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List of heads of government of Northern Ireland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since 1921, there have been three different prime ministerial offices in Northern Ireland. The most recent devolved cabinet is the Northern Ireland Executive, established under the Good Friday Agreement. The Executive has been in operation, intermittently, since 1999; but had existed continuously since 2007, but after elections following a government collapsed on 16 January 2017, no Executive was formed until January 2020, when the parties came to an agreement and an Executive was subsequently established. The most recent structure, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, represents a diarchy. As such, there is no longer a singular executive office, but rather a dual office.

Head Cabinet Date
Prime Minister Government 7 June 1921 – 30 March 1972
Chief Executive Executive (Sunningdale) 1 January 1974 – 28 May 1974
First Minister and deputy First Minister Executive 1 July 1998 – present

List of officeholders

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency
Term Political party Election Government
Took office Left office Duration
1 Sir James Craig[a]
(1871–1940)
MP for Down until 1929
MP for North Down from 1929
7 June 1921 24 November 1940 19 years, 170 days Ulster Unionist Party 1921
1925
1929
1933
1938
Craigavon ministry
2 John Miller Andrews
(1871–1956)
MP for Mid Down
25 November 1940 1 May 1943 2 years, 157 days Ulster Unionist Party — Andrews ministry
3 Sir Basil Brooke[b]
(1888–1973)
MP for Lisnaskea
1 May 1943 25 March 1963 19 years, 328 days Ulster Unionist Party 1945
1949
1953
1958
1962
Brookeborough ministry
4 Terence O'Neill
(1914–1990)
MP for Bannside
25 March 1963 1 May 1969 6 years, 37 days Ulster Unionist Party 1965
1969
O'Neill ministry
5 James Chichester-Clark
(1923–2002)
MP for South Londonderry
1 May 1969 23 March 1971 1 year, 326 days Ulster Unionist Party — Chichester-Clark ministry
6 Brian Faulkner
(1921–1977)
MP for East Down until 1972
MLA for South Down from 1973
23 March 1971 30 March 1972 1 year, 7 days Ulster Unionist Party — Faulkner ministry
1 January 1974 28 May 1974 147 days 1973 1974 Executive
First Ministers
1 David Trimble
(1944–2022)
MLA for Upper Bann
1 July 1998 14 October 2002 4 years, 105 days Ulster Unionist Party 1998 First Executive
2 Ian Paisley
(1926–2014)
MLA for North Antrim
8 May 2007 5 June 2008 1 year, 28 days Democratic Unionist Party 2007 Second Executive
3 Peter Robinson
(born 1948)
MLA for Belfast East
5 June 2008 11 January 2016 7 years, 220 days Democratic Unionist Party 2011 Second Executive
(2008–2011)
Third Executive
(2011–2016)
4 Arlene Foster
(born 1970)
MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
11 January 2016 9 January 2017 364 days Democratic Unionist Party 2016
2017
Fourth Executive
11 January 2020 14 June 2021 1 year, 154 days Fifth Executive
5 Paul Givan
(born 1981)
MLA for Lagan Valley
17 June 2021 3 February 2022 231 days Democratic Unionist Party —
6 Michelle O'Neill
(born 1977)
MLA for Mid Ulster
3 February 2024 Incumbent 2 years, 53 days Sinn Féin 2022 Sixth Executive
Deputy First Ministers
1 Seamus Mallon
(1936–2020)
MLA for Newry and Armagh
1 July 1998 6 November 2001 3 years, 128 days Social Democratic and Labour Party 1998 First Executive
2 Mark Durkan
(born 1960)
MLA for Foyle
6 November 2001 14 October 2002 342 days Social Democratic and Labour Party — First Executive
3 Martin McGuinness
(1950–2017)
MLA for Mid Ulster until 2016
MLA for Foyle from 2016
8 May 2007 9 January 2017 9 years, 246 days Sinn Féin 2007
2011
2016
Second Executive
(2007–2011)
Third Executive
(2011–2016)
Fourth Executive
(2016–2017)
4 Michelle O'Neill
(born 1977)
MLA for Mid Ulster
11 January 2020 3 February 2022 2 years, 23 days Sinn Féin 2017 Fifth Executive
5 Emma Little-Pengelly
(born 1979)
MLA for Lagan Valley
3 February 2024 Incumbent 2 years, 53 days Democratic Unionist Party 2022 Sixth Executive

Timeline

Notes

See also

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