Westminster election - constituency results

A rundown on the outcome of the British general election in each constituency in the north of Ireland.

NORTH BELFAST

Sinn Féin’s finest hour in the election came in north Belfast as news of the election of John Finucane and, as importantly, the defeat of Nigel Dodds made international news headlines.

Party supporters applauded as Mr Finucane took time following his election to remember his father, defence lawyer Pat Finucane, who was shot dead in 1989 by a British death squad in front of his young family at their home.

Speaking from the podium in the Titanic Exhibition Centre, the Belfast mayor thanked his campaign team and paid tribute to his family.

“I will ask your forgiveness for the personal indulgence that on a night like tonight, when it is all still very surreal, that I can’t help but think of my father, and where we have come from - not just as a family, but as a society as well,” he said.

It was a tightly-fought contest, but Mr Finucane triumphed with thousands of votes to spare, winning 23,078 votes compared to 21,135 for Mr Dodds.

It is the first time a nationalist has ever held the Westminster constituency in a huge blow for unionism. The DUP, who ran a despicable campaign in tandem with the paramilitary UDA which carried out the Finucane assassination, and have now lost their most inflammatory speaker at Westminster.

Mr Finucane benefited from the SDLP and Green Party deciding not to stand candidates in the constituency to boost the prospects of a pro-Remain win against an architect of Brexit.

The newly elected MP was cheered on by an ecstatic Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O’Neill as the result was formally announced. Also present was a grim-faced DUP leader Arlene Foster.

Mr Finucane said his victory was a rejection of Brexit. He acknowledged there were people who “stretched themselves” and this election “transcended party politics and I know that I was very much the beneficiary of that”.

“North Belfast rejects Brexit, North Belfast is a Remain constituency, North Belfast wants a future as part of the European Union and I think that is hugely significant,” he said.

RESULT

Nigel Dodds (DUP) 21,135 (43.10%) -3.1%
John Finucane (SF) 23,078 (47.06%) +5.4%
Nuala McAllister (Alliance) 4,824 (9.84%) +4.4%

SOUTH BELFAST

An unprecedented jump in the SDLP vote here, aided in no small measure by Sinn Féin’s decision not to contest the seat, caused a shocking but in the end overwhelming victory for Claire Hanna over the DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly.

The new MP for South Belfast praised a pro-Remain voting agreement between parties as “bearing fruit” in the relatively prosperous constituency.

It had been expected to be a tight race between Claire Hanna and the DUP incumbent Emma Little-Pengelly, but when the results were confirmed it emerged that the gap was over 15,000 votes.

Ms Hanna topped the poll with 27,079 votes ahead of Ms Little-Pengelly with 11,678 votes, reclaiming a seat the SDLP held until two years ago.

Both Sinn Féin and the Green Party took the decision not to run candidates in South Belfast, instead backing Ms Hanna on a pro-Remain platform.

Ms Hanna paid particular tribute to Green Party leader Clare Bailey for her decision to back her, saying the pro Remain arrangements “was clearly a move that had borne fruit across Northern Ireland in the seats that have been gained”.

The vote for Alliance’s Paula Bradshaw, who was considered the SDLP’s main competitor for pro-Remain support, was squeezed in the campaign race. She saw a fall of almost four per cent on her vote in the 2017 Westminster election.

RESULT

Paula Bradshaw (ALL) 6,786 (14.3%) -3.9%
Claire Hanna (SDLP) 27,079 (57.1%) +31.3%
Michael Henderson (UUP) 1,259 (2.7%) -0.8%
Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP) 11,678 (24.7%) -5.8%
Chris McHugh (Aontú) 550 (1.2%) +1.2%

EAST BELFAST

A theory that DUP’s East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson has a lower profile as a unionist extremist than his colleagues has been cited to explain his survival as the last unionist MP in the city, while his colleagues to the south and north have both been removed.

Alliance leader Naomi Long significantly reduced the gap on her political rival for the Westminster seat from a majority of more than 8,000 votes to under 2,000. But for the third time in less than five years, Mr Robinson managed to see off another closely fought challenge between the pair to hold the constituency.

