DUP leader Gavin Robinson MP has today announced that Jonathan Buckley will be their candidate in Lagan Valley for the upcoming general election.
The seat that has been held by former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson since 1997 is now up for grabs after he announced he will not stand after being charged with historical sex offences earlier this year. It is widely recognised that he had a significant personal vote, the seat stayed his when he moved from the UUP to the DUP.
There was speculation that either Emma Little-Pengelly or Paul Givan could stand in Lagan Valley, but both are ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive and have decided not to stand.
In 2019, the DUP retained Lagan Valley, but Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood narrowed the majority, with the seat seeing a swing of over 17% to the Alliance Party.
Alliance will have their eyes on the Lagan Valley seat, with Sorcha Eastwood hoping she can take the seat from the DUP.
The Ulster Unionists are also confident, with their deputy leader Robbie Butler standing.
Game on for @RobbieButlerMLA – an exceptional local candidate. The dial has just shifted. #GE24 https://t.co/GXKYNFrP50
— Doug Beattie (@BeattieDoug) May 24, 2024
The DUP leader was eager to point out today that as part of the new constituency boundaries, almost 7,000 voters who were in Upper Bann before, are now in Lagan Valley. Buckley has been an MLA in Upper Bann since 2017.
You can see all the candidates in the upcoming general election on the NI Elects website, and stay up-to-date by following us on X.
