List of political parties in Northern Ireland

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats do not contest elections there (though the Liberal Democrats have links with the Alliance Party), and the Conservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected by single transferable vote and the composition of the Northern Ireland Executive is by power sharing determined by the D'Hondt system, among the members elected to the assembly. Northern Ireland also elects 18 MPs to the House of Commons, and there are elections to 11 local government districts.

Some parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Workers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all-United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland-specific parties and these, on the whole, predominate.

The distinction between "unionist/loyalist", "nationalist/republican" and "other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position on the "Border Question" than on other political issues.

For example, the former Republican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost a socialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly the Workers' Party has its roots in the republican Official IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violent socialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. The Northern Ireland Assembly requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other". This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.

There are some who see the terms "Unionist"/"Loyalist" and "Nationalist"/"Republican" as being of more relevance to the community that the party seeks to represent rather than the position on the border question. Several of the "Other" parties strive to be non-sectarian but have a clear position on the border.

Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, or UK level

Party details

Party		Founded	Political position	Ideology	Designation	Leader(s)	Local government	Northern Ireland Assembly	House of Commons (NI Seats)	House of Lords
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sinn Féin	1905	Template:Nowrap<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	Irish republicanism Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism	Nationalist	Michelle O'NeillTemplate:Refn	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar Template:Small	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Democratic Unionist Party	1971	Right-wing<ref>"It will be ‘difficult’ for May to survive, says N Ireland’s DUP", By Vincent Boland & Robert Wright. Financial Times. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.</ref><ref>"Who Are The DUP? The Democratic Unionist Party Explained", LBC. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.</ref>	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Unionist	Gavin Robinson	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	1970	Centre<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Liberalism<ref name="BBC News">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Deacon2012" /> Nonsectarianism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pro-Europeanism<ref name="Brendan Hughes">Template:Cite news</ref>	Other	Naomi Long	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition barTemplate:Refn
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Ulster Unionist Party	1905	Centre-right<ref name="AnttiroikoMälkiä">Template:Cite book</ref>	Template:Plainlist	Unionist	Mike Nesbitt	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic and Labour Party	1970	Centre-left<ref name="Driver2011">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="DixonO'Kane2014">Template:Cite book</ref>	Template:Ubl	Nationalist	Claire Hanna	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition barTemplate:Refn
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Traditional Unionist Voice	2007	Right-wing<ref name="times-dup-2021">Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Plainlist	Unionist	Jim Allister	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:People Before Profit logo.svg People Before Profit	2005	Left-wingTemplate:Refn to far-leftTemplate:Refn	TrotskyismTemplate:Refn Socialism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Anti-capitalism<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Irish reunification<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	OtherTemplate:Refn	Richard Boyd Barrett<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Composition bar	Template:Composition bar	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Green Party NI logo.svg Green Party NI	1985	Centre-left to left-wing	Green politics<ref name="Nordsieck9" /> Nonsectarianism Pro-Europeanism<ref name="Brendan Hughes">Template:Cite news</ref>	Other	Malachai O'Hara	Template:Composition bar	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Progressive Unionist Party logo.svg Progressive Unionist Party	1985	Template:Nowrap	British unionism Ulster loyalism Template:Nowrap Social democracy	Unionist	Russell Watton	Template:Composition bar	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Northern Ireland Conservatives	1989	Centre-right to right-wing	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Unionist	Paul Leeman	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:Composition bar
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Labour Party in Northern Ireland	2003	Centre-left	Template:Nowrap	Unionist	Erskine Holmes	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:Composition bar
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats	1988	Centre to centre-left	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Unionist	Stephen Glenn	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:Composition bar

