Gavin Robinson

The Right Honourable
Gavin Robinson
MP
The Right Honourable Gavin Robinson MP
	Official portrait, 2019
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 29 May 2024; Interim: 29 March 2024 – 29 May 2024
Preceded by	Jeffrey Donaldson
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the House of Commons
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 29 March 2024
Leader	Himself
Preceded by	Jeffrey Donaldson
Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
	In office; 9 June 2023 – 29 May 2024
Leader	Jeffrey Donaldson; Himself
Preceded by	Paula Bradley
Succeeded by	Vacant
Member of Parliament; for Belfast East
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 7 May 2015
Preceded by	Naomi Long
Majority	2,676 (6.2%)
69th Lord Mayor of Belfast
	In office; 1 June 2012 – 1 June 2013
Deputy	Tierna Cunningham
Preceded by	Niall Ó Donnghaile
Succeeded by	Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
Member of the Belfast City Council
	In office; 22 May 2014 – 7 May 2015
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Brian Kennedy
Constituency	Titanic
	In office; 5 May 2011 – 22 May 2014
Preceded by	Sammy Wilson
Succeeded by	District abolished
Constituency	Pottinger
Personal details
Born	Gavin James Robinson; 22 November 1984 (age 40); Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Spouse	Lindsay
Children	1
Alma mater	Queen's University
Profession	Barrister

Gavin James Robinson (born 22 November 1984) is a Northern Irish unionist politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since March 2024.^[a]^[3] He served as Deputy DUP Leader from June 2023 to May 2024. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast East in the UK House of Commons since the 2015 general election. He was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2012–2013.^[4] Robinson is the DUP Spokesperson for Defence and Home Affairs.^[5]

Career

Robinson is a lifelong East Belfast resident. He attended Grosvenor Grammar School in East Belfast, and then Ulster University where he obtained a degree in law and government, before attending Queen's University Belfast, where he attained a Masters in Irish Politics before commencing practice as a barrister. Raised a Presbyterian, he currently attends the Church of Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

Robinson was co-opted to Belfast City Council in March 2010 to replace Sammy Wilson in representing the Pottinger electoral area of South and East Belfast.^[6]

He was returned to the council as an alderman in the 2011 local elections and elected Lord Mayor by the council for the year beginning 1 June 2012. He was a member of the East Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership subgroup and represented the council on the boards of the Ulster Orchestra and the 2013 World Police and Fire Games held in Belfast. He won the constituency of Belfast East for the Democratic Unionist Party, defeating the incumbent Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, to become a Member of Parliament in the 2015 UK General Election.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2019, Robinson was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT-inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools.^[7]^[8]^[9]

In June 2023, he was elected by Democratic Unionist Party MLAs and MPs to become the party's Deputy Leader, succeeding Paula Bradley.^{[citation needed]}

His appointment to the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was announced on 28 March 2024 as part of the 2024 Special Honours.^[10] The next day, Robinson was appointed interim leader of the DUP after Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigned following the disclosure that he had been charged by PSNI detectives with historic sex offences.^[11]

Personal life

Robinson is married. He is unrelated to former DUP leader and Belfast East MP Peter Robinson.^[12]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c As Interim Leader of the DUP from 29 March to 20 May 2024.

References

^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9128.
^ "Kids' entertainer, barrister, Belfast Lord Mayor and now a rubbish collector..." BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 27 August 2012. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 March 2024. At 6ft 4ins tall and dressed in yellow he was hard to miss.
^ "DUP Statement". Retrieved 29 March 2024.
^ "BBC News – DUP's Gavin Robinson is new Lord Mayor of Belfast". BBC News. June 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
^ "Gavin Robinson MP". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
^ Staff. "Robinson is new Belfast Lord Mayor". Newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
^ Butterworth, Benjamin (28 March 2019). "MPS vote to back LGBT inclusive relationship education from age 5". Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
^ Barlett, Nicola (28 March 2019). "21 MPS who voted against teaching kids about gay families". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
^ "Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 - CommonsVotes". Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
^ "Privy Council appointment: March 2024" (PDF). GOV.UK. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
^ "DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigns after rape charge". BBC News. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
^ "Four Northern Ireland constituencies to watch". RTÉ. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2017. Gavin Robinson (no relation of Peter's)

