NI Candidates Standing In UK General Election

With the UK General Election set to take place on Thursday, 04 July, we look at the parties vying to represent Northern Ireland at Westminster.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have held their position as the party with the most MP's, 8 between 2019-2024, with their main rival, Sinn Féin, a close second with 7. Those elected representatives however don't take up their seats in Westminster, adhering to their party's policy of abstentionism. This 2018 article for the Guardian, by Sinn Féin's Paul Maskey, explains their position.

Those positions have begun to shift in recent elections. In 2022, Sinn Féin returned with an historic 29% of first preference votes, becoming the biggest party in the Assembly, with 27 seats – marking the first time a nationalist party held a majority in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin will be hoping to capitalise on it's momentum, while the DUP, which remained the largest unionist party and 2nd biggest party over all, will be trying to bolster the party reeling from recent blows. The most significant being the arrest and investigation of it's now former leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife, for child sex offences.

While the 04 July election will not directly impact the make-up of the Executive, it will be an indication of any further shifts in local politics, with a number of parties hoping to capitalise on the apparent decline of the DUP.

A total of 136 candidates are competing across 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland. 127 of the candidates represent 11 total political parties, with the other 9 standing as independents.

The political parties are:

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Standing a total of 16 candidates. Not standing in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and in North Down.
Their manifesto can be read in full here. And visit the party website here.
The parties candidates and which constituency they are standing in is included below.

Sinn Féin (SF)
Standing a total of 14 candidates. Not standing in Belfast East, Belfast South and Mid Down, Lagan Valley and North Down.
Their manifesto can be read in full here.

Social Democratic & Labour Party (SDLP)
The SDLP is standing a candidate across all 18 constituencies.
The party has only just launched it's manifesto, and has not yet published it to their website. Here, the BBC analyse their key policies.

The Alliance Party (Alliance)
Alliance will also stand candidates in all of NI's 18 constituencies.
The party's 'Leading Change Manifesto' can be read here.

The Green Party (Greens)
The Northern Ireland Greens are running 11 candidates in this election.
Their election manifesto can be read here.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
The UUP will contest seats in 17 constituencies, with Belfast North being the only constituency they are not standing in.
The UUP manifesto can be read here.

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)
Having not run any candidates in the last General Election, the TUV are standing 14 candidates (the constituencies their candidates are standing in are listed below).
Candidates are standing under a joint TUV/Reform UK banner, as part of an official ppolitical alliance with the British right-wing party.
The TUV manifesto can be read here.

Aontú (Aontú)
An all-island political party formed in 2019, Aontú will stand candidates in NI for the second time, contesting 10 constituencies.
Their election manifesto can be read here.

Northern Ireland Conservatives (NI Conservatives)
The Northern Ireland branch of the Conservative Party is standing 5 candidates.
The Conservative Party manifesto can be read here.

People Before Profit (PBP
Describing themselves as a 'eco-socialist 32 county party', PBP is running three candidates in this election.
More info on the local candidates can be found on their FB page.

Cross-Community Labour Alternative CCLA are standing one candidate, Gerry Cullen in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. They do not appear to have a website, but more information can be found on their Facebook page.

Independent Candidates There are nine individuals standing as independent candidates in this election, which are included in the constituency breakdown that follows.

Constituencies and Candidates

• East Belfast
Naomi Long – Alliance
Gavin Robinson – DUP
Brian Smyth – Green Party
Ryan Black – Independent
Séamas de Faoite – SDLP
John Ross – TUV
Ryan Warren – UUP

• North Belfast
Nuala McAllister – Alliance
Philip Brett – DUP
Mal O'Hara – Green Party
Fiona Ferguson – PBP
Carl Whyte – SDLP
John Finucane – SF
David Clarke – TUV

• South Belfast and Mid Down
Kate Nicholl – Alliance
Tracy Kelly – DUP
Aine Groogan – Greens
Claire Hanna – SDLP
Dan Boucher – TUV
Michael Henderson –UUP

