# Mid Ulster (UK Parliament constituency)

Mid Ulster is a parliamentary constituency in the UK House of Commons. The current MP is Cathal Mallaghan, of Sinn Féin, who was first elected at the 2024 election.

## Constituency profile

The seat covers a rural area to the west of Lough Neagh, including part of the Sperrins. Since 1997, the seat has been nationalist-leaning.

## Boundaries

1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Cookstown, Omagh, and Strabane, the Rural Districts of Castlederg, Cookstown, Magherafelt, and Strabane, and that part of the Rural District of Omagh not contained within the constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
1983–1997: the Cookstown District Council; the Omagh District Council; the Magherafelt District Council wards of Ballymaguigan, Draperstown, and Lecumpher; and the Strabane District Council wards of Castlederg, Clare, Finn, Glenderg, Newtownstewart, Plumbridge, Sion Mills, and Victoria Bridge.
1997–present: the District of Cookstown; the District of Magherafelt; and the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council wards of Altmore, Coalisland North, Coalisland South, Coalisland West and Newmills, Donaghmore, and Washing Bay.
The constituency was created in 1950 when the old two-seat constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone was abolished as part of the final move to single-member seats. Originally, the seat primarily consisted of the northern, eastern and western parts of County Tyrone, with the south included in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Of the post-1973 districts, it contained all of Omagh and Cookstown and part of Strabane and Magherafelt.
In boundary changes proposed by a review in 1995, the seat was split in two, with the name retained by the eastern half, even though it contained only 30% of the old seat. The western half became the nucleus of the new West Tyrone constituency. The new Mid Ulster also gained areas from East Londonderry and Fermanagh and South Tyrone, taking it deeper into County Londonderry.