External links

Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
Voting record at Public Whip
Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Gavin Robinson at Belfast City Council
Appearances on C-SPAN

Civic offices
Preceded by Niall Ó Donnghaile	Lord Mayor of Belfast 2012–2013	Succeeded by Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Naomi Long	Member of Parliament for Belfast East 2015–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Jeffrey Donaldson	Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party 2024-present	Incumbent

[DUPLeader-1] As Interim Leader of the DUP from 29 March to 20 May 2024.

[2] "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9128.

[3] "Kids' entertainer, barrister, Belfast Lord Mayor and now a rubbish collector..." BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 27 August 2012. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 March 2024. At 6ft 4ins tall and dressed in yellow he was hard to miss.

[4] "DUP Statement". Retrieved 29 March 2024.

[5] "BBC News – DUP's Gavin Robinson is new Lord Mayor of Belfast". BBC News. June 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2015.

[6] "Gavin Robinson MP". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.

[7] Staff. "Robinson is new Belfast Lord Mayor". Newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2015.

[8] Butterworth, Benjamin (28 March 2019). "MPS vote to back LGBT inclusive relationship education from age 5". Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.

[9] Barlett, Nicola (28 March 2019). "21 MPS who voted against teaching kids about gay families". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.

[10] "Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 - CommonsVotes". Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.

[11] "Privy Council appointment: March 2024" (PDF). GOV.UK. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.

[BBC_Donaldson_resignation-12] "DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigns after rape charge". BBC News. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.

[13] "Four Northern Ireland constituencies to watch". RTÉ. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2017. Gavin Robinson (no relation of Peter's)

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v t e Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland
List of MPs for constituencies in Northern Ireland (2024–present)
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	Sorcha Eastwood
Democratic Unionist Party	Gregory Campbell Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson
Sinn Féin (abstentionist)	Órfhlaith Begley Pat Cullen John Finucane Chris Hazzard Dáire Hughes Cathal Mallaghan Paul Maskey
Social Democratic and Labour Party	Colum Eastwood Claire Hanna
Traditional Unionist Voice	Jim Allister
Ulster Unionist Party	Robin Swann
Independent	Alex Easton

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany
People	UK Parliament

v t e Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom
House of Commons	Keir Starmer (Labour Party) Kemi Badenoch (Conservative Party) Ed Davey (Liberal Democrats) Stephen Flynn (Scottish National Party) Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party) Nigel Farage (Reform UK) Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay (Green Party of England and Wales) Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru) Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party) Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice) Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party)
House of Lords	Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour Party) Lord True (Conservative Party) Lord Newby (Liberal Democrats) Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party) Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party) Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru)
Scottish Parliament	John Swinney (Scottish National Party) Russell Findlay (Scottish Conservatives) Anas Sarwar (Scottish Labour) Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater (Scottish Greens) Alex Cole-Hamilton (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
Senedd	Baroness Morgan of Ely (Welsh Labour) Andrew RT Davies (Welsh Conservatives) Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru) Jane Dodds (Welsh Liberal Democrats)
Northern Ireland Assembly	Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Féin) Emma Little-Pengelly (Democratic Unionist Party) Naomi Long (Alliance Party of Northern Ireland) Mike Nesbitt (Ulster Unionist Party) Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
Minor parties	Mal O'Hara (Green NI) Steve Radford (Liberal) Dick Cole (Mebyon Kernow) Alex Ashman (National Health Action) George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain) Neil Johnston (NI Conservatives) Russell Watton (Progressive Unionist) Robert Griffiths (Communist Party of Britain) Dave Nellist (TUSC) Nick Tenconi (UKIP) Anthony Slaughter (Wales Green Party) James Lewthwaite (British Democrats) David Kurten (Heritage Party) Robin Tilbrook (English Democrats)
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