Gordon Lyons
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2020) |
Gordon Lyons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Communities | |
| Assumed office 3 February 2024 | |
| First Minister | Michelle O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Deirdre Hargey (2022) |
| Minister for the Economy | |
| In office 6 July 2021 – 27 October 2022 | |
| First Minister | Paul Givan Vacant |
| Preceded by | Paul Frew |
| Succeeded by | Conor Murphy (2024) |
| Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs | |
| In office 2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021 | |
| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Edwin Poots |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Poots |
| Junior Minister at the Executive Office | |
| In office 8 March 2021 – 17 June 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Gary Middleton |
| Succeeded by | Gary Middleton |
| In office 11 January 2020 – 2 February 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Alastair Ross |
| Succeeded by | Gary Middleton |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Antrim | |
| Assumed office 19 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Sammy Wilson |
| Member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | |
| In office 22 May 2014 – 19 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Council established |
| Succeeded by | Angela Smyth |
| Constituency | Coast Road |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1986 Coleraine, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Gordon Lyons (born 6 March 1986) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as Minister for Communities since 2024. He has also served as Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2021. He was Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022, and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. He is the DUP's Spokesperson for Finance, Public Service Reform and the Northern Ireland Protocol.[1]
Career
[edit]Lyons worked as an assistant to DUP MLA Sammy Wilson for five years. He stood unsuccessfully in East Antrim at the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, and also for the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council in the local elections held that same day.[2][3]
At the 2014 local elections, Lyons was elected for the Coast Road area on the new Mid and East Antrim District Council,[4] and in August 2015, he was co-opted to take Wilson's place on the Assembly.[5]
Lyons was re-elected at the 2016 Assembly Election, and was a member of the Economy Committee and Chairman of the Committee for Procedures.
Following his re-election at the 2017 NI Assembly Election, Lyons was appointed by DUP Leader Arlene Foster as the DUP Assembly Group Chief Whip.
When devolution was restored on 11 January 2020, First Minister Arlene Foster appointed Lyons as Junior Minister in the Executive Office.
He served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs after Edwin Poots stood down temporarily for health reasons.[6]
On 6 July 2021 he became Minister for the Economy after being appointed by the DUP's newly elected Leader Jeffrey Donaldson, taking over from Paul Frew.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gordon Lyons MLA". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ Victoria Leonard, "Larne Councillor Lyons hopes to replace Sammy Wilson" Archived 20 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Larne Times, 4 August 2015.
- ^ Larne Borough Council Elections 1993–2011, Northern Ireland Elections, ark.ac.uk; accessed 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Mid and East Antrim District Council Elections, 2014", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "Gordon Lyons to replace Sammy Wilson as East Antrim MLA", BBC News, 11 August 2015.
- ^ "Edwin Poots steps down for 'surgery and recuperation'". BBC News. 2 February 2021 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-57730303, 6 July 2021