DUP’s Seat Count in Northern Ireland Drops by 2
The Democratic Unionist Party has lost two seats in Northern Ireland, including the one previously held by former leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Gavin Robinson, who took over as DUP leader after Sir Jeffrey was arrested and charged earlier this year, said the loss of Lagan Valley, North Antrim, and South Antrim was, “not what we wanted.”
North Antrim had been held by Ian Paisley, 57, and his father, Ian Paisley senior, for 54 years but it fell to Jim Allister, leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), a party closely aligned with Reform UK.
The TUV strongly opposes the Irish Sea border introduced as part of the Brexit deal and criticized the DUP’s stance as too weak.
The DUP’s candidate in Lagan Valley, Jonathan Buckley, lost to Sorcha Eastwood of the Alliance Party.
In South Antrim, the DUP’s Paul Girvan lost to Robin Swann of the rival Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the dominant party in the Protestant community for many years.
As recently as 2017, the DUP had 10 seats and was the largest party in Northern Ireland. However, this week’s results mean Sinn Fein now holds the most seats in the province, with seven.
‘Significant Job of Work Ahead’
Mr. Robinson acknowledged the need to strengthen and strategize unionism to ensure that pro-union voters are no longer divided, resulting in lost seats to non-unionist parties.
The DUP, the Ulster Unionist Party, and the TUV all advocate for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, while the Alliance Party, Sinn Fein, and the SDLP draw support from their respective communities with differing views on Irish unity.
Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Provisional IRA, abstains from House of Commons seats for ideological reasons. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed the need to prepare for a unified future on the island.
PA Media contributed to this report.
