The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist,loyalist,British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley,who led the party for the next 37 years. It is currently led by Gavin Robinson,who initially stepped in as an interim after the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson. It is the second-largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly,and won five seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom at the 2024 election. The party has been mostly described as right-wing and socially conservative,being anti-abortion and opposing same-sex marriage. The DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and republicanism. It is also Eurosceptic and supported Brexit.
The Northern Ireland Assembly,often referred to by the metonym Stormont,is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom,and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland,an administrative branch of the legislature –the Northern Ireland Assembly,situated in Belfast. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998,which followed the Good Friday Agreement. The executive is referred to in the legislation as the Executive Committee of the assembly and is an example of consociationalist ("power-sharing") government.
Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson is a British former politician,who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2021 to 2024,and leader of the DUP in the UK House of Commons from 2019 to 2024. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lagan Valley from 1997 to 2024.
James Hugh Allister is a Northern Irish politician and barrister who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Antrim since the 2024 general election. He founded the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) in 2007 and has led the party since its formation. Prior to his election to Westminster,Allister was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim,having been first elected in the 2011 Assembly election.
Dame Arlene Isobel Foster,Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee,,is a British broadcaster and politician from Northern Ireland who is serving as Chair of Intertrade UK since September 2024. She previously served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2016 to 2017 and 2020 to 2021 and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2015 to 2021. Foster was the first woman to hold either position. She is a Member of the House of Lords,having previously been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2003 to 2021.
Edwin Poots is a British politician from Northern Ireland,serving as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly since February 2024. He served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from May to June 2021. He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1998.
Jim Wells is a Northern Irish unionist politician who was Minister of Health,Social Services and Public Safety from 2014 to 2015. He additionally served on an interim basis as deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly between 2006 and 2007.
Michelle O'Neill is an Irish politician who has been the First Minister of Northern Ireland since February 2024 and Vice President of Sinn Féin since 2018. She has also been the MLA for Mid Ulster in the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2007. O'Neill was previously deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2020 to 2022. O'Neill served on the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council from 2005 to 2011.
The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the joint heads of government of Northern Ireland,leading the Northern Ireland Executive and with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. Despite the titles of the two offices,the two positions have the same governmental power,resulting in a duumvirate;the deputy First Minister,customarily spelled with a lowercase d,is not subordinate to the First Minister. Created under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement,both were initially nominated and appointed by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on a joint ticket by a cross-community vote,under consociational principles. That process was changed following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement,such that the First Minister now is nominated by the largest party overall,and the deputy First Minister is nominated by the largest party from the next largest community block.
Gregory Lloyd Campbell is a British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Londonderry since 2001. As of 2024,Campbell is Northern Ireland's longest-serving current MP. He is the DUP Spokesperson for International Development.
The Renewable Heat Incentive scandal,also referred to as RHIgate and the Cash for Ash scandal,is a political scandal in Northern Ireland that centres on a failed renewable energy incentive scheme that has been reported to potentially cost the public purse almost £500 million. The plan,initiated in 2012,was overseen by Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),the then-Minister for Enterprise,Trade and Investment. Foster failed to introduce proper cost controls,allowing the plan to spiral out of control. The scheme worked by paying applicants to use renewable energy. However,the rate paid was more than the cost of the fuel,and thus many applicants were making profits simply by heating their properties.
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.
This is a list of the 90 members of the sixth Northern Ireland Assembly,the unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. The election took place on 2 March 2017,with counting finishing the following day;voter turnout was estimated at 64.8%.
New Decade,New Approach (NDNA) is a 9 January 2020 agreement which restored the government of the Northern Ireland Executive after a three-year hiatus triggered by the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. It was negotiated by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith and Irish Tánaiste Simon Coveney.
Events from the year 2021 in Northern Ireland.
The June 2021 Democratic Unionist Party leadership election was triggered by Edwin Poots' resignation from the leadership of the party on 17 June 2021.
Events from the year 2022 in Northern Ireland.
The 6th Executive of Northern Ireland was appointed on 3 February 2024,following the 2022 election to the seventh Northern Ireland Assembly held on 5 May 2022 and the protracted negotiations leading up to the 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation. The newly elected assembly met for the first time on 13 May 2022. It is led by Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy First Minister.
Events from the year 2024 in Northern Ireland.