The DUP faced arch-Remainer Mrs Long and only one other candidate in the contest, the UUP’s Carl McClean. Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Green Party had all opted out of contesting East Belfast to boost Mrs Long’s chances.

Alliance had hoped a surge in support the party received in May’s council poll and Mrs Long gaining an MEP seat in the European Parliament elections would translate into a win in East Belfast.

But after an exciting count, she fell just short, and in the end unionism retained a foothold in Belfast at parliamentary level by just 1,800 votes.

RESULT

Naomi Long (Alliance) 19,055 (44.9%) +8.9%
Carl McClean (UUP) 2,516 (5.9%) +2.6%
Gavin Robinson (DUP) 20,874 (49.2%) -6.6%

WEST BELFAST

One of Sinn Féin’s safest seats, west Belfast again comfortably returned party MP Paul Maskey.

Having held the Westminster seat for the constituency since 2011, Mr Maskey comfortably retook it with 20,866 votes, with no other candidate coming close, although his vote share was down 12.9 per cent on 2017.

Mr Maskey said West Belfast was “changing”.

“This election in Belfast sends a clear message to the Tories that we’re here and we’re not going away and our voice is going to be heard loud and clear,” he said. “It has been heard in England, in London, in America and on this island and we will make sure our voice is heard”.

Finishing second in the race was People Before Profit candidate, Gerry Carroll, who secured 6,194 votes, increasing his vote share by 5.8 per cent after a campaign which saw both PBP and Sinn Féin erect posters attacking each other.

It was also a successful first outing for Aontú’s Monica Digney, who took 4.2 per cent of the vote, but the former Sinn Féin councillor still has work to do if she is to challenge for a future council or assembly seat.

The Alliance candidate also more than doubled their share to almost 5 per cent.

RESULT

Paul Maskey (SF) 20,866 (53.8%) -12.9%
Gerry Carroll (PBP) 6,194 (16%) +5.8%
Frank McCoubrey (DUP) 5,220 (13.5%) 0.0%
Paul Doherty (SDLP) 2,985 (7.7%) +0.7%
Donnamarie Higgins (All) 1,882 (4.9%) +3.1%
Monica Digney (Aontú) 1,635 (4.2%) +4.2%

FERMANAGH SOUTH TYRONE

The most westerly territory under British rule produced another landmark all-night election count battle, lasting eight hours.

It took more than eight hours of counting before Ulster Unionist diehard Tom Elliott finally conceded defeat at 6.45am on Friday morning. Just 57 votes saved the seat for Michelle Gildernew after a recount in Omagh Leisure Centre.

Although somewhat neglected by the Sinn Féin party machine -- it left Michelle Gildernew out of its political broadcast -- this constituency was always likely to produce the closest result, as it has done for the past three elections.

A full recount was ordered after the initial process produced a gap of just 62 votes from the 51,097 that were cast, amid questions over misidentified bundles.

The final 57 vote margin is the third closest race in the history of the constituency. Just 53 votes separated the candidates in 2001, while four was the gap in 2010. In all three, Michelle Gildernew emerged the winner.

“It’s always close in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and we like to keep you all tantalised,” said Ms Gildernew shortly after the official declaration at 7am.

“We have a big job to do in terms of building an Ireland that we all need to be part of. I would hope that we can sit down in weeks to come with the people here tonight and with others to work on building a sustainable and quality future for the next generations.”

RESULT

Michelle Gildernew (SF) 21,986 (43%) -4.2%
Tom Elliott (UUP) 21,929 (42.9%) -2.6%
Adam Gannon (SDLP) 3,446 (6.7%) +1.9%
Matthew Beaumont (ALL) 2,650 (5.2%) +3.5%
Caroline Wheeler (Ind.) 751 (1.5%) +1.5%

SOUTH DOWN

Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard managed to stave off a challenge from the SDLP as both nationalist parties suffered from an increase in the Alliance vote.

Mr Hazzard’s share fell from just under 40 per cent in 2017, when he took the seat from the SDLP’s Margaret Ritchie, to 32 per cent, leaving him only 1,600 votes ahead of the new SDLP candidate, Michael Savage. The returning MP said the people of South Down had “stood up” to makes their voices heard amidst the “catastrophe” of Brexit.

