Gary Middleton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Junior Minister at theExecutive Office | |
| In office 17 June 2021 – 5 May 2022 Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Succeeded by | Aisling Reilly (2024) |
| In office 2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021 Acting Serving with Declan Kearney | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Lyons |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly forFoyle | |
| Assumed office 13 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Maurice Devenney |
| Member of Derry City and Strabane District Council | |
| In office 22 May 2014 – 13 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Council established |
| Succeeded by | Graham Warke |
| Constituency | Faughan |
| Deputy Mayor ofDerry City Council | |
| In office June 2013 – March 2015 | |
| Member of Derry City Council | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Willie Hay |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Constituency | Rural |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1990-06-20)20 June 1990 (age 35) |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Spouse | Alderman Julie Middleton (m.2015) |
| Alma mater | University of Ulster |
| Occupation | Politician |
Gary MiddletonMLA (born 20 June 1990) is aUnionist politician fromNorthern Ireland representing theDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP). He has been a member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly (MLA) forFoyle since 2015. Middleton is the DUP Spokesperson for the North West.[1]
He served as Acting Junior Minister for the Executive Office from February to March 2021 whileGordon Lyons was Acting Agriculture Minister whileEdwin Poots stood aside due to ill health. In June 2021, Middleton replaced Lyons permanently as Junior Minister.
Born inNewbuildings,County Londonderry, Middleton studied Computer Science at theUniversity of Ulster, and also obtained a diploma in Civic Leadership and Community Planning from the same institution. Prior to becoming an MLA, he was a youth worker and also worked as an assistant to Foyle MLAWilliam Hay and laterMaurice Devenney, who was himself co-opted to replace William Hay in October 2014 upon the latter's retirement after being elevated to theHouse of Lords.[2]
Middleton was first elected toDerry City Council in 2011 at the age of 20, replacingWilliam Hay byco-option. He also served as Deputy Mayor from June 2013 – March 2015.[3]
In 2014 he was elected to the newDerry and Strabane 'super council' and was appointed group leader of the DUP councillors. In April 2015, he was co-opted to replace fellowDUP memberMaurice Devenney in theNorthern Ireland Assembly, becoming the assembly's youngest member at 24.[4]
Shortly after joining the assembly, it was announced that Middleton would be the DUP's candidate for theFoyle constituency in theUnited Kingdom general election, eventually finishing a distant third with 12.4% of the vote.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDLP | Mark Durkan | 17,725 | 47.9 | +3.2 | |
| Sinn Féin | Gearóid Ó hEára | 11,679 | 31.6 | −0.4 | |
| DUP | Gary Middleton | 4,573 | 12.4 | +0.5 | |
| UUP | Julia Kee | 1,226 | 3.3 | +0.1 | |
| Alliance | David Hawthorne | 835 | 2.3 | +1.7 | |
| UKIP | Kyle Thompson | 832 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| NI Conservatives | Hamish Badenoch | 132 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 6,046 | 16.3 | |||
| Turnout | 37,002 | 52.8 | −4.7 | ||
| SDLPhold | Swing | ||||
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | MLA forFoyle 2015–present | Incumbent |