Party representation

Party		Representation (as of 3 October 2023)<ref name="localcouncil">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation						CitationClass=web }}</ref>
		UK Parliament		Assembly	Local councils
		House of Commons	House of Lords
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sinn Féin	7	0	27	144
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Democratic Unionist Party	5	6	25	122
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	1	0<ref group="nb">Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Lib Dem whip.</ref>	17	67
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Ulster Unionist Party	1	2	9	54
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic and Labour Party	2	0<ref group="nb">Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019, resigning from the party to do so.</ref>	8	39
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Traditional Unionist Voice	1	0	1	10
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	People Before Profit	0	0	1	2
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Green Party Northern Ireland	0	0	0	5
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Progressive Unionist Party	0	0	0	1
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Aontú	0	0	0	0
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Northern Ireland Conservatives	0	2	0	0
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Labour Party in Northern Ireland	0	1	0	0
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats	0	1	0	0

<references group="ni"/> Template:Reflist

Other registered parties

Unionist and loyalist

Party		Founded	Political position	Ideology	Leader(s)
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Heritage Party	2020	Right-wing	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap		David Kurten

Nationalist and republican

Party		Founded	Political position	Ideology	Leader(s)
style="background-color: Template:Party color"|	Aontú Template:Small	2019	Template:N/a	Template:Nowrap		Peadar Tóibín
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Communist Party of Ireland Template:Small	1933 Template:Small	Far-left	Communism Marxism-Leninism	Template:N/a	Jimmy Corcoran Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color"|	File:Logo of the Fianna Fáil.svg Fianna Fáil Template:SmallTemplate:Refn	1926	Centre<ref>Fianna Fail on election footing now, says Martin Template:Webarchive. Irish Independent. Author – Daniel McConnell. Published 1 January 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2017.</ref><ref>Micheal Martin to replace Brian Cowen as Fianna Fail leader Template:Webarchive. The Telegraph. Published 26 January 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2017.</ref><ref>Weakened Irish PM faces delicate balancing act Template:Webarchive. EUobserver. Author – Shona Murray. Published 12 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2017.</ref> to centre-right<ref name="TaylorFlynn2008">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="FarnhamHondeghem2016">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=guardiantitley>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap		Micheál Martin
	Irish Republican Socialist Party	1974	Far-left	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Template:N/a	Ard Chomhairle Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Republican Network for Unity	2007	Left-wing	Template:Nowrap	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
	Saoradh Template:Small	2016	Far-left<ref name="V1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="TNL1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:Nowrap	Template:N/a	Stephen Murney
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Workers' Party Template:Small	1970	Far-left	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Template:N/a	Collective leadership

Others

Party		Founded	Political position	Ideology	Leader(s)		Notes
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Cross-Community Labour Alternative	2015	Left-wing	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Template:N/a	Owen McCracken	Template:N/a
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Socialist Party	1996	Left-wing to far-left	Democratic socialism Political radicalism<ref name="IJSR-silke" /> Trotskyism<ref>Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Edited by Donatella M.Viola. Published by Routledge. First published in 2016, in Oxon, United Kingdom. Accessed via Google Books.</ref> Euroscepticism<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Collective leadership	Template:N/a

Unregistered parties

Candidates for unregistered parties may choose either to be listed as "Non-Party", or to leave the section blank on the ballot paper, in the same manner as independent candidates.

Nationalist and Republican

• 32 County Sovereignty Movement - Does not contest elections, operates as a pressure group
• Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland - Does not contest elections
• Fine Gael
• National Party
• Republican Sinn Féin (RSF)

Unionist

• Reform UK
• Advance UK

Inactive parties

Unionist and loyalist

• Belfast Labour Party
• British Ulster Dominion Party
• Commonwealth Labour Party
• Independent Unionist Association
• Labour Unionist Party
• NI21
• UKIP Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
• Protestant Coalition
• Ulster Defence Party* (UDP)
• Protestant Unionist Party (evolved into the DUP)
• Ulster Constitution Party
• Ulster Democratic Party
• Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party
• Ulster Popular Unionist Party
• Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
• Ulster Protestant League
• Ulster Resistance
• Ulster Unionist Labour Association
• Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
• United Kingdom Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
• United Ulster Unionist Council
• United Ulster Unionist Party
• United Unionist Coalition (UUC)
• Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
• Volunteer Political Party