A chunk of nationalist votes were taken by Alliance Party candidate Patrick Brown, who tripled the party’s vote despite an overall increase in the traditional unionist vote here.

Paul Brady, who stood for Aontú in their first general election won a 2.5 percent share of the vote.

RESULT

Chris Hazzard (SF) 16,137 (32.4%) -7.5%
Michael Savage (SDLP) 14,517 (29.2%) -6.0%
Glyn Hanna (DUP) 7,619 (15.3%) -2.1%
Patrick Brown (ALL) 6,916 (13.9%) +10.3%
Jill Macauley (UUP) 3,307 (6.6%) +2.7%
Paul Brady (Aontú) 1,266 (2.5%) +2.5%

LAGAN VALLEY

DUP leading light Jeffrey Donaldson can see a darker future ahead after he lost 12,730 supporters, almost all to high-profile Alliance Party candidate Sorcha Eastwood.

Ms Eastwood also benefited from some tactical nationalist voting to take the party’s vote share from 11 per cent, in 2017, to 29 per cent. She came within 6,500 votes of Donaldson, and could go higher next time out.

No relation to the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Sorcha Eastwood was forced to take legal action this year after being absurdly described as an ‘IRA mouthpiece’ by a DUP councillor for taking part in a rally supporting families of the Ballymurphy massacre victims.

As DUP chief whip in the House of Commons, Donaldson is among the architects of the party’s strategy in Brexit negotiations which would ultimately backfire on the party. Donaldson is now expected to take over the role of the defeated DUP Deputy leader Nigel Dodds as the party’s main Westminster spokesperson.

RESULT

Jeffrey Donaldson (DUP) 19,586 (43.1%) -16.4%
Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance) 13,087 (28.8%) +17.7%
Robbie Butler (UUP) 8,606 (19%) +2.2%
Ally Haydock (SDLP) 1,758 (3.9%) -3.7%
Gary McCleave (SF) 1,098 (2.4%) -1.1%
Gary Hynds (Cons) 955 (2.1%) +1.1%
Alan Love (UKIP) 315 (0.7%) +0.7%

SOUTH ANTRIM

Sitting DUP MP Paul Girvan fought off a strong challenge from the UUP’s Danny Kinahan to retain his seat in South Antrim.

Girvan ran out the eventual winner with 15,149 votes after former MP Kinahan fell short, polling 12,460 but failing to win enough tactical votes to oust the DUP man.

The Alliance Party’s John Blair took 8,190 ballots, tripling his party’s vote share, mostly at the expense of Sinn Féin’s Declan Kearney, whose vote declined by almost one third, or 3,000 votes.

RESULT

Paul Girvan (DUP) 15,149 (35.3%) -3%
Danny Kinahan (UUP) 12,460 (29%) -1.8%
John Blair (ALL) 8,190 (19.1%) +11.6%
Declan Kearney (SF) 4,887 (11.4%) -6.7%
Roisin Lynch (SDLP) 2,288 (5.3%) -0.1%

WEST TYRONE

After last year’s by-election, Sinn Féin’s vote in this republican heartland declined once again but off a very high base, ensuring Orfhlaith Begley comfortably retained her seat in West Tyrone in the early hours of Friday.

The DUP’s vote share also declined, and it was the smaller parties Alliance, Aontú and the Greens who picked up votes since the 2018 by-election. Alliance will no longer consider themselves small, though, after tripling their vote to 9.6%.

Ms Begley, who won the seat last year following the resignation of Barry McElduff, thanked voters in West Tyrone who had come out in numbers to “reject Tory austerity, to reject Brexit and send a very clear message that we in West Tyrone see our future in a new and united Ireland”.

She added: “On the doors people were very enthused and obviously Brexit is the issue of the day.

“This is a border constituency that is going to be detrimentally impacted by Brexit. The people on the doors wanted to have that conversation, to reiterate their concerns.”

