Gordon Lyons

Northern Irish politician (born 1986)

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Gordon Lyons

MLA

Minister for Communities

Incumbent

Assumed office
3 February 2024
First Minister| Michelle O'Neill
Preceded by| Deirdre Hargey (2022)
Minister for the Economy
In office
6 July 2021 – 27 October 2022
First Minister| Paul Givan
Vacant
Preceded by| Paul Frew
Succeeded by| Conor Murphy (2024)
Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs
In office
2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021
First Minister| Arlene Foster
Preceded by| Edwin Poots
Succeeded by| Edwin Poots
Junior Minister at the Executive Office
In office
8 March 2021 – 17 June 2021

Serving with Declan Kearney

First Minister| Arlene Foster
Preceded by| Gary Middleton
Succeeded by| Gary Middleton
In office
11 January 2020 – 2 February 2021

Serving with Declan Kearney

First Minister| Arlene Foster
Preceded by| Alastair Ross
Succeeded by| Gary Middleton
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for East Antrim

Incumbent

Assumed office
19 August 2015
Preceded by| Sammy Wilson
Member of
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
In office
22 May 2014 – 19 August 2015
Preceded by| Council established
Succeeded by| Angela Smyth
Constituency| Coast Road
Personal details
Born|  (1986-03-06) 6 March 1986 (age 38)
Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Nationality| British
Political party| Democratic Unionist Party
Alma mater| Newcastle University

Gordon Lyons (born 6 March 1986) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as Minister for Communities since 2024. He has also served as Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2021. He was Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022, and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. He is the DUP's Spokesperson for Finance, Public Service Reform and the Northern Ireland Protocol.[1]

## Career

[edit]

Lyons worked as an assistant to DUP MLA Sammy Wilson for five years. He stood unsuccessfully in East Antrim at the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, and also for the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council in the local elections held that same day.[2][3]

At the 2014 local elections, Lyons was elected for the Coast Road area on the new Mid and East Antrim District Council,[4] and in August 2015, he was co-opted to take Wilson's place on the Assembly.[5]

Lyons was re-elected at the 2016 Assembly Election, and was a member of the Economy Committee and Chairman of the Committee for Procedures.

Following his re-election at the 2017 NI Assembly Election, Lyons was appointed by DUP Leader Arlene Foster as the DUP Assembly Group Chief Whip.

When devolution was restored on 11 January 2020, First Minister Arlene Foster appointed Lyons as Junior Minister in the Executive Office.

He served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs after Edwin Poots stood down temporarily for health reasons.[6]

On 6 July 2021 he became Minister for the Economy after being appointed by the DUP's newly elected Leader Jeffrey Donaldson, taking over from Paul Frew.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gordon Lyons MLA". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
2. ^ Victoria Leonard, "Larne Councillor Lyons hopes to replace Sammy Wilson" Archived 20 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Larne Times, 4 August 2015.
3. ^ Larne Borough Council Elections 1993–2011, Northern Ireland Elections, ark.ac.uk; accessed 3 January 2017.
4. ^ "Mid and East Antrim District Council Elections, 2014", Northern Ireland Elections
5. ^ "Gordon Lyons to replace Sammy Wilson as East Antrim MLA", BBC News, 11 August 2015.
6. ^ "Edwin Poots steps down for 'surgery and recuperation'". BBC News. 2 February 2021 - via www.bbc.co.uk.
7. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-57730303, 6 July 2021

Northern Ireland Assembly

Preceded by

Sammy Wilson

|  MLA for East Antrim
2015–present  | Incumbent

* v
* t
* e

Democratic Unionist Party

Leadership|

| Leaders|

* Ian Paisley (1971–2008)
* Peter Robinson (2008–15)
* Arlene Foster (2015–21)
* Edwin Poots (2021)
* Jeffrey Donaldson (2021–2024)
* Gavin Robinson (interim, 2024–present)

|

Deputy leaders|

* William Beattie (1971–80)
* Peter Robinson (1980–2008)
* Nigel Dodds (2008–2021)
* Paula Bradley (2021–present)

