North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)

Boundaries

1950–1974: The Boroughs of Ballymena and Larne, the Urban Districts of Ballycastle, Ballymoney, and Portrush, the Rural Districts of Ballycastle, Ballymena, and Ballymoney, and in the Rural District of Larne the electoral divisions of Ardclinis, Ballycor, Carncastle, Glenarm North, Glenarm South, Glencloy, and Kilwaughter.

1974–1983: The Boroughs of Ballymena, Carrickfergus, and Larne, the Urban Districts of Ballycastle, Ballymoney, Portrush, and Whitehead, the Rural Districts of Ballycastle, Ballymena, and Ballymoney, and in the Rural District of Larne the electoral divisions of Ardclinis, Ballycor, Carncastle, Eden, Glenarm North, Glenarm South, Glencloy, Glynn, Islandmagee North, Islandmagee South, Kilwaughter, Middle Division, Raloo, and Templecorran.

1983–2010: The District of Ballymena, the District of Ballymoney, and the District of Moyle.

2010–present: The District of Ballymena, the District of Ballymoney, and the District of Moyle wards of Armoy, Ballylough, Bushmills, Bonamargy and Rathlin, Carnmoon, Dalriada, Dunseverick, Glenshesk, Glentaisie, Kinbane, Knocklayd, Moss Side, and Moyarget.

North Antrim has always been a county constituency comprising the northern part of County Antrim in the north-east of Northern Ireland. It has the sea to the north and east and parts of the border with County Londonderry to the west – the County Antrim town of Portrush is included in the East Londonderry constituency (although it was in this seat until 1983).

From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions carved out of the former constituency of Antrim. It comprised the baronies of Cary, Dunluce Lower, Dunluce Upper and Kilconway and returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 until 1922, when it was merged into a new Antrim constituency.

North Antrim was re-created in 1950 when the old Antrim two MP constituency was abolished as part of the final move to single member seats.

The constituency is largely rural. Amongst the features within its boundaries are Rathlin Island and Giant's Causeway.

The Boundary Commission initially proposed alterations for the boundaries of North Antrim prior to the 2010 general election. It was proposed to transfer Ballycastle and the Glens, including Rathlin Island, in Moyle to East Antrim and rename that seat Antrim Coast & Glens. However that proposal raised many questions, with some arguing that the Glens have no natural ties to Jordanstown. Following consultation and revision, the constituency alterations were passed through the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Constituencies Order.

History

North Antrim is an overwhelmingly unionist seat. It first existed from 1885 to 1922. From 1886 to 1974, the Unionist members of the United Kingdom House of Commons sat with the Conservative Party.

Unusually for Ireland, the Liberal Party retained significant strength in this constituency after the split over Home Rule in 1886. The Irish Parliamentary Party never contested the seat.

In 1906 the constituency was won by a Russellite Unionist, at least somewhat linked to the Liberal Party. Although the Unionists regained the seat when the sitting MP retired, the constituency was one of very few Unionist/Liberal marginals in Ireland at both 1910 elections.

A victory for the Unionist candidate in 1918 by 9,621 votes to Sinn Féin's 2,673 votes demonstrated the strength of the unionist support in the area.

In 1922, the constituency reverted to being part of the two member Antrim seat (as it had been before 1885). North Antrim was re-created in 1950 as a larger seat than it had been in its first incarnation. County Antrim, excluding the parts in the Belfast constituencies, was split into two divisions instead of four as previously. The 1950 North Antrim was comparable to the North and Mid Antrim divisions which had existed from 1885 to 1922.

Since 1950 the Westminster elections have been relatively uncompetitive. In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a UK general election. More recently, one man repeatedly won by a large majority: Ian Paisley was first elected as a Protestant Unionist Party candidate in the 1970 general election after narrowly defeating sitting member Henry Clark. The following year that party changed to the Democratic Unionist Party and Paisley easily held the seat for 40 years until his retirement in 2010. This is the longest continuous period for which the current holding party has held any Northern Irish seat. In elections at all levels, the DUP have frequently had their highest share of the vote in North Antrim and have rarely been seriously challenged.

