NEWS

21-year-old Chloe Mitchell who was murdered in June 2023 in Ballymena North Antrim elected representatives have called on the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) to grant a dispensation in its ongoing strike action to allow the trial of the individual charged with the murder of Chloe Mitchell to proceed as planned. The appeal comes as a deadline to prevent further delays in the Chloe Mitchell trial is fast approaching. Six representatives — Sian Mullholland MLA, Timothy Gaston MLA

TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly after serving a two-day suspension, using his first day back in the Stormont chamber to defend his conduct and challenge the handling of the so-called ‘breathegate’ controversy. Speaking during Assembly business, Mr Gaston said the sanction imposed on him had now been “served” and set out a detailed response to the circumstances surrounding his removal from the Chamber.

Elected members of the TUV party group serving on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) group on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has confirmed it opposed the district rate increase approved at Monday night’s council meeting, arguing that greater steps could and should have been taken to reduce the financial burden on households and businesses across the borough. The TUV group includes Councillor Matthew Armstrong (Ballymena), Councillo

North Antrim MP Jim Allister KC The closure of McKillen’s on Church Street has been described as a devastating blow to Ballymena town centre, with North Antrim MP Jim Allister KC warning that rising overheads and business rates are “strangling” local retailers and accelerating the decline of the high street. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Allister said the loss of the century-old family business, coming shortly after the closure of Wyse Byse, marked a critical moment fo

(L-R) Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Jon Burrows and fellow North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston (TUV) Jon Burrows MLA has raised serious concerns in the Northern Ireland Assembly over the proportionality of a sanction recommended against his North Antrim colleague, Timothy Gaston MLA , warning that the response risks undermining fairness, free expression and public confidence in political accountability. Speaking during an Assembly debate this week, Mr Burrows questioned whether

Concerns over the handling of the PSNI data breach have intensified after the names of 41 serving police officers were published on publicly accessible online court lists, sparking political criticism and renewed calls for urgent action from the Justice Minister. The Department of Justice confirmed that the names appeared on the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service website in connection with civil actions linked to the PSNI data breach scandal. The department has sin

Kilrea Bridge, and (inset) North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston Businesses on both sides of the River Bann are facing severe financial pressure following the prolonged closure of Kilrea Bridge, with some traders reporting losses of hundreds of pounds per day and warning that their long-term viability is now at risk. The issue was raised in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday by North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston , who used an Adjournment Debate to highlight the economic and

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston with farmer David Irwin, Redhouse Holsteins (far left) and other members of the farming community who supported Saturday night’s protest at Tesco . Farmers blocked the entrance to one of Tesco’s main Northern Ireland distribution centres on Boucher Road in Belfast on Saturday night, January 30, in a protest highlighting growing frustration across the agri-food sector. Tractors and other agricultural vehicles were used to obstruct access to

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