Chairs|

* Desmond Boal (1971–73)
* William Beattie (1973–80)
* James McClure (1980–2000)
* Maurice Morrow (2000–present)

General secretaries|

* Peter Robinson (1975–79)
* William Beattie (1980–83)
* Alan Kane (1983–92)
* Nigel Dodds (1993–2008)
* Michelle McIlveen (2008–present)

Leadership elections|

* May 2021
* June 2021

Elected representatives|

| Northern
Ireland Assembly|

* Maurice Bradley
* Phillip Brett
* David Brooks
* Cheryl Brownlee
* Keith Buchanan
* Thomas Buchanan
* Jonathan Buckley
* Joanne Bunting
* Pam Cameron
* Trevor Clarke
* Diane Dodds
* Stephen Dunne
* Deborah Erskine
* Diane Forsythe
* Paul Frew
* Paul Givan
* Harry Harvey
* William Irwin
* Brian Kingston
* Emma Little-Pengelly
* Gordon Lyons
* Michelle McIlveen
* Gary Middleton
* Edwin Poots
* Alan Robinson

|

Westminster|

* (MPs 1971–2019)
* MPs (2005–2010)
* Gregory Campbell
* Carla Lockhart
* Gavin Robinson
* Jim Shannon
* Sammy Wilson

Ennobled representatives|

| House of Lords|

* The Lord Browne of Belmont
* The Lord Hay of Ballyore
* The Lord Morrow
* The Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown
* The Lord Dodds of Duncairn
* The Lord Weir of Ballyholme

|

Related topics|

* Election results
* Conservative–DUP agreement
* Ulster Protestant Action
* Protestant Unionist Party
* Traditional Unionist Voice

* v
* t
* e

Executive Office of Northern Ireland

Headquarters: Stormont Castle

Department|

| First Minister|

| Party allocation|

* Designated Nationalist: Sinn Féin

|

First Minister|

* Michelle O'Neill

Junior Minister|

* Aisling Reilly

deputy First Minister|

| Party allocation|

* Designated Unionist: Democratic Unionist Party

|

deputy First Minister|

* Emma Little-Pengelly

Junior Minister|

* Pam Cameron

Permanent Secretary|

* Julie Harrison

Scrutiny|

* Committee for the Executive Office

Executive agencies|

* Northern Ireland Bureau
* Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels

Website: executive-ni.gov.uk

* v
* t
* e

Northern Ireland Executive

Headquarters: Stormont Castle *2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation

Heads of government

| First Minister|

Michelle O'Neill

|

deputy First Minister|

Emma Little-Pengelly

Departments

| Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs|

| Party allocation|

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

|

Minister|

Andrew Muir

Communities|

| Party allocation|

Democratic Unionist Party

|

Minister|

Gordon Lyons

Economy|

| Party allocation|

Sinn Féin

|

Minister|

Conor Murphy

Education|

| Party allocation|

Democratic Unionist Party

|

Minister|

Paul Givan

Finance|

| Party allocation|

Sinn Féin

|

Minister|

Caoimhe Archibald

Executive Office|

| First Minister|

| Party allocation|

Designated Nationalist: Sinn Féin

|

Minister|

Michelle O'Neill

Junior Minister|

Aisling Reilly

deputy First Minister|

| Party allocation|

Designated Unionist: Democratic Unionist Party

|

Minister|

Emma Little-Pengelly

Junior Minister|

Pam Cameron

Health|

| Party allocation|

Ulster Unionist Party

|

Minister|

Mike Nesbitt

Infrastructure|

| Party allocation|

Sinn Féin

|

Minister|

John O'Dowd

Justice|

| Party allocation|

Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

|

Minister|

Naomi Long
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