NEWS

Sitting Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan with the party’s deputy Dáil leader and finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TDPearse Doherty TD. Friday 18 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected sitting MLA Philip McGuigan to contest the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim, as parties begin preparing for voters to go to the polls next May. McGuigan, who currently chairs Stormont’s Health Committee, confirmed his candidacy at a party event in the Marine H

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long for answers over the release of at large prisoner Gary Anderson (centre) Police are continuing to seek convicted murderer Gary Anderson as political pressure grows for a full explanation of how he came to be temporarily released from prison despite the Prison Service having initially decided he was unsuitable for compassionate temporary release. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has de

Ulster Unionist East Antrim MLA John Stewart Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart has accused First Minister Michelle O’Neill of engaging in “smoke and mirrors” as she joins nationalist leaders from Wales, Scotland and Ireland in Cardiff today for talks focused on greater co-operation and constitutional change. Speaking on Sunday (August 13), the East Antrim MLA said any declaration agreed by Sinn Féin, the SNP and Plaid Cymru could not be made on behalf of Northern Ireland or it

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows Unionism must confront its past mistakes and give people practical reasons to support Northern Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom rather than relying on traditional identity and inherited allegiance, UUP leader Jon Burrows has argued. The North Antrim MLA has set out a striking assessment of the challenges facing unionism, acknowledging previous strategic failures while warning that constantly portraying Northern Ireland as ne

Belfast City Hall A debate intended to highlight the persecution and killing of Christians around the world descended into a bitter political clash at Belfast City Hall this week, as councillors traded accusations over Northern Ireland’s own troubled past. A DUP motion focused specifically on the persecution of Christians — including thousands of reported killings in Nigeria — was ultimately replaced by a Sinn Féin amendment broadening Belfast City Council’s position to conde

Dr Kathryn Owen with Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA A former DUP councillor has been selected to contest Belfast South and Mid Down for the Ulster Unionist Party in next year’s Northern Ireland Assembly election. Dr Kathryn Owen, a former RAF medic and healthcare professional, will stand for the UUP in the constituency after previously serving in local government as a DUP representative. The selection represents a notable political switch ahead of the election,

General and colorectal surgeon Damian McKay, NI representative for the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) Monday 24 August 2026 A leading Northern Ireland surgeon has warned that prolonged delay over the future of emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital would place already stretched clinical teams under increasing pressure — as he revealed that he and colleagues sought the intervention of three major surgical associations following even

Causeway Hospital, and (inset) newly appointed Health Minister Robbie Butler Robbie Butler has been confirmed as Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister, taking charge of a health and social care system facing severe waiting-list pressures and major decisions over the future of hospital services. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows announced the nomination on Thursday, less than two days after Mike Nesbitt resigned amid a political dispute over emergency general surgery a

Ulster Unionist Party MLA Robbie Butler Ulster Unionist Party MLA Robbie Butler is set to be confirmed as Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister, taking over one of Stormont’s most demanding roles following Mike Nesbitt’s resignation. The Lagan Valley representative will inherit responsibility for a health service facing severe waiting-list pressures, difficulties accessing primary care and continuing controversy over the future configuration of hospital services. Among his m

Causeway Hospital, Coleraine The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has stood by its proposal to centralise emergency general surgery at Antrim Area Hospital, warning that the current two-hospital model is becoming “increasingly unsustainable”. Its intervention follows Mike Nesbitt’s resignation as Health Minister after a political dispute with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows over the proposed removal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Colerain

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows Wednesday 19 August 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has said this morning he expects to nominate a new Northern Ireland Health Minister soon, as he moved to reassure patients that Mike Nesbitt’s sudden resignation will not interrupt work to reduce waiting lists and reform services. Mr Burrows said he would discuss the health portfolio with party colleagues over the coming days, but did not identify who is being considered

Mike Nesbitt MLA Mike Nesbitt has resigned as Northern Ireland’s Health Minister following a major political dispute with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows over emergency general surgery at Causeway Hospital. In a strongly worded resignation letter sent to Mr Burrows on Tuesday evening, Mr Nesbitt said the UUP leader had created “shock waves” across the health and social care system by publicly backing the retention of emergency surgery at the Coleraine hospital. The f

Pictured: DUP Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart and Ulster Unionist agriculture spokesperson Robbie Butler MLA, and the farmers protest earlier this week outside Stormont. Friday 14 August 2026 Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has rejected demands for his resignation and launched an extraordinary attack on the Ulster Farmers’ Union, declaring that its days of “dictating government policy are over”. His defiant response came after the UFU passed a vote of no confidence in Mr Muir,

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is to establish an independent confidential process for anyone with information or concerns relating to Jeffrey Donaldson’s time in the party to come forward, saying its initial internal review was only “a first step, not the end of the matter”. The move follows Donaldson’s conviction on 18 child sex abuse offences, including rape, and represents the party’s most significant organisational response since the verdicts. Independent route outside

Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson A safeguarding and accountability row surrounding Jeffrey Donaldson has deepened after the DUP confirmed it is commissioning a specialised independent review into issues arising from the former party leader’s conviction. Donaldson, a former DUP leader and one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent political figures, has been convicted of 18 historical sexual offences against two women when they were children. He is await

North Antrim MP Jim Allister, and inset, former Lagan Valley MP, Jeffrey Donaldson Questions have been raised over payments totalling almost £12,000 made by the Ministry of Defence to former Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson while he was serving as a sitting Member of Parliament. The issue has been brought into the spotlight by North Antrim MP and TUV leader Jim Allister, who said the payments were made for consultancy work connected to peace efforts in Cameroon at a time whe

Supporters outside Stormont calling for long-term investment in agri-environment schemes to support farmers and restore wildlife, joined by DAERA Minister Andrew Muir New polling commissioned by RSPB NI has revealed strong public support for increased investment in nature-friendly farming, as the organisation called on politicians to provide greater backing for farmers working to protect wildlife and tackle climate change. The survey found that 68 per cent of people support i

Stormont Parliament Buildings, Belfast. (Photo: Nigel McDowell/Ulster University) A major new study has found that people across Northern Ireland want any future debate on Irish unity to be driven by evidence, planning and practical answers rather than political rhetoric, with the experience of Brexit continuing to shape public attitudes towards constitutional change. Research published on Wednesday, July 1, by Ulster University suggests the conversation around Northern Irela

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long Calls for a fully independent investigation into what senior figures knew about concerns surrounding former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson have intensified following revelations aired in the BBC Spotlight documentary Politician, Predator, Paedophile. On Sunday, 28 June, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said transparency was now essential regarding the actions and knowledge of senior members of the Democratic Unionist Party in relation to allegat

Political fallout intensified across unionism on Friday night after a special edition of BBC Spotlight examining the double life of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson prompted renewed scrutiny over what was known, when it was known, and who, if anyone, failed to act. The programme, presented by investigative journalist Mandy McAuley and titled Politician, Predator and Paedophile, examined how one of the most powerful figures in modern Northern Ireland politics was able to ri