NEWS

Wednesday 04 November 2026 The DUP is seeking to block new EU customs rules from applying in Northern Ireland, warning that the changes could increase costs for businesses, disrupt supply chains and make it harder for firms in Great Britain to trade with the region. Upper Bann MLA Jonathan Buckley has confirmed that his party has formally petitioned the Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker as it attempts to trigger the Stormont Brake, a mechanism designed to allow MLAs to challe

Carla Lockhart MP Monday 2 November 2026 Carla Lockhart has resigned from the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect, announcing that she will continue representing Upper Bann at Westminster as an independent unionist MP. The decision brings to an end more than two decades of membership of the DUP and follows her increasingly public disagreement with the party leadership over its response to the controversy surrounding First Minister Michelle O'Neill and the Garvaghy

Inset: Jonathan Buckley MLA is calling for unionist unity across Northern Ireland three main unionist parties. Sunday 01 November 2026 A call for formal talks between Northern Ireland’s three unionist parties has exposed differences over what cooperation should achieve, with the UUP questioning whether the proposal has DUP leadership backing and TUV challenging its political direction. DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley has invited the three party leaders to immediate discussions aimed

TUV leader Jim Allister MP, and party candidate for The Glens, Jamise McIlhagga Saturday 31 October 2026 Former chemistry teacher Jamise McIlhagga has been announced as the Traditional Unionist Voice candidate for The Glens electoral area on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. McIlhagga, who works in Jim Allister MP’s constituency office, previously stood for council under the TUV banner in 2014 and is now preparing to contest a seat again. Her selection is the latest a

DUP MP for Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart Friday 30 October 2026 DUP MP Carla Lockhart has publicly rejected her party's response to the Stormont crisis, accusing its leadership of failing to deliver the “profound consequences” promised over the actions of First Minister Michelle O'Neill. In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday evening, the Upper Bann MP said the measures announced by the DUP fell far short of what she believed unionists wanted, dismissing restrictions on

Thursday 29 October 2026 The Democratic Unionist Party has announced plans to obstruct elements of Sinn Féin's business at Stormont and suspend joint activities between Northern Ireland's two most senior ministers, warning that the power-sharing institutions cannot continue as normal following the controversy surrounding the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. In a strongly worded statement, the DUP accused First Minister Michelle O'Neill and her Sinn Féin colleagues of undermining c

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA, and the party’s candidate for Mid Ulster in next May’s Northern Ireland Assembly election, Ian Irwin. Monday 26 October 2026 The Ulster Unionist Party has selected former prison officer and victims advocate Ian Irwin as its candidate for Mid Ulster in next May’s Northern Ireland Assembly election. Mr Irwin, who has been a member of the party for more than 15 years, will seek to secure an Assembly seat for the UUP in a constituency

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald Monday 19 October 2026 Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald have confirmed they will be interviewed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) this week in connection with protests on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. Both senior Sinn Féin figures have publicly defended their participation in the protests, insisting they were standing in solidarity with residents opposed to an Orange Ord

Sian Mulholland MLA alongside Alliance Party Leader Naomi Long MLA. Friday 16 October 2026 Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland will seek to retain her North Antrim Assembly seat at next May’s election, promising to put struggling families, affordable childcare and women’s healthcare at the centre of her campaign. The party has selected Ms Mulholland to contest the constituency on Thursday 6 May 2027, with the rising cost of living, household energy bills and access to healthcare amo

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long Wednesday 14 October 2026 Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called on Northern Ireland’s political parties to agree a shared approach to transforming health and social care, warning that vital services cannot continue on their current course. The appeal comes on the tenth anniversary of the Bengoa report, which set out recommendations for reshaping Northern Ireland’s health service, amid continuing concerns about hospital services, GP provi

Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey Tuesday 13 October 2026 Twenty years after the St Andrews Agreement reshaped Northern Ireland’s power-sharing arrangements, former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey has accused the DUP of making a “strategic blunder” that ultimately allowed Sinn Féin to secure the office of First Minister. Marking the anniversary of the October 2006 negotiations, Lord Empey claimed that changes to the rules for appointing Northern Ireland’s

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher Monday 12 October 2026 Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has defended the PSNI’s handling of the Garvaghy Road parade dispute, warning that attempting to force the procession through could have triggered prolonged disorder, injuries and consequences extending beyond Portadown. His comments come amid renewed political disagreement following a Court of Appeal ruling upholding the Parades Commission’s determination, with

Northern Ireland’s Unionist party leaders (L-R): Gavin Robinson MP (DUP), Jim Allister MP (TUV), and Jon Burrows (UUP). Saturday 10 October 2026 A deepening political dispute over Drumcree has exposed sharply different approaches within unionism, with DUP leader Gavin Robinson defending his party’s decision to remain in government, TUV leader Jim Allister accusing him of failing to deliver meaningful consequences, and Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows demanding police accoun

Matthew Robinson, the Ulster Unionist Party’s candidate for East Londonderry Saturday 10 October 2026 Portstewart resident Matthew Robinson has been selected as the Ulster Unionist Party’s candidate for East Londonderry in next May’s Northern Ireland Assembly election, pledging to champion local businesses, farming, education and health services across the constituency. The former chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party will contest the election for the UUP under

Thursday 08 October 2026 Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill will appear on The Late Late Show this Friday night to discuss the ongoing Drumcree and Garvaghy Road dispute, its impact on Northern Ireland and what the controversy could mean for the debate surrounding a united Ireland. The Sinn Féin vice-president will join host Patrick Kielty in the RTÉ studio as tensions surrounding the Orange Order parade dispute continue to attract political attention. Her app

Councillor Aaron Skinner, Chairman of the Mid and East Antrim Disability Lived Experience Group is pictured with the volunteer members and council officers at the inaugural meeting of the group. Sunday 04 October 2026 Twelve residents with lived experience of disability are to help shape how Mid and East Antrim Borough Council designs its services, facilities, policies and projects. A direct voice in Council decisions The new Disability Lived Experience Group (DLEG) held its

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on Sinn Féin to replace Deirdre Hargey on the Northern Ireland Policing Board while the investigation into events on the Garvaghy Road, and any resulting proceedings, remain ongoing. He has written to the Board’s chair seeking an urgent decision before Thursday’s meeting, arguing that a member involved in events under investigation should not scrutinise the officers responsible for policing them. Th

(L-R) Antrim and Newtownabbey Sinn Féin councillors Taylor McGrann, Maighréad Ní Chonghaile, and Eamonn McLaughlin. Tuesday 29 September 2026 Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has voted to refer three Sinn Féin councillors to a standards watchdog over allegations relating to their presence near a protest at Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The proposal passed by 20 votes to seven, with seven abstentions, at a full council meeting in Mossley Mill on Monday evening, 28 Septemb

Stormont Parliament Buildings and (inset) Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows Tuesday 29 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant to extend Thursday’s deadline for the Executive to agree a three-year budget, arguing that recent political tensions have made agreement within the current timeframe unlikely. Mr Burrows confirmed on Monday that he had written directly to the Secretary of State seeking wh

Stormont Parliament Buildings and (inset) TUV Party Leader & North Antrim MP Jim Allister, and the party’s North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston Monday 28 September 2026 The TUV has called for the DUP to bring down Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions unless the Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road is allowed to proceed, as the political fallout from Sunday’s blockade moved directly into the Assembly chamber. TUV leader Jim Allister MP and North Antrim MLA Timothy G