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Colum Eastwood

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Colum Eastwood
MP
Eastwood in 2023
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
In office
14 November 2015 – 5 October 2024
DeputyFearghal McKinney
Nichola Mallon
Preceded byAlasdair McDonnell
Succeeded byClaire Hanna
Member of Parliament
for Foyle
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byElisha McCallion
Majority4,166 (10.9%)
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Foyle
In office
5 May 2011 – 12 December 2019
Preceded byPól Callaghan
Succeeded bySinead McLaughlin
Mayor of Derry
In office
June 2010 – June 2011
Preceded byPaul Fleming
Succeeded byMaurice Devenney
Member of
Derry City Council
In office
5 May 2005 – 22 May 2014
Preceded byWilliam O'Connell
Succeeded byCouncil abolished
ConstituencyShantallow
Personal details
Born (1983-04-30) 30 April 1983 (age 41)
Derry, Northern Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partySocial Democratic and Labour Party
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2013; sep. 2022)​
Children2
Residence(s)Derry, Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood (born 30 April 1983)[1] is an Irish nationalist politician who served as Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2015 to 2024. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle since 2019, served in Northern Ireland Assembly from 2011 to 2019 and served on Derry City Council from 2005 to 2011.

Eastwood was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2017. He was also the SDLP candidate at the 2019 European Parliament election to represent Northern Ireland.[2] In December 2019 he was elected to the British House of Commons as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle.

Early life

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Eastwood was born in Derry, where he was educated at St John's Primary School (Creggan) and at St Columb's College. He later attended the University of Liverpool, where he studied Latin American Studies though he did not finish his degree.[3]

Political career

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Eastwood joined the SDLP in 1998 at age 14 to campaign for the Good Friday Agreement. He "was drawn to the party by Hume, Seamus Mallon and the other political giants of that time that fundamentally changed politics across the island."[4]

He was elected to Derry City Council in 2005 aged 22, and elected for a one-year term as Mayor of Derry in June 2010. Aged 27, he was the youngest mayor of the city to date.[5]

Election to the Northern Ireland Assembly

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Following his election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2011, Eastwood was appointed SDLP representative on the committee of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. He sat on the Northern Ireland Assembly committees on Standards and Privileges, and the Environment and was appointed to the post of Assembly Private Secretary to the Minister of the Environment Alex Attwood in 2010.

2011 Assembly election: Foyle – 6 Seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
DUP William Hay 18.4 7,154
Sinn Féin Martina Anderson 17.9 6,950
SDLP Mark H. Durkan 12.8 4,970 5,832 5,484 5,794
Sinn Féin Raymond McCartney 9.4 3,638 3,642 3,904 4,044 4,102 4,116 6,245
SDLP Colum Eastwood 7.6 2,967 3,069 3,101 3,403 5,377 5,501 5,563
SDLP Pat Ramsey 8.1 3,138 3,683 3,717 4,089 4,554 4,626 4,876
People Before Profit Eamonn McCann 8.0 3,120 3,209 3,255 3,587 3,698 3,720 3,916
Sinn Féin Paul Fleming 6.7 2,612 2,616 3,434 3,503 3,607 3,615
SDLP Pól Callaghan 6.8 2,624 2,691 2,730 2,891
Independent Paul McFadden 3.3 1,280 1,336 1,353
Alliance Keith McGrellis 0.9 334 621 621
Independent Terry Doherty 0.2 60 79 82
Electorate: 68,663   Valid: 38,847   Spoilt: 839 (2.11)   Quota: 5,550   Turnout: 57.80  

In 2012 he drew criticism from Unionists including Jim Allister after carrying the coffin at the paramilitary funeral of a former Irish National Liberation Army member in Derry. A masked Real Irish Republican Army gunman fired a volley of shots over the coffin, although Eastwood stated he was not present at the time of the gunfire. He defended his attendance at the funeral saying the deceased was a personal friend and added "I wasn't concerned at the time about who was standing beside me, or about what flag or otherwise was draped over the coffin."[6][7] It later emerged that party colleague Mark H. Durkan also attended the funeral.[8]

On 14 November 2015, Eastwood contested the leadership election held at the SDLP's annual conference. He beat the incumbent, Alasdair McDonnell, by 172 votes to 133.[9] Eastwood was re-elected to the NI Assembly in 2016 and 2017, receiving 5,000 and 7,240 first preference votes, respectively.[10]

2016

2016 Assembly election: Foyle - 6 seats
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
DUP Gary Middleton 11.9 4,737 4,770 4,772 6,641
Sinn Féin Raymond McCartney 8.1 3,198 3,220 3,270 3,271 3,274 5,676
SDLP Mark H. Durkan 10.6 4,197 4,268 4,395 4,527 4,744 4,801 6,905
SDLP Colum Eastwood 12.6 5,000 5,069 5,111 5,217 5,376 5,401 5,804
Sinn Féin Martin McGuinness 12.7 5,037 5,070 5,168 5,175 5,176 5,656 5,712
People Before Profit Eamonn McCann 10.5 4,176 4,354 4,551 4,635 4,720 4,779 4,927 5,394
Independent Dr. Anne McCloskey 8.6 3,410 3,484 3,683 3,754 3,832 3,886 3,974 4,227
SDLP Gerard Diver 6.8 2,700 2,743 2,797 2,974 3,239 3,249
Sinn Féin Maeve McLaughlin 7.7 3,062 3,072 3,114 3,114 3,114
UUP Julia Kee 3.6 1,420 1,477 1,484
Independent Maurice Devenney 3.0 1,173 1,190 1,213
Independent Kathleen Bradley 2.3 902 928
CISTA John Lindsay 0.7 259
Alliance Chris McCaw 0.6 238
Green (NI) Mary Hassan 0.4 157
NI Conservatives Alan Dunlop 0.1 36
Electorate: 71,759   Valid: 39,702   Spoilt: 485 (1.21%)   Quota: 5,672   Turnout: 58.00%  

