MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Sinn Fein‘s Michelle Gildernew, has announced that she will seek election for the European parliament.
Sinn Fein has announced that she will contest the Midlands-North West constituency in the Republic of Ireland.
If she is elected she will be required to step down as Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. However, due to the close proximity of an upcoming General Election, it is unclear as to whether a by-election would be called.
The European Parliament election will take place in June.
Mrs Gildernew was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001. She lost to the UUP‘s Tom Elliot in 2015, but regained it in 2017. In the 2019 General Election, she kept the seat but only by a slim margin of 57 votes.
“The European Union is crucially important to Ireland. Ireland needs to be the fore in setting the direction of the European Union in the years ahead, and I want to play a role in making that happen by bringing my experience of negotiation and dealing with EU institutions as a former Agriculture Minister to the job of standing up for Irish interests in the European Parliament.
“The European Union played a key role in ensuring Brexit did not create a hard border in Ireland, and I believe the North’s future must be within the European Union as part of a United Ireland.
“Ireland needs stronger representatives in the European Parliament. A strong Sinn Féin team will call out the EU when needed if it is not acting in the best interest of the Irish people or when EU office holders overstep their remit as the EU Commission President did in recent months.
“If elected my priorities will include:
- Ensuring the EU gets back to focusing on what matters to workers and families: supporting States in dealing with challenges such as the cost of living, regional development and climate change.
- Ensuring the needs of Irish farmers are at the heart of the next round of CAP negotiations.
- Maintaining Ireland’s veto in Foreign Affairs and Defence, protecting Irish neutrality and opposing increased EU military spending.
- Ensuring that the EU is proactive in support of Irish Unity.
“This is a time of huge potential and opportunity for Ireland. If elected as an MEP for the Midlands-North West I want to be part of delivering that positive change that communities, workers and families need.”
– Michelle Gildernew, MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
