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.
Samuel Wilson is a Northern Irish politician who has served as Chief Whip of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the House of Commons since 2019. Wilson has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Antrim since 2005.
Frank McCoubrey is a Northern Irish unionist politician and Ulster Loyalist,as well as a community activist and researcher. McCoubrey is a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA since 1997,sitting as a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) member since 2012. He is a leading member of the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG). McCoubrey is a native of Highfield,Belfast.
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.
Nelson McCausland is a Northern Irish columnist and former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who was Minister of Culture,Arts and Leisure (2009–2011) and subsequently Minister for Social Development (2011–2014) in the Northern Ireland Executive.
Fred Cobain,MBE is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician from Northern Ireland,serving as a Belfast City Councillor for the Castle DEA since 2019. He was previously an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North from 1998 until 2011.
James Andrew Spratt was a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician and police officer from Northern Ireland. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Belfast from 2007 to 2015.
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".
John Kyle is a Northern Irish unionist politician and General practitioner who was High Sheriff of Belfast from 2023 to 2024,and was a Belfast City Councillor for the Titanic DEA from 2007 to 2023. Additionally,he served as interim leader of the centre-left loyalist Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) in 2010,then as deputy leader from 2012 to 2021.
William Joseph Humphrey is a former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Belfast from 2010 to 2022. He was a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA from 2005 to 2013.
Alderman Maurice Devenney is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who was a Derry and Strabane Councillor for the Sperrin DEA from 2019 to 2023. Devenney also briefly served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Foyle from 2014 to 2015.
Claire Aisling Hanna is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) since 5 October 2024 following her successful candidacy in the 2024 leadership election. She has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South and Mid Down since 2019. Hanna previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2015 until her election to Westminster in 2019.
Gordon Lyons is a Northern Irish unionist politician,serving as Minister for Communities since 2024. He has also served as Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2021. He was Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022,and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. He is the DUP's Spokesperson for Finance,Public Service Reform and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Christopher David Matthew Stalford was a Northern Irish politician who was a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Belfast from the 2016 election until his death in 2022.
Harold McKee is a Northern Irish unionist politician who was a Newry Mourne and Down Councillor for The Mournes DEA from 2014 to 2016,and then again from 2019 until 2023.
Danny Donnelly is an Alliance Party politician in Northern Ireland,serving as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since May 2022.
Patricia O'Lynn is a Northern Irish academic,educator,and politician who was an Alliance Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 2022 to 2023. She was elected as an MLA in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election for North Antrim.
Brian Kingston is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician,serving as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North since 2022. Kingston is the DUP Spokesperson for Local Government.
Ruth Patterson is a former Northern Irish unionist politician who was deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast between 2006 and 2007,then 2011 to 2012. Additionally,she served as High Sheriff of Belfast from 2004 to 2005. Patterson was a Belfast City councillor from 2001 to 2019,initially for the Balmoral DEA,later Botanic.
Thomas Robert Haire is a former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician and Orangeman who served as deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast from June 2021 to 2022,and High Sheriff of Belfast from January 2017 to 2018. He was a Belfast City Councillor from 2011 to 2023,initially representing the Victoria DEA,later its successor,Ormiston.