• West Belfast
Eoin Millar – Alliance
Gerard Herdman – Aontú
Frank McCoubrey – DUP
Ash Jones – Green
Tony Mallon – Independent
Gerry Carroll – PBP
Paul Doherty – SDLP
Paul Maskey – SF
Ann McClure – TUV
Ben Sharkey – UUP

• East Antrim
Danny Donnelly – Alliance
Sammy Wilson – DUP
Mark Bailey – Greens
Margaret Anne McKillop – SDLP
Oliver McMullan – SF
Matthew Warwick – TUV
John Stewart – UUP

• East Londonderry
Richard Stewart – Alliance
Gemma Brolly – Aontú
Gregory Campbell – DUP
Jen McCahon – Greens
Claire Scull – NI Conservatives
Cara Hunter – SDLP
Kathleen McGurk – SF
Allister Kyle – TUV
Glen Miller – UUP

• Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Eddie Roofe – Alliance
Carl Duffy – Aontú
Gerry Cullen – CCLA
Paul Blake – SDLP
Pat Cullen – SF
Diana Armstrong – UUP

• Foyle
Rachael Ferguson – Alliance
John Boyle – Aontú
Gary Middleton – DUP
Anne McCloskey – Independent
Shaun Harkin – PBP
Colum Eastwood – SDLP
Sandra Duffy – SF
Janice Montgomery – UUP

• Lagan Valley
Sorcha Eastwood – Alliance
Jonathan Buckley – DUP
Patricia Denvir – Greens
Simon Lee – SDLP
Lorna Smyth – TUV
Robbie Butler – UUP

• Mid Ulster
Padraic Farrell – Alliance
Alixandra Halliday – Aontú
Keith Buchanan – DUP
John Kelly – Independent
Denise Johnston – SDLP
Cathal Mallaghan – SF
Glenn Moore – TUV
Jay Basra – UUP

• Newry and Armagh
Helena Young - Alliance
Liam Reichenberg - Aontú
Samantha Rayner - Conservative
Gareth Wilson - DUP
Pete Byrne - SDLP
Dáire Hughes - Sinn Féin
Keith Ratcliffe - TUV
Sam Nicholson - UUP

• North Antrim
Sian Mulholland - Alliance
Ráichéal Mhic Niocaill - Aontú
Ian Paisley - DUP
Tristan Morrow - Independent
Helen Maher - SDLP
Phillip McGuigan - Sinn Féin
Jim Allister - TUV
Jackson Minford - UUP

• North Down
Stephen Farry - Alliance
Barry McKee - Green Party
Alex Easton - Independent
Chris Carter - Independent
Deirdre Vaughan - SDLP
Tim Collins - UUP

• South Antrim
John Blair - Alliance
Siobhan McErlean - Aontú
Paul Girvan - DUP
Lesley Veronica - Green Party
Roisin Lynch - SDLP
Declan Kearney - Sinn Féin
Mel Lucas – TUV
Robin Swann - UUP

• South Down
Andrew McMurray - Alliance
Rosemary McGlone - Aontú
Hannah Westropp - Conservative
Diane Forsythe - DUP
Declan Walsh - Green Party
Colin McGrath - SDLP
Chris Hazzard - Sinn Féin
Jim Wells - TUV
Michael O'Loan - UUP

• Strangford
Michelle Guy - Alliance
Barry Hetherington - Conservative
Jim Shannon - DUP
Alexandra Braidner - Green Party
Gareth Burns - Independent
Garreth Falls - Independent
Will Polland – SDLP
Noel Sands - Sinn Féin
Ron McDowell - TUV
Richard Smart - UUP

• Upper Bann
Eóin Tennyson – Alliance
Carla Lockhart - DUP
Kate Evans - UUP
Malachy Quinn - SDLP
Catherine Nelson - Sinn Féin

• West Tyrone
Stephen Donnelly - Alliance
Leza Houston - Aontú
Stephen Lynch - Conservatives
Tom Buchanan - DUP
Daniel McCrossan - SDLP
Órfhlaith Begley - Sinn Féin
Stevan Patterson - TUV
Matthew Bell - UUP

For more information on the election, including how and where to vote, go to The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

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