In March 2010 Ian Paisley announced that he would step down at the 2010 general election. His son Ian Paisley Jr was selected by the DUP to replace him as candidate. Former DUP MEP Jim Allister announced that he would contest the constituency for the Traditional Unionist Voice. Paisley Jr was elected with a significantly reduced majority.

In July 2018 North Antrim was the site of the first recall petition UK held in the under the provisions of the Recall of MPs Act 2015. This petition was launched following a critical report into Paisley Jr's conduct in respect to an undeclared trip to Sri Lanka, and Paisley Jr subsequently being suspended from the Commons for 30 days. The petition was signed by 9.4% of the electorate, short of the 10% required to unseat Paisley Jr and trigger a by-election.

Members of Parliament

The Member of Parliament since the 2024 general election is Jim Allister of the TUV, after the DUP lost the seat for the first time since gaining it in 1970 as the Protestant Unionist Party. It had also been the first time in 50 years that the seat was not held by a member of the Paisley family.

North Antrim has had comparatively few MPs in its lifetime compared to other parliamentary constituencies. Sir Hugh O'Neill had sat for one of the predecessor seats of Mid Antrim between 1915 and 1922 and Antrim between 1922 until 1950, making this one of the few seats where four individuals between them represented the seat continuously over a period of ninety years.

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

|reg. electors = 74,697 This was the first time the TUV gained a UK Parliament seat, as well as the first time in over 50 years the DUP lost the seat, since Ian Paisley gained it in 1970 as the Protestant Unionist Party candidate.

Elections in the 2010s

|reg. electors = 77,147 |reg. electors = 75,657 |reg. electors = 75,876

|reg. electors = 73,338

Elections in the 2000s

|reg. electors = 73,938

|reg. electors = 74,451

Elections in the 1990s

|reg. electors = 72,491

|reg. electors = 69,114

Elections in the 1980s

|reg. electors = 65,733

|reg. electors = 65,157

|reg. electors = 63,228

Elections in the 1970s

|reg. electors = 102,202

|reg. electors = 103,737

|reg. electors = 104,168

|reg. electors = 79,930

Elections in the 1960s

|reg. electors = 72,039

|reg. electors = 70,762

Elections in the 1950s

|reg. electors = 69,880

|reg. electors = 67,315

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors = 68,448

|reg. electors = 68,759

Elections in the 1910s

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors = 7,516

|reg. electors = 7,516

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 7,829

|reg. electors =

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors = 9,035

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 9,505

• Caused by MacNaghten being appointed Lord of Appeal. |reg. electors = 8,948

|reg. electors = 8,948

References

References

1. (9 March 2010). "Ian Paisley jnr picked to fight father's seat". BBC News.
2. (5 July 2009). "Allister calls for election power-sharing test". Belfast Telegraph.
3. (6 July 2024). "How the Paisley family have had their chips". The Telegraph.
4. (2024-06-07). "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll".
5. "North Antrim Parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
6. (11 May 2017). "Election of a Member of Parliament for the NORTH ANTRIM Constituency – Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Electoral Office of Northern Ireland.
7. "Election Data 2015". [[Electoral Calculus]].
8. "UK Parliamentary Election Result – Belfast East".
9. (28 January 2015). "TUV announces Gaston as Westminster candidate".
10. "Election Data 2010". [[Electoral Calculus]].
11. "Statement of Persons Nominated".
12. "Election Data 2005". [[Electoral Calculus]].
13. "Election Data 2001". [[Electoral Calculus]].
14. "Election Data 1997". [[Electoral Calculus]].
15. "Election Data 1992". [[Electoral Calculus]].
16. "Election Data 1987". [[Electoral Calculus]].
17. [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1983.html Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament] in the [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/election.html United Kingdom Election Results website] maintained by David Boothroyd
18. Nicholas Whyte. (13 May 2003). "Westminster by-elections, 23 January 1986". [[Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive]].
19. "Election Data 1983". [[Electoral Calculus]].
20. "1952 By Election Results".
21. (1978). "Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922". Royal Irish Academy.