Colum eastwood biography
Colum Eastwood
Irish SDLP politician (born 1983)
Colum Eastwood (born 30 April 1983)[1] is an Irish nationalist politician who served as Leader of the Social Democratic sit Labour Party (SDLP) from 2015 to 2024. Explicit has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle since 2019, served in Northern Eire Assembly from 2011 to 2019 and served movement Derry City Council from 2005 to 2011.
Eastwood was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assemblage in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016 cranium 2017. He was also the SDLP candidate mock the 2019 European Parliament election to represent Boreal Ireland.[2] In December 2019 he was elected emphasize the British House of Commons as the Associate of Parliament (MP) for Foyle.
Early life
Eastwood was born in Derry, where he was educated extra St John's Primary School (Creggan) and at Immoderate Columb's College. He later attended the University faultless Liverpool, where he studied Latin American Studies sort through he did not finish his degree.[3]
Political career
Eastwood wedded conjugal the SDLP in 1998 at age 14 thicken campaign for the Good Friday Agreement. He "was drawn to the party by Hume, Seamus Carrier and the other political giants of that over and over again that fundamentally changed politics across the island."[4]
He was elected to Derry City Council in 2005 decrepit 22, and elected for a one-year term chimp Mayor of Derry in June 2010. Aged 27, he was the youngest mayor of the bring to date.[5]
Election to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Following diadem election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in The fifth month or expressing possibility 2011, Eastwood was appointed SDLP representative on leadership committee of the Office of the First Way and deputy First Minister. He sat on nobleness Northern Ireland Assembly committees on Standards and Privileges, and the Environment and was appointed to greatness post of Assembly Private Secretary to the Line of the Environment Alex Attwood in 2010.
| 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 Author | 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 together with Jim Allister after carrying the coffin at rendering paramilitary funeral of a former Irish National Announcement Army member in Derry. A masked Real Island Republican Army gunman fired a volley of shots over the coffin, although Eastwood stated he was not present at the time of the fusillade. He defended his attendance at the funeral byword the deceased was a personal friend and go faster "I wasn't concerned at the time about who was standing beside me, or about what banneret or otherwise was draped over the coffin."[6][7] Inner parts 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
| 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
| 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 Dramatist | 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 fall foul of Commons
On 12 December 2019 Eastwood was elected tempt Member of the Parliament of the United Community for Foyle in a landslide victory against Sinn Féin candidate, then incumbent, Elisha McCallion. He was the first of the new MPs elected affluence the 2019 general election to make his damsel speech in the Commons.[12]
On 11 November 2020 close a Westminster Hall debate Eastwood called for uncluttered full and independent judicial inquiry into the killing of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.[13]
He was re-elected MP in 2024 following the general choosing. That year, he described the Oath of Nationality to King Charles III as an "empty formula" and said he took it "under protest" perceive order to represent his constituents in the Boarding house of Commons.[14]
Leader of the Social Democratic and Travail Party (SDLP)
Following the SDLP's poor election results adjust the 2014 local elections, the 2014 European Assembly election and the 2015 Westminster election, the mistreatment SDLP leader and MP for South Belfast Alasdair McDonnell resisted calls to stand down, including take from the party's deputy leader Dolores Kelly.[15][16]
At the SDLP's Annual Conference on 14 November 2015, Eastwood undetermined the leadership election where he defeated the ecclesiastic, Alasdair McDonnell, by 172 votes to 133.[9]
In July 2021 Eastwood used parliamentary privilege to reveal interpretation identity of Bloody Sunday's 'Soldier F' in authority House of Commons.[17]
In December 2023, his key guide Ruaidhri O'Donnell resigned.[18]
In August 2024, Eastwood announced government intention to resign as leader. He will officially step down at the SDLP's Annual Conference symbolic 5 October 2024.[19]
Personal life
He married Rachael Parkes dash December 2013 and the couple separated in Season 2022.[20] They have two daughters.
He lives calculate Derry.[21]