Colum Eastwood

Colum Eastwood MP (born 30 April 1983) is an Irish nationalist politician serving as Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) since 2015. 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.

Colum Eastwood

MP
Eastwood in 2014
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Assumed office
14 November 2015
DeputyFearghal McKinney
Nichola Mallon
Preceded byAlasdair McDonnell
Member of Parliament
for Foyle
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byElisha McCallion
Majority17,110 (36.3%)
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Foyle
In office
5 May 2011 – 12 December 2019
Preceded byPól Callaghan
Succeeded bySinead McLaughlin
Personal details
Born (1983-04-30) 30 April 1983
Derry, Northern Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partySDLP
Spouse(s)Rachael Eastwood
Children2

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 in the 2019 European Parliament election to represent Northern Ireland.[1] In December 2019 he was elected to the British House of Commons as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle.

Background

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.[2] He married Rachael Parkes in December 2013 and they live in Derry with their two daughters.

Early Political Career

Eastwood joined the SDLP in 1998 at age 14 to campaign for the Good Friday Agreement. He was drawn to the party by John Hume, Seamus Mallon and the other political giants of that time that "fundamentally changed politics across the island."[3]

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.[4]

Election to the Northern Ireland Assembly

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
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
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."[5][6] It later emerged that party colleague Mark H. Durkan also attended the funeral.[7]

    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.[8] Eastwood was re-elected to the NI Assembly in 2016 and 2017, receiving 5,000 and 7,240 first preference votes, respectively.[9]


    2016

    2016 Assembly election: Foyle - 6 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    12345678
    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[10]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456
      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

        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.

        General election 2019: Foyle[11]
        Party Candidate Votes % ±%
        SDLP Colum Eastwood 26,881 57.0 +17.7
        Sinn Féin Elisha McCallion 9,771 20.7 −19.0
        DUP Gary Middleton 4,773 10.1 −6.0
        Aontú Anne McCloskey 2,032 4.3 New
        People Before Profit Shaun Harkin 1,332 2.8 −0.2
        Alliance Rachael Ferguson 1,267 2.7 +0.9
        UUP Darren Guy 1,088 2.3 New
        Majority 17,110 36.3 +35.9
        Turnout 47,144 63.4 −2.0
        Registered electors 74,360
        SDLP gain from Sinn Féin Swing +18.4

        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]

        Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

        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.[14][15]

        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.[8]

        References
        1. "Foyle results". BBC News – Election 2011. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
        2. Moriarty, Gerry. "SDLP'S Colum Eastwood ready to reboot 'most successful party in Irish history'". The Irish Times.
        3. "Young pretender: Alex Kane profiles the SDLP's Colum Eastwood". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
        4. Derry City Council Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
        5. "MLA criticised for role at funeral where shots fired". DerryJournal.com. 20 April 2012.
        6. "Colum Eastwood defends decision to carry coffin of friend Seamus Coyle". BBC News. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
        7. "Colum Eastwood moved in SDLP Stormont shuffle". BBC News. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
        8. "SDLP leadership: Colum Eastwood wins contest against Alasdair McDonnell". BBC News. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
        9. "Foyle". www.ark.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
        10. "Statement of Persons Nominated". EONI. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
        11. "Foyle Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
        12. "Debate on the Address - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
        13. "Colum Eastwood demands full and independent Pat Finucane inquiry". www.derryjournal.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
        14. Moriarty, Gerry. "SDLP leader resists calls to stand down". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
        15. "SDLP deputy Dolores Kelly calls for leader Alasdair McDonnell to stand down". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
        Civic offices
        Preceded by
        Paul Fleming        		 Mayor of Derry
        2010 to 2011        		 Succeeded by
        Maurice Devenney
        Party political offices
        Preceded by
        Alasdair McDonnell        		 Leader of the SDLP
        2015 to present        		 Incumbent
        Parliament of the United Kingdom
        Preceded by
        Elisha McCallion        		 Member of Parliament
        for Foyle
        2019 to present        		 Incumbent
        Northern Ireland Assembly
        Preceded by
        Pól Callaghan        		 MLA for Foyle
        2011 to 2020        		 Succeeded by
        Sinead McLaughlin
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