RESULT

Orfhlaith Begley (SF) 16,544 (39.9%) -10.8%
Tom Buchanan (DUP) 9,066 (21.9%) -5.0%
Daniel McCrossan (SDLP) 7,330 (17.7%) +4.7%
Stephen Donnelly (All) 3,979 (9.6%) +7.3%
Andy McKane (UUP) 2,774 (6.7%) +1.5%
James Hope (Aontú) 972 (2.4) +2.4%
Susan Glass (Greens) 521 (1.3) +0.3%

STRANGFORD

A massive swing from the DUP to Alliance was still not enough to put this DUP fortress in doubt.

Despite being caught up in a parliamentary expenses spending scandal, the DUP’s Jim Shannon will be returning to Westminster after finishing 7,000 votes ahead of Alliance’s Kellie Armstrong.

There was a clear 14% swing to Ms Armstrong, all the more significant given the majority of Strangford voters endorsed Brexit - with the constituency having the second highest leave vote at 56 per cent, second only to North Antrim.

The overall nationalist was down, a decline likely due to tactical voting.

RESULT

Jim Shannon (DUP) 17,705 (47.2%) -14.8%
Kellie Armstrong (All) 10,634 (28.4%) +13.7%
Philip Smith (UUP) 4,023 (10.7%) -0.7%
Joe Boyle (SDLP) 1,994 (5.3%) -0.9%
Grant Abraham (Con) 1,476 (3.9%) +2.6%
Maurice Macartney (Green) 790 (2.1%) +0.5%
Ryan Carlin (SF) 555 (1.5%) -1.3%
Robert Stephenson (UKIP) 308 (0.8%) +0.8%

NEWRY AND ARMAGH

Sinn Féin dispensed with another election here, with serial poll-topper Mickey Brady winning two in five of every vote cast, as many as his two nearest competitors combined. Sinn Féin’s vote dropped by almost 8 per cent this time, but the border constituency remains one of Sinn Féin’s safest.

In a constituency that voted strongly to remain in the EU, Mr Brady used his speech to say Brexit “is a non-runner” in Ireland and remain parties were in the ascendancy.

“I don’t think anyone for a moment believes that any British government, particularly the one that has been elected, will do anything to ensure that we have prosperity,” Mr Brady said.

“I will work very hard to ensure that the people of Newry and Armagh have a bright and positive future.”

He added that the time had come for a united Ireland. “The whole issue around unity is no longer an aspiration. It has very much become a project,” Mr Brady said.

Alliance polled strongly higher here but it was also a respectable result for Aontú’s Martin Kelly, who won over 3% of the vote on his first time out.

RESULT

Mickey Brady (SF) 20,287 (40.0%) -7.95%
William Irwin (DUP) 11,000 (21.7%) -2.93%
Pete Byrne (SDLP) 9,449 (18.6%) +1.71%
Jackie Coade (ALL) 4,211 ( 8.3%) +5.95%
Sam Nicholson (UUP) 4,204 ( 8.3%) +0.02%
Martin Kelly (Aontú) 1,628 ( 3.2%) n/a

NORTH ANTRIM

The DUP’s Ian Paisley regained his seat in North Antrim with over 47% of the vote but a majority reduced by around 8,000, a statistic which belies the conotrvoersial nature of the political and his re-election.

It is a seat he has held since 2010, having succeeded his late father, the Reverend Ian Paisley, who was the MP from 1970 until his retirement.

In recent years Paisley Jr has been mired in repeated scandals and has taken to attacking the media, the BBC in particular.

In 2018 he survived a recall petition after he was suspended from parliament amid controversy surrounding two holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government. The petition needed signatures from 10% of constituents to force a by-election, but fell short.

“Everything was done in the wider media to try and undermine me, but the electorate of North Antrim are incredibly faithful people. The important thing is that the constituency gets things delivered for them,” he said.

The DUP MP’s victory was greeted by the traditional Presbyterian singing of a hymn by his supporters at the Meadowbank sports centre in Magherafelt. While he was returned with a comfortable majority of 12,721 votes over his nearest rival, former Ulster Unionist leader, Robin Swann, Mr Paisley’s share of vote fell by a substantial 11.5 per cent, while both the UUP and the Alliance saw a big jump in their support.

