David McIlveen | |
|---|---|
 McIlveen in 2014 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly forNorth Antrim | |
| In office May 2011 – May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Paisley |
| Succeeded by | Phillip Logan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1981-02-11)11 February 1981 (age 45) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Democratic Unionist Party |
David McIlveen (born 11 February 1981) is a British businessman and formerDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who was aMember of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) forNorth Antrim from2011 to2016.
McIlveen was elected to theNorthern Ireland Assembly for theNorth Antrim constituency in 2011.[1]
McIlveen has a keen interest in conflict studies with particular interest in The Middle East. After welcoming the release of captured Israeli soldierGilad Shalit, he made remarks toThe Newsletter claiming Palestinian prisoners were much better treated than Israelis who were snatched at the border by Hamas and given no rights afforded to them in relation to inspections from The Red Cross.[2] Timothy Houston ofQueen's University Belfast's Palestine Solidarity Society published an open letter accusing McIlveen of bias and overlooking human rights abuses.[3]David McIlveen claims "close ties with Israel" following boyhood visits with his father, and has visited the region both personally and with political delegations on numerous occasions.[4]
At the2016 Assembly election, McIlveen lost his seat to running mate,Phillip Logan.[5]
From August 2015-May 2017, McIlveen was a Political Member of theNorthern Ireland Policing Board.[6]
He did not campaign publicly with his party for the2016 Brexit referendum, and described himself as a reformist, rather than leave supporter.[7]
In January 2017, McIlveen criticised then party leader andFirst Minister,Arlene Foster, over her handling of theRenewable Heating Incentive (RHI) scandal, describing it as an "omnishambles", and that she had "seriously misjudged" public anger over the scheme.[8][9]
Ahead of the2017 Assembly election, he endorsedRobin Swann of theUlster Unionist Party (UUP), rather than any of the DUP candidates, in North Antrim.[10]
Since leaving politics in 2017, McIlveen has returned to private sector and runs various companies mainly aligned to the property sector. He now resides outside of Northern Ireland.
He is the son of Rev. David McIlveen, a well-known minister in theFree Presbyterian Church of Ulster.[11] although he has been largely silent on many of the issues linked to his high-profile father.
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | MLA forNorth Antrim 2011–2016 | Succeeded by |
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