Nationalist and Republican

• All Ireland Anti-Partition League
• Federation of Labour
• Fianna Uladh
• Irish Anti-Partition League
• Independent Socialist Party
• Irish Independence Party
• National Democratic Party
• National League of the North
• National Unity
• Nationalist Party
• Northern Council for Unity
• Official Sinn Féin (now Workers' Party)
• People's Democracy
• Red Republican Party
• Republican Congress
• Republican Labour Party
• Saor Éire
• Socialist Republican Party
• Unity

Others

• Commonwealth Labour Party
• Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)
• Communist Party of Northern Ireland
• Irish Labour Party (contests elections in the Republic)
• Labour coalition
• Labour Party of Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland Labour Party
• Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
• Newtownabbey Labour Party
• Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association
• Natural Law Party
• Social Democratic Party - The post-1988 rump of the party stood in a Northern Ireland by-election in 1990; the party as a whole existed and was more prominent in Great Britain from 1981 to 1988 although the post-1990 rump group still exists.
• Ulster Independence Movement
• Ulster Liberal Party
• Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
• United Labour Party (Northern Ireland)
• Ulster Third Way - deregistered 2005
• Veritas - Dissolved June 2015
• Vote for Yourself Party - disbanded April 2009, de-registered 8 June 2009
• World Socialist Party (Ireland) - Dissolved in the 1990s

Flowchart of all political parties in Northern Ireland

A flowchart illustrating all the political parties that have existed throughout the history of Northern Ireland and leading up to its formation.

Party leaders

Party leaders serving 10 years or more are

Leader	Years	Party/Period	Constituency
Ian Paisley	42y	Protestant Unionist Party 1966–1971 Democratic Unionist Party 1971–2008	Bannside, North Antrim
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh	36y	Sinn Féin 1970–1983 Republican Sinn Féin 1986–2009
Gerry Adams	35y	Sinn Féin 1983–2018	West Belfast, Louth
William Norton	28y	Irish Labour 1932–1960
Tomás Mac Giolla	26y	Sinn Féin 1962–1970 Official Sinn Féin 1970–1977 Sinn Féin The Workers' Party 1977–1982 Workers' Party 1982–1988
Hugh Smyth	23y	Progressive Unionist Party 1979–2002
John Hume	22y	Social Democratic and Labour Party 1979–2001	Foyle
Albert McElroy	19y	Ulster Liberal Party 1956–1975 (?)
Lord Craigavon	19y	Ulster Unionist Party 1921–1940	Down, North Down
John Redmond	18y	Irish Parliamentary Party 1900–1918	Waterford City
Lord Brookeborough	17y	Ulster Unionist Party 1946–1963	Lisnaskea
James Molyneaux	16y	Ulster Unionist Party 1979–1995	South Antrim, Lagan Valley
Joseph Devlin	16y	Nationalist Party 1918–1934	Belfast Falls, Fermanagh and Tyrone, Belfast Central
Gerry Fitt	15y	Republican Labour Party 1964–1970 Social Democratic and Labour Party 1970–1979	Belfast West, Belfast Dock
James Kilfedder	15y	Ulster Popular Unionist Party 1980–1995	North Down
David Ford	15y	Alliance Party 2001–2016	South Antrim
Margaret Buckley	13y	Sinn Féin 1937–1950
Robert McCartney	13y	UK Unionist Party 1995–2008	North Down
James McSparran	13y	Nationalist Party 1945–1958	Mourne
Oliver Napier	12y	Alliance Party 1972–1984	Belfast East
Thomas Joseph Campbell	11y	Nationalist Party 1934–1945	Belfast Central
Sir Edward Carson	11y	Ulster Unionist Party 1910–1921	Dublin University, Belfast Duncairn
John Alderdice	11y	Alliance Party 1987–1998	Belfast East
David Trimble	10y	Ulster Unionist Party 1995–2005	Upper Bann

See also

• Politics of Northern Ireland
• Lists of political parties
• Political make-up of local councils in Northern Ireland
• List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland

References

Sources