RESULT

Ian Paisley (DUP) 20,860 (47.4%) -11.5%
Robin Swann (UUP) 8,139 (18.5%) +11.3%
Patricia O’Lynn (All) 6,231 (14.1%) +8.5%
Cara McShane (SF) 5,632 (12.8%) -3.5%
Margaret McKillop (SDLP) 2,943 (6.7%) +1.4%
Stephen Palmer (Ind) 246 (0.6%) +0.6%

UPPER BANN

Newcomer Carla Lockhart of the DUP has secured her former colleague’s seat with relatively little difficulty, suffering only a 2.6 per cent drop in her party’s vote share of 41 per cent.

Former DUP MP for the area since 2005, David Simpson stood down and was replaced with 34-year-old Ms Lockhart who has been an Assembly member for Upper Bann since the 2016 election.

Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, her closest rival, won 24.6 per cent, with a small decline in the party’s vote as Alliance again polled strongly here.

“We have 24 percent of the vote,” Mr O’Dowd said. “That’s a significant mandate in any election. I think all the political parties now have to go away and think about what the message was the electorate have been sending us.

“It’s quiet clear I think that everybody is up for the talks that are coming next week. What we need to now do is make decisions and get a sustainable executive and assembly up as quick as possible.”

Also running against Ms Lockhart in the seat that was once held by UUP leader avid Trimble, was Doug Beattie from the UUP, and long-time SDLP representative Dolores Kelly.

RESULT

Carla Lockhart (DUP) 20,501 ( 41.0%) -2.6%
John O’Dowd (SF) 12,291 ( 24.6%) -3.4%
Eoin Tennyson (ALL) 6,433 (12.9%) +8.3%
Doug Beattie (UUP) 6,197 ( 12.4%) -3.0%
Dolores Kelly (SDLP) 4,623 ( 9.2%) +0.7%

EAST DERRY

A familiar pattern in this unionist heartland constituency saw DUP hardliner Gregory Campbell hold his seat on a reduced but still very large majority, while the Alliance Party vote increased by a similar amount.

There was a poor result for Sinn Féin here after the party saw a portion of its vote go to the SDLP’s Cara Hunter, who moved into second position in the constituency, albeit by just 30 votes.

Some of Sinn Féin’s decline could also be attributed to a strong performance by Aontú’s Sean McNicholl, who won 4.4 per cent of the vote on a first outing, one of the party’s strongest results in this election.

In his acceptance speech, Campbell called on Boris Johnson “to deliver on his issue about no checks east west” in regard to Brexit and to ensure that people “here and in Scotland can see there’s a tangible benefit of staying within the UK”.

RESULT

Gregory Campbell (DUP) 15,765 (40.1%) -8.1%
Cara Hunter (SDLP) 6,158 (15.7%) +4.9%
Dermot Nicholl (SF) 6,128 (15.6% ) -10.9%
Chris McCaw (All) 5,921 (15.1%) +8.9%
Richard Holmes (UUP) 3,599 (9.2%) +1.4%
Sean McNicholl (Aontú) 1,731 (4.4%) +4.4%

MID-ULSTER

Sinn Féin veteran Francie Molloy has won his seat for the fourth time in the party stronghold of Mid-Ulster, with 45.9% of the vote.

It is a seat the party has held for 22 years, with former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness the MP here from 1997 until 2013 when he was replaced by Mr Molloy in a by-election.

With 20,473 votes polled, Mr Molloy’s share is down slightly since the 2017 election when he won 54.5% of the vote.

He said: “This was a Brexit election. Brexit has wrecked the entire political process and it is going to wreck the union as well. The one certainty for us to return to the European Union is Irish unity. That’s the open door we have to Europe and I would hope to continue that as soon as possible.”

As in the 2017 election, Molloy’s nearest rival was the DUP’s Keith Buchanan, whose vote decreased to 10,936.

The constituency, which takes in parts of Tyrone and Derry, has tactical and symbolic significance for republicans and Mr Molloy will be satisfied with his return of 20,473 votes.

“It’s a great result for Mid Ulster and I am happy to represent Mid Ulster again as MP and I will continue to provide that community service,” he said.

