A leadership election was held for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) of Northern Ireland on 5 October 2024, following the resignation of Colum Eastwood on 29 August 2024 to focus on his role in the party's New Ireland Commission and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle.[1][2][3] The SDLP's other MP, Claire Hanna, ran unopposed for the leadership.[4]
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Background
editEastwood was elected SDLP leader in 2015 after successfully challenging Dr Alasdair McDonnell to become the party's sixth leader in what was regarded as a "meteoric rise".[5]
The party lost four seats in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, losing ground to Sinn Féin. They held their two seats at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, but their performance was seen as disappointing.[1] Eastwood's own majority in Foyle was reduced from about 17,000 to just over 4,000.[6]
The leadership election briefly overlapped with an Ulster Unionist Party leadership election and an Alliance Party deputy leadership election.[7][8]
Procedure
editEastwood will formally resign at the party's conference on 5 October 2024 to allow a new leader to be elected. Nominations for the leadership opened on 30 August with only Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South and Mid Down Claire Hanna and the party's eight Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) eligible to put their names forward over the following seven days.[5]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 30 August | Nominations opened.[9] |
| 6 September | Nominations closed at 12:00 BST.[10] |
| 5 October | Eastwood will formally resign at the party's conference.[11] The new leader will be elected or ratified.[12] |
Candidates
editDeclared
edit| Candidate | Born | Political office | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
19 June 1980 | Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (since 2022)
MP for Belfast South and Mid Down (since 2019) |
[13] |
Declined
edit| Candidate | Born | Political office | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
18 May 1983 | Leader of the Opposition (since 2022)
MLA for Belfast South (since 2020) |
[14] |
Results
editOn 6 September 2024, Claire Hanna was announced as the only nominated candidate for leader. She will be ratified in the post at the SDLP conference on 5 October.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "Colum Eastwood steps down as SDLP leader".
- ^ MacAuley, Conor. "Colum Eastwood to step down as SDLP leader". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ Harrison, Shane (29 August 2024). "Colum Eastwood resigns as leader of Northern Ireland's SDLP". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Claire Hanna: SDLP leadership contest has no other candidates". BBC News. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Colum Eastwood backs Claire Hanna to succeed him as SDLP leader after confirming he is quitting". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 29 August 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Harrison, Shane (29 August 2024). "Colum Eastwood resigns as leader of Northern Ireland's SDLP". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "SDLP: Good time to step down for burnt-out party leader".
- ^ "Stephen Farry resigns as Alliance deputy leader". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "SDLP: Matthew O'Toole endorses Claire Hanna for party leader". BBC News. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "SDLP: Matthew O'Toole endorses Claire Hanna for party leader". BBC News. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2024-09-01/claire-hanna-confirms-bid-to-seek-sdlp-leadership
- ^ "Claire Hanna confirms she will seek SDLP leadership role". The Irish News. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "SDLP: Claire Hanna MP seeking election as leader". BBC News. 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "SDLP: Matthew O'Toole endorses Claire Hanna for party leader". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Claire Hanna: SDLP leadership contest has no other candidates". BBC News. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.