Allister unseats Paisley in shock victory in North Antrim

There has been a “seismic political earthquake” in North Antrim, TUV leader Jim Allister said as he was elected the constituency’s MP.

It meant Ian Paisley Jr lost the seat he has held since 2010, in a shock end to a family dynasty in the region.

Mr Allister was elected MP with 28.3% of the valid poll – 11,642 votes, a narrow majority of just 450.

North Antrim was regarded as one of the safest DUP constituencies going into the election, having been held by either Mr Paisley or his father since 1970.

Mr Paisley Jr came a close second with 11,192 votes – in a dramatic negative 23.6 point share change.

Speaking at the Magherafelt count centre after his election, Mr Allister took aim at the DUP’s negotiations with the UK Government over post-Brexit trade arrangements, particularly under the leadership of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

He said: “Today we mark an occasion when, after 54 years of DUP and Ian Paisley dynasty, North Antrim has taken an alternative course.

“That is an alternative course which signals a number of things. Amongst those is a very clear indication that the unionist people of North Antrim will not be taken for granted and certainly will not be taken for fools.

“Because the DUP just a few weeks ago, sought to hoodwink every unionist in this province, when they pretended the Donaldson deal had got rid of the Irish Sea border and restored our place in the United Kingdom – those were brazen falsehoods.”

Mr Allister pledged to “never lose focus” on issues such as EU law operating in Northern Ireland, adding: “It is beyond shameful that in this part of the United Kingdom there has been that subjugation of sovereignty whereby the foreign institution holds sway and control in our lives.”

He said North Antrim now has a “new starting point”.

There had been a decline in Mr Paisley’s majority in recent elections but in 2019 he was still far ahead – by 12,721 votes.

Speaking on Friday morning, the outgoing MP congratulated his successor and commended the other candidates.

Mr Paisley said being a Member of Parliament for 14 years was a “huge privilege”.

He said: “The tides of life ebb and flow, as we all know.”

He added: “Life is made up of many chapters and I embrace the next chapter as happily as I embraced the previous chapters.”

Mr Allister’s decision to run in the constituency had been expected to put a dent in Mr Paisley’s majority but his victory is seen as one of the major surprises of election night.

His party suffered a major blow last month when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage personally endorsed Mr Paisley and another DUP election candidate, despite his party having an official electoral alliance with the TUV in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein’s Philip McGuigan received 7,714 votes, while 4,488 went to Alliance’s Raicheal Mhic Niocaill, and Ulster Unionist Jackson Minford claimed 3,901.