candidates.

    Nationalist and Republican

    Unionist

    Inactive parties

    Unionist and loyalist

    Nationalist and Republican

    Others

    Flowchart of all political parties in Northern Ireland

    A flowchart illustrating all the political parties that have existed throughout the history of Northern Ireland and leading up to its formation. Political Parties of Northern Ireland.png
    A flowchart illustrating all the political parties that have existed throughout the history of Northern Ireland and leading up to its formation.

    Party leaders

    Party leaders serving 10 years or more are

    LeaderYearsParty/PeriodConstituency
    Ian Paisley 42y Protestant Unionist Party 19661971
    Democratic Unionist Party 19712008
    Bannside, North Antrim
    Ruairí Ó Brádaigh 36y Sinn Féin 19701983
    Republican Sinn Féin 19862009
    Gerry Adams 35y Sinn Féin 19832018 West Belfast, Louth
    William Norton 28y Irish Labour 19321960
    Tomás Mac Giolla 26y Sinn Féin 19621970
    Official Sinn Féin 19701977
    Sinn Féin The Workers' Party 19771982
    Workers' Party 19821988
    Hugh Smyth 23y Progressive Unionist Party 19792002
    John Hume 22y Social Democratic and Labour Party 19792001 Foyle
    Albert McElroy 19y Ulster Liberal Party 19561975 (?)
    Lord Craigavon 19y Ulster Unionist Party 19211940 Down, North Down
    John Redmond 18y Irish Parliamentary Party 19001918 Waterford City
    Lord Brookeborough 17y Ulster Unionist Party 19461963 Lisnaskea
    James Molyneaux 16y Ulster Unionist Party 19791995 South Antrim, Lagan Valley
    Joseph Devlin 16y Nationalist Party 19181934 Belfast Falls, Fermanagh and Tyrone, Belfast Central
    Gerry Fitt 15y Republican Labour Party 19641970
    Social Democratic and Labour Party 19701979
    Belfast West, Belfast Dock
    James Kilfedder 15y Ulster Popular Unionist Party 19801995 North Down
    David Ford 15y Alliance Party 20012016 South Antrim
    Margaret Buckley 13y Sinn Féin 19371950
    Robert McCartney 13y UK Unionist Party 19952008 North Down
    James McSparran 13y Nationalist Party 19451958 Mourne
    Oliver Napier 12y Alliance Party 19721984 Belfast East
    Thomas Joseph Campbell 11y Nationalist Party 19341945 Belfast Central
    Sir Edward Carson 11y Ulster Unionist Party 19101921 Dublin University, Belfast Duncairn
    John Alderdice 11y Alliance Party 19871998 Belfast East
    David Trimble 10y Ulster Unionist Party 19952005 Upper Bann

    See also

    Notes

    1. Although Mary Lou McDonald is the party president, O’Neill serves as vice-president and as First Minister, functions as the party’s leader in Northern Ireland.
    2. Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Liberal Democrat whip.
    3. Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019 as a Labour peer, resigning from the SDLP to do so.
    4. In the Northern Ireland Assembly, the party's MLAs sign the register as "socialist" when asked if they are "unionist" or "nationalist", resulting in an official designation of "Other". However, People Before Profit is in favour of Irish reunification.
    5. Since 2007, Fianna Fáil has been officially registered in Northern Ireland, but has not formally fielded any election candidates as of yet, despite members passing motions to at successive árdfheiseanna. [36] Ógra Fianna Fáil launched cumainn (branches) at QUB and UU in the same year. From 2019 to 2022, it was in partnership with the SDLP. [37]

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