Colin McGrath

McGrath was first elected to the Down District Council in 2005 as a councillor for the SDLP. He served as both chair and vice-chair, becoming the youngest ever chair of the local council. In 2014 he was elected to the newly formed Newry, Mourne & Down District Council.^[1]

He entered Assembly politics when he contested the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election, being elected with 5,110 first-preference votes alongside fellow SDLP candidate Sinéad Bradley. The third and incumbent SDLP candidate, Seán Rogers, was not elected and so lost his seat. He was re-elected in the 2017 snap NI Assembly election. During his time in the Assembly, McGrath served as a member of the Education Committee, Business Committee and Procedures Committee.^[2]

McGrath has highlighted rural issues, accessibility to local services such as the Downe Hospital and youth issues as his main priorities. He has criticised the eleven-plus transfer system, arguing that a level playing field is required and condemning the branding of 11-year-old children as "failures" if they fail to achieve high marks. He supports his party position that academic selection "brands a large portion of children as failures and puts an inordinate amount of pressure on them". He has however argued that the debate is about academic selection rather than a disapproval of Grammar schools.^[3]

He has also served as chairman and Health Spokesperson for the SDLP.^[1]

McGrath ran in South Down at the 2024 general election, finishing second with 10,418 votes (23.0%), to Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard.^[4][5]

1. Colin McGrath MLA | People | SDLP. www.sdlp.ie. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
2. MLA Details: Mr Colin McGrath. aims.niassembly.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
3. SDLP MLA Colin McGrath: 'When I was 10 my sister died. She was 16 and was gone within two days'. www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2019.

• Colin McGrath MLA, SDLP website.
• Members of the NI Assembly, NI Assembly.
• TheyWorkForYou Voting Record, TheyWorkForYou, TheyWorkForYou.