NEWS

North Antrim MP Jim Allister speaking in the House of Commons, and Wrightbus Ballymena-built Electroliners in service for Translink in Northern Ireland North Antrim MP Jim Allister has called on the UK Government to take decisive action to support the British bus manufacturing industry, warning that current procurement practices risk undermining one of the country’s most strategically important advanced manufacturing sectors. Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesd

TUV Leader, Jim Allister MP signing the Book of Commitment on Holocaust Memorial Day The leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), Jim Allister MP , has marked Holocaust Memorial Day by signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, reaffirming his party’s commitment to remembrance and to challenging antisemitism in modern society. Speaking after signing the book, Mr Allister reflected on the significance of Holocaust Memorial Day, which commemorates the six

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has raised profound concerns about the state of Northern Ireland’s health service, using a tragic local case to highlight what he described as systemic failures in ambulance response policy. Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, January 20, Mr Gaston said the Department of Health had become “by far the most frustrating Department” he had dealt with during his first 19 months as an MLA, accusing it of ignoring Assembly contributions, delayi

Rising rents in Ballymena and across Northern Ireland are being fuelled by a chronic lack of housing supply, failures in waste water infrastructure and the use of taxpayer-funded accommodation for asylum seekers, North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston has claimed. Speaking during an Assembly debate on housing affordability on Monday, January 19, Mr Gaston said pressures being felt acutely in Ballymena and surrounding areas were the result of structural failures that have been ignor

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston has welcomed a recent employment tribunal ruling in England on single-sex spaces, while warning that policies in place at Stormont are in direct conflict with the judgment and leave women in Northern Ireland without comparable legal protections. Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday (January 20), Mr Gaston referred to a case in which an employment tribunal found that a hospital trust had violated the dignity a

Leaders of Unionism, (L-R) Gavin Robinson MP (DUP), Jim Allister MP (TUV), and Jon Burrows MLA (UUP). The debate over Unionist co-operation has intensified following a call from Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson MP for closer working between pro-Union parties — a proposal that has drawn cautious and, in the case of Traditional Unionist Voice, sharply critical responses. In a message to party members and supporters, Mr Robinson described 2026 as a pivotal year

The former DUP Advice Centre on Church Street, Ballymena More than £5,000 in unpaid rates remains outstanding on premises linked to a DUP advice centre in Ballymena, the Northern Ireland Assembly has been told. The issue was raised during Assembly questions on Monday, January 12, when TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston asked the Minister of Finance to outline the current position regarding the rates bill for 9–11 Church Street, Ballymena — an office previously associated wi

Inset: North Antrim TUV MP Jim Allister The decision to end the use of the Ulster Banner as the flag representing Northern Ireland athletes at the Commonwealth Games has sparked a strong political backlash, with unionist representatives accusing organisers of unnecessary and divisive political interference. TUV leader Jim Allister MP said he was “deeply disappointed” by the move, warning that the controversy risked overshadowing the sporting achievements of athletes due to

Tray bakes – a staple of local bakeries across Northern Ireland – have become the latest focus of criticism over the continued application of EU law in the region, according to North Antrim MP Jim Allister. In a statement issued this week, the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader said that a bakery in his constituency has been forced to relabel its tray bakes to comply with EU allergen requirements that go beyond those required under UK law. Mr Allister said the situation

Jim Allister MP and Andrew Rosindell MP with victims of Gaddafi sponsored IRA terrorism outside the Foreign Office after meeting minister, Hamish Falconer. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister has accused successive UK governments of failing victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism, following a high-level meeting with Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer. Mr Allister said the meeting, held alongside Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell and representatives of

Severe winter weather has placed intense pressure on road services across North Antrim, with local MLAs raising concerns over grit shortages, untreated roads and the Department for Infrastructure’s preparedness following heavy snowfall. Large parts of rural North Antrim have been affected by snowfall of between six and eight inches over the past two days, leaving some roads difficult to access and heightening safety concerns for residents, commuters and emergency services. TU

TUV leader Jim Allister MP TUV leader Jim Allister MP has warned that Northern Ireland will enter 2026 facing tighter EU controls, increased costs for businesses and further divergence from Great Britain, as he delivered a hard-hitting New Year message criticising the Protocol, Stormont and unionist rivals. Mr Allister said the new year would “begin where 2025 left off”, with what he described as the continued tightening of European Union restrictions under post-Brexit arr

North Antrim MP Jim Allister The government’s decision to raise the inheritance tax relief threshold for farm holdings and business assets has been welcomed by Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister — but he has warned the change does not go far enough to protect farming families. Reacting to today’s announcement that the Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs threshold will rise from £1 million to £2.5 million from April 2026, Mr Allister said the move rep

Lord Craigavon’s tomb TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has welcomed confirmation that Stormont officials will begin work to address what he described as the “shocking deterioration” of Lord Craigavon’s tomb at Parliament Buildings, following questions he raised at the Assembly. The Grade A listed structure, which marks the final resting place of Northern Ireland’s first Prime Minister, has suffered years of visible neglect despite its architectural and historic significance and its pro

TUV agriculture spokesperson and Causeway Councillor Allister Kyle Northern Ireland’s dairy sector is facing what has been described as one of its most severe financial crises in years, with farm-gate milk prices plunging more than 12p per litre since autumn. As the annual RUAS Winter Fair approaches, industry fears are mounting that many family farms are now on the brink of financial collapse. The warning comes from TUV agriculture spokesperson and Causeway Councillor Allist

Belfast City Hall Unionist councillors are to take Belfast City Council to the High Court after a dramatic late-night vote approved flying the Palestinian flag over City Hall from midnight, triggering one of the most contentious political rows at City Hall in recent years. In a tense special meeting on Monday (1 December), councillors voted 32 to 28 to erect the flag for 24 hours from 12am on Tuesday – a decision made after weeks of legal wrangling, a successful Unionist call

TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston Speaking in the Assembly on Monday (November 24), TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston emphasised the importance of maintaining the Christian foundation of Religious Education (RE) in Northern Ireland’s schools, following a recent Supreme Court judgment. Describing the ruling as “the final stage in a calculated assault on the foundations of the controlled sector,” Mr Gaston highlighted the historical roots of the education system. “It is of

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) has issued a stark warning that Northern Ireland’s fishing industry is facing an existential crisis, following new scientific advice recommending dramatic quota cuts for key species in 2026. Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday, November 18, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the fishing sector was “standing on the edge of a cliff” and called for “swift and decisive intervention” to prevent the collapse of what he described as “

Two senior Northern Ireland politicians have backed the Ulster Farmers’ Union’s (UFU) unprecedented vote of no confidence in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), describing it as a “seismic moment” and “wholly understandable”. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Agriculture spokesperson and Chair of the Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, Robbie Butler MLA , said the move represents a damning indictment of a department an

It seems the leaks at Stormont aren’t just political. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has condemned what he described as a “disgraceful” spate of deliberate toilet flooding incidents inside Parliament Buildings, warning that taxpayers are footing the bill for the clean-up. In a statement, Mr Gaston said he had personally encountered the problem, explaining: “I first became aware of this when I went to use a toilet, only to discover that the taps had been left running and the sink del