RESULT

Francie Molloy (SF) 20,473 (45.9%) -8.6%
Keith Buchanan (DUP) 10,936 (24.5%) -2.4%
Denise Johnston (SDLP) 6,384 (14.3%) +4.5%
Mel Boyle (ALL) 3,526 ( 7.9%) +5.6%
Neil Richardson (UUP) 2,611 ( 5.9%) -0.6%
Conor Rafferty (Ind) 690 ( 1.5%) +1.5%

EAST ANTRIM

This unionist heartland saw the Alliance surge repeated in other constituencies, again with the help of some ntonalist tactical votes, but it was not enough to threaten the DUP’s Sammy Wilson.

The veteran DUP politician comfortably held the seat he first won in 2005, albeit with a much reduced majority.

As one of his party’s most prominent figures, the leading Brexiteer was widely tipped to retain his seat in a constituency which overwhelmingly voted Leave in the 2016 European referendum. But he was pushed close by the Alliance’s Danny Donnelly who increased his party’s vote by 11.68 per cent.

New Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken managed to increase his party’s vote share despite a flow of moderate unionists Remainers turning to the Alliance Party.

RESULT

Sammy Wilson (DUP) 16,871 (45.3%) -12.1%
Danny Donnelly (Alliance) 10,165 (27.3%) +11.7%
Steve Aiken (UUP) 5,475 (14.7%) +2.8%
Oliver McMullan (SF) 2,120 (5.7%) -3.6%
Aaron Rankin (Cons.) 1,043 (2.8%) +0.3%
Angela Mulholland (SDLP) 902 (2.4%) -0.9%
Philip Randle (Green) 685 (1.8%) + 1.8%

NORTH DOWN

The DUP was dramatically denied victory in its target seat of North Down by a huge swing of support to the Alliance Party following the retirement of independent unionist Sylvia Hermon.

It was the first indication of the DUP’s day of disaster. The party had appeared to be in the driving seat in the constituency, having previously run Hermon a close second.

With Sinn Féin and the SDLP standing aside, Alliance’s deputy leader Stephen Farry not only successfully inherited Hermon’s staunchly anti-Brexit vote but added 2,000 more.

Mr Farry said it was a “huge result for the Alliance Party in North Down and across Northern Ireland”, coming in the town where it was founded almost 50 years ago.

He described it as a victory for values of moderation and inclusion and a “clear and powerful message” that the constituency wants to remain in the EU.

RESULT

Stephen Farry (All) 18,358 (45.2%) +35.9%
Alex Easton (DUP) 15,390 (37.9%) -0.3%
Alan Chambers (UUP) 4,936 (12.1%) +12.1%
Matthew Robinson (Con) 1,959 (4.8%) +2.4%

FOYLE

Sinn Féin’s worst result of the night came in the Derry, where the party lost half of its vote, coming it a distant second to high-profile SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

It was a perfect storm for Elisha McCallion, who found her party’s policy of Westminster abstentionism a tricky sell on the doorsteps of a constituency which has been at the eye of the Brexit debate.

Some of the damage to Sinn Féin was also self-inflicted, as party supporters acknowledged that Ms McCallion’s highly-publicised complaint on social media about the size of her hotel toom while on a junket had angered those coping with austeriry and deprivation.

The ‘New Sinn Féin’ candidate also faced a challenge for the more socially conservative Aontú, who took 4.4 per cent here, as well as the disaffection of traditional republicans.

One of two new SDLP MPs elected on Friday morning, Mr Eastwood said his election was a story about the revival of the SDLP but “it’s more about the message and desire of the people of our city and the people of the north generally.

“We hear you loud and clear, we know you want someone to go to Westminster to fight your case, to stand up to Boris Johnson, to protect us from Brexit.

“You also want us to get back to work in Stormont, no more excuses will be accepted by the people of our city or by the people of Northern Ireland.”

RESULT

Colum Eastwood (SDLP) 26,881 (58.4%) +17.7%
Elisha McCallion (SF) 9,771 (21.2%) -19%
Gary Middleton (DUP) 4,773 (10.3%) -6%
Anne McCloskey (Aontú) 2,033 (4.4%) +4.4%
Shaun Harkin (PBP) 1,332 (2.8%) -0.2%
Rachael Ferguson (All) 1,267 (2.7%) +0.8%
Guy Darren (UUP) 1,088 (2.3%) +2.3%

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