2017

2017 Assembly election: Foyle - 5 seats[11]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Sinn Féin Elisha McCallion 20.6 9,205
Sinn Féin Raymond McCartney 16.0 7,145 8,608.76
SDLP Colum Eastwood 16.2 7,240 7,332.53 7,595.30
SDLP Mark H. Durkan 15.6 6,948 7,023.05 7,275.56 7,380.68 8,413.68
DUP Gary Middleton 13.4 5,975 5,975 5,976.71 6,008.09 6,902.37 7,036.37
People Before Profit Eamonn McCann 10.7 4,760 4,850.63 5,086.80 5,291.63 5,922.16 6,373.16
UUP Julia Kee 3.7 1,660 1,661.52 1,668.93 1,704.50
Alliance Colm Cavanagh 2.5 1,124 1,132.93 1,179.67 1,295.22
Green (NI) Shannon Downey 0.5 242 244.09 264.42
CISTA John Lindsay 0.4 196 199.61 225.45
NI Conservatives Stuart Canning 0.2 77 77.19 78.90
Independent Arthur McGuinness 0.1 44 44.57 56.35
Electorate: 69,718   Valid: 44,616   Spoilt: 701 (1.55%)   Quota: 7,437   Turnout: 65.00% (45,317)  

Election to the House of Commons

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On 12 December 2019 Eastwood was elected as Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Foyle in a landslide victory against Sinn Féin candidate, then incumbent, Elisha McCallion. He was the first of the new MPs elected at the 2019 general election to make his maiden speech in the Commons.[12]

On 11 November 2020 during a Westminster Hall debate Eastwood called for a full and independent judicial inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.[13]

He was re-elected MP in 2024 following the general election. That year, he described the Oath of Allegiance to King Charles III as an "empty formula" and said he took it "under protest" in order to represent his constituents in the House of Commons.[14]

Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

[edit]

Following the SDLP's poor election results in the 2014 local elections, the 2014 European Parliament election and the 2015 Westminster election, the then SDLP leader and MP for South Belfast Alasdair McDonnell resisted calls to stand down, including from the party's deputy leader Dolores Kelly.[15][16]

At the SDLP's Annual Conference on 14 November 2015, Eastwood contested the leadership election where he defeated the incumbent, Alasdair McDonnell, by 172 votes to 133.[9]

In July 2021 Eastwood used parliamentary privilege to reveal the identity of Bloody Sunday's 'Soldier F' in the House of Commons.[17]

In December 2023, his key adviser Ruaidhri O'Donnell resigned.[18]

In August 2024, Eastwood announced his intention to resign as leader. He will formally step down at the SDLP's Annual Conference on 5 October 2024.[19]

Personal life

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He married Rachael Parkes in December 2013 and the couple separated in Summer 2022.[20] They have two daughters.

He lives in Derry.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  2. ^ "Foyle results". BBC News – Election 2011. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  3. ^ Moriarty, Gerry (13 January 2016). "SDLP'S Colum Eastwood ready to reboot 'most successful party in Irish history'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Young pretender: Alex Kane profiles the SDLP's Colum Eastwood". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ Derry City Council Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "MLA criticised for role at funeral where shots fired". DerryJournal.com. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Colum Eastwood defends decision to carry coffin of friend Seamus Coyle". BBC News. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Colum Eastwood moved in SDLP Stormont shuffle". BBC News. 22 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b "SDLP leadership: Colum Eastwood wins contest against Alasdair McDonnell". BBC News. 14 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Foyle". www.ark.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated". EONI. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Debate on the Address - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Colum Eastwood demands full and independent Pat Finucane inquiry". www.derryjournal.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  14. ^ McClafferty, Enda (10 July 2024). "MP oath to King empty formula, says SDLP leader". BBC News. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  15. ^ Moriarty, Gerry. "SDLP leader resists calls to stand down". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  16. ^ "SDLP deputy Dolores Kelly calls for leader Alasdair McDonnell to stand down". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  17. ^ Preston, Allan (13 July 2021). "SDLP leader Colum Eastwood names Soldier F using parliamentary privilege". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  18. ^ Correspondent, John Manley Political (1 December 2023). "SDLP leader Colum Eastwood adviser quits ahead of Westminster election". The Irish News. Retrieved 8 December 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "Colum Eastwood: 'It is time for me to step aside'". BBC News. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Who is SDLP leader Colum Eastwood". BBC News. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Eastwood, Colum". Politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colum Eastwood.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Paul Fleming
 Mayor of Derry
2010 to 2011 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the SDLP
2015 to 2024 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Foyle
2019 to present 		Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Foyle
2011 to 2020 		Succeeded by
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