Alex Easton | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forNorth Down | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Farry |
| Majority | 7,305 (16.8%) |
| Member of theNorthern Ireland Assembly forNorth Down | |
| In office 26 November 2003 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jane Morrice |
| Succeeded by | Peter Martin |
| Member ofNorth Down Borough Council | |
| In office 7 June 2001 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Roche |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Constituency | Ballyholme and Groomsport |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexander Easton (1969-05-19)19 May 1969 (age 56) Bangor, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Independent Unionist (2021–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Unionist Party (2000–2021) |
| Website | alexeastonmla |
Alexander Easton (born 19 May 1969) is a Northern Irish politician who has served asMember of Parliament (MP) forNorth Down since 2024. He previously served as aMember of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) forNorth Down from 2003 to 2024.
Originally a member of theDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP), Easton representedBallyholme and Groomsport on theNorth Down Borough Council from 2001 to 2014, and became an MLA in 2003. He left the party, then led byJeffrey Donaldson, in July 2021 following disagreements over the party's leadership and has since stood as anindependent unionist.
Easton won theHouse of Commons seat ofNorth Down at the2024 United Kingdom general election as anindependent, having failed to win the seat as the DUP candidate in three previous elections. He defeated the incumbentAlliance Party deputy leaderStephen Farry with a majority of 7,305 (16.8 per cent).[1]
Easton is ofSouth African descent through his South African father.[2] He grew up inBangor, before moving several times and returning to Bangor when he was 10.[2] Easton was educated at Gransha Boys High School and Bangor Technical College. He worked in the accident and emergency department in theNewtownards and then theUlster Hospital as a clerical officer.[2]
As aDemocratic Unionist Party politician, he was first elected toNorth Down Borough Council in the2001 local elections, and was re-elected to Council in the2005 and2011 elections.
He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the2003 election, for the constituency ofNorth Down, and returned again in2007,2011,2016 and again in2017, when he topped the poll for North Down, having increased his vote each election.
Easton stood inNorth Down in the2017 General Election and polled 14,940 votes, nearly unseating the sitting MPLady Sylvia Hermon. In the2019 General Election, he stood once again in the constituency but was defeated by 2,968 votes.
Easton is opposed to a border poll, and has said those politically backing a backstop throughBrexit could potentially lead to a border poll and is a threat to the Union, which must be opposed. Easton is also opposed to theNorthern Ireland protocol.
He announced his resignation from the DUP on 1 July 2021, stating that he saw no "respect, discipline or decency" in the party's recent behaviour.[3]
He was re-elected as an independent candidate in the2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, topping the poll in the constituency for the fifth consecutive time.[4][5]
He was elected as an independent inNorth Down at the2024 United Kingdom general election.[6] On 24 May 2024 the DUP andTUV announced that they were supporting his candidature and would not stand a candidate in the constituency.[7]
He is a member of theOrange Order and theChurch of Ireland. He served on the North Down Policing Partnership.[8]
In January 2023, his parents, both in their 80s, were killed in a fire at their home in Bangor, County Down.[9]
On 6 August 2025 he climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro for two charities, Bangor food bank and UHub (a mental Health charity), raising £31,000.[10]
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the Legislative Assembly forNorth Down 2003–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorth Down 2024–present | Incumbent |
