Gary Middleton
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Gary Middleton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Junior Minister at the Executive Office | |
| In office 17 June 2021 – 5 May 2022 Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Succeeded by | Aisling Reilly (2024) |
| In office 2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021 Acting Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Foyle | |
| Assumed office 13 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Maurice Devenney |
| Member of Derry City and Strabane District Council | |
| In office 22 May 2014 – 13 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Council established |
| Succeeded by | Graham Warke |
| Constituency | Faughan |
| Deputy Mayor of Derry City Council | |
| In office June 2013 – March 2015 | |
| Member of Derry City Council | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Willie Hay |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Constituency | Rural |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 June 1990 Newbuildings, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Spouse | Alderman Julie Middleton (m.2015) |
| Alma mater | University of Ulster |
| Occupation | Politician |
Gary Middleton MLA (born 20 June 1990) is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland representing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Foyle since 2015. Middleton is the DUP Spokesperson for the North West.[1]
He served as Acting Junior Minister for the Executive Office from February to March 2021 while Gordon Lyons was Acting Agriculture Minister while Edwin Poots stood aside due to ill health. In June 2021, Middleton replaced Lyons permanently as Junior Minister.
Early life[edit]
Born in Newbuildings, County Londonderry, Middleton studied Computer Science at the University of Ulster, and also obtained a diploma in Civic Leadership and Community Planning from the same institution. Prior to becoming an MLA, he was a youth worker and also worked as an assistant to Foyle MLA William Hay and later Maurice Devenney, who was himself co-opted to replace William Hay in October 2014 upon the latter's retirement after being elevated to the House of Lords.[2]
Electoral history[edit]
Middleton was first elected to Derry City Council in 2011 at the age of 20, replacing William Hay by co-option. He also served as Deputy Mayor from June 2013 – March 2015.[3]
In 2014 he was elected to the new Derry and Strabane 'super council' and was appointed group leader of the DUP councillors. In April 2015, he was co-opted to replace fellow DUP member Maurice Devenney in the Northern Ireland Assembly, becoming the assembly's youngest member at 24.[4]
Shortly after joining the assembly, it was announced that Middleton would be the DUP's candidate for the Foyle constituency in the United Kingdom general election, eventually finishing a distant third with 12.4% of the vote.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDLP | Mark Durkan | 17,725 | 47.9 | +3.2 | |
| Sinn Féin | Gearóid Ó hEára | 11,679 | 31.6 | −0.4 | |
| DUP | Gary Middleton | 4,573 | 12.4 | +0.5 | |
| Ulster Unionist | Julia Kee | 1,226 | 3.3 | +0.1 | |
| Alliance | David Hawthorne | 835 | 2.3 | +1.7 | |
| UKIP | Kyle Thompson | 832 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| NI Conservatives | Hamish Badenoch | 132 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 6,046 | 16.3 | |||
| Turnout | 37,002 | 52.8 | −4.7 | ||
| SDLP hold | Swing | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Gary Middleton MLA". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ McAdam, Noel. "Co-opted MLA quits seat after five months". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Who We Are - Gary Middleton". Mydup.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Gary Middleton pays tribute to DUP colleagues". Londonderry Sentinel. Retrieved 8 August 2016.