## History

For the history of the constituency prior to 1950, see Fermanagh and Tyrone.
In both its incarnations, Mid Ulster has seen a precarious balance between unionist and Irish nationalist voters, although in recent years the nationalists have advanced significantly to be in a clear majority. Many elections have seen a candidate from one side triumph due to candidates from the other side splitting the vote.
The seat was initially won by the Irish Nationalist Party in 1950 and 1951 then by Sinn Féin in 1955. However the Sinn Féin Member of Parliament (MP) was unseated on petition on the basis that his Irish Republican Army (IRA) convictions made him ineligible, and in subsequent by-elections the seat was won by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
In a by-election in 1969, the seat was won by Bernadette Devlin standing as an independent socialist nationalist on the "Unity" ticket, which sought to unite nationalist voters behind a single candidate. At the age of 21, Devlin was the youngest person ever elected to the House of Commons in the era of universal suffrage. The by-election saw a 91.5% turnout, a record for any UK by-election.
Devlin held her seat in the 1970 general election but generated controversy when she had a child while still unmarried as well as for her fierce anti-clericalism. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) stood a candidate against her in the February 1974 general election and the nationalist vote was strongly divided, allowing John Dunlop of the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party to win with the support of the UUP and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Dunlop held his seat for the next nine years, though in 1975 he was part of a large section of Vanguard that broke away to form the short-lived United Ulster Unionist Party. He held his seat in 1979 only owing to a unionist pact. He polled poorly in the 1982 Assembly election, taking 2.8% of the vote. Consequently, he did not stand again in 1983, and the following year the UUUP was wound up.
The 1983 general election saw a fierce contest for the seat, with the UUP, DUP, SDLP and Sinn Féin all polling strongly. The winner was the DUP's William McCrea, by a narrow majority of just 78 over Sinn Féin's Danny Morrison. In general elections from then to 2005 the UUP did not contest the seat.
Following the boundary changes, McCrea contested the new Mid Ulster in 1997 but, by then, Sinn Féin had established itself as the most likely party to outpoll a unionist and so drew votes from the SDLP, resulting in Martin McGuinness winning. He held the seat at the general elections of 2001, 2005 and 2010. During the 2001 general election, Mid Ulster had the highest turnout in any constituency in the United Kingdom.
On 11 June 2012, McGuinness announced his intention to resign from the House of Commons to concentrate on his position as Deputy First Minister and avoid so-called 'double jobbing' by which members of the Northern Ireland Assembly also work as councillors or MPs. This necessitated a by-election. On 30 December 2012, Martin McGuinness formally announced he would resign his Westminster seat with immediate effect. Sinn Féin's Francie Molloy won the resulting by-election in March 2013.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1950 | Anthony Mulvey | Nationalist | |
| 1951 | Michael O'Neill | Independent Nationalist | |
| 1955 | Tom Mitchell | Sinn Féin | Disqualified by resolution of the House of Commons, 18 July 1955 |
| 1955 by-election | Tom Mitchell | Sinn Féin | Election declared undue on petition; return amended, 25 October 1955 |
| 1955 | Charles Beattie | Ulster Unionist | Declared duly elected on petition; disqualified by resolution of the House of Commons, 7 February 1956 |
| 1956 by-election | George Forrest | Independent Unionist | |
| 1957 | George Forrest | Ulster Unionist | Died, 10 December 1968 |
| 1969 by-election | Bernadette Devlin | Unity | |
| 1970 | Bernadette Devlin | Independent Socialist | Became Independent Socialist in October 1970 |
| Feb 1974 | John Dunlop | Vanguard Progressive Unionist | |
| 1975 | John Dunlop | United Ulster Unionist | Left Vanguard and joined the United Ulster Unionist Party, 11 October 1975 |
| 1983 | William McCrea | Democratic Unionist | |
| 1997 | Martin McGuinness | Sinn Féin | |
| 2013 by-election | Francie Molloy | Sinn Féin | |
| 2024 | Cathal Mallaghan | Sinn Féin | |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Cathal Mallaghan | 24,085 | 53.0 | +7.3 |
| | DUP | Keith Buchanan | 9,162 | 20.2 | −3.5 |
| | SDLP | Denise Johnston | 3,722 | 8.2 | −5.7 |
| | TUV | Glenn Moore | 2,978 | 6.6 | New |
| | UUP | Jay Basra | 2,269 | 5.0 | −0.9 |
| | Alliance | Padraic Farrell | 2,001 | 4.4 | −3.2 |
| | Aontú | Alixandra Halliday | 1,047 | 2.3 | New |
| | Independent | John Kelly | 181 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,923 | 32.8 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,445 | 61.4 | −1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 74,000 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +5.45 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy | 20,473 | 45.9 | ―8.6 |
| | DUP | Keith Buchanan | 10,936 | 24.5 | ―2.4 |
| | SDLP | Denise Johnston | 6,384 | 14.3 | +4.5 |
| | Alliance | Mel Boyle | 3,526 | 7.9 | +5.6 |
| | UUP | Neil Richardson | 2,611 | 5.9 | ―0.6 |
| | Independent | Conor Rafferty | 690 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,537 | 21.4 | ―6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,620 | 63.3 | ―4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,490 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―3.1 | |
* ↑ Conor Rafferty was a candidate of the Irish Freedom Party, as the party is not registered in Northern Ireland he appeared on the ballot as an independent
General election 2017: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy | 25,455 | 54.5 | +5.8 |
| | DUP | Keith Buchanan | 12,565 | 26.9 | +13.5 |
| | SDLP | Malachy Quinn | 4,563 | 9.8 | ―2.6 |
| | UUP | Mark Glasgow | 3,017 | 6.5 | ―8.9 |
| | Alliance | Fay Watson | 1,094 | 2.3 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,890 | 27.6 | ―7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,694 | 68.2 | +7.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,485 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―3.9 | |
General election 2015: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy | 19,935 | 48.7 | ―3.3 |
| | UUP | Sandra Overend | 6,318 | 15.4 | +4.4 |
| | DUP | Ian McCrea | 5,465 | 13.4 | ―1.0 |
| | SDLP | Malachy Quinn | 5,055 | 12.4 | ―1.9 |
| | TUV | Gareth Ferguson | 1,892 | 4.6 | ―2.7 |
| | UKIP | Alan Day | 863 | 2.1 | New |
| | Alliance | Eric Bullick | 778 | 1.9 | +0.9 |
| | Workers' Party | Hugh Scullion | 496 | 1.2 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Lucille Nicholson | 120 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,617 | 33.3 | ―4.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,922 | 60.3 | ―2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,832 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―3.8 | |
2013 Mid Ulster by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy | 17,462 | 46.9 | ―5.1 |
| | Independent | Nigel Lutton | 12,781 | 34.4 | New |
| | SDLP | Patsy McGlone | 6,478 | 17.4 | +3.1 |
| | Alliance | Eric Bullick | 487 | 1.3 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,681 | 12.5 | ―25.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,208 | 55.7 | ―7.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,192 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―3.4 | |
General election 2010: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Martin McGuinness | 21,239 | 52.0 | +2.4 |
| | DUP | Ian McCrea | 5,876 | 14.4 | ―9.1 |
| | SDLP | Tony Quinn | 5,826 | 14.3 | ―3.1 |
| | UCU-NF | Sandra Overend | 4,509 | 11.0 | +0.3 |
| | TUV | Walter Millar | 2,995 | 7.3 | New |
| | Alliance | Ian Butler | 397 | 1.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,363 | 37.6 | +13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,842 | 63.2 | ―10.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,594 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +5.8 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Martin McGuinness | 21,641 | 47.6 | ―3.5 |
| | DUP | Ian McCrea | 10,665 | 23.5 | ―7.6 |
| | SDLP | Patsy McGlone | 7,922 | 17.4 | +0.6 |
| | UUP | Billy Armstrong | 4,853 | 10.7 | New |
| | Workers' Party | Francis Donnelly | 345 | 0.8 | ―0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,976 | 24.1 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,426 | 73.2 | ―8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,088 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
General election 2001: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Martin McGuinness | 25,502 | 51.1 | +11.0 |
| | DUP | Ian McCrea | 15,549 | 31.1 | ―5.2 |
| | SDLP | Eilish Haughey | 8,376 | 16.8 | ―5.3 |
| | Workers' Party | Francie Donnelly | 509 | 1.0 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,953 | 20.0 | +16.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,936 | 81.3 | ―4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 61,390 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | ―8.1 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Martin McGuinness | 20,294 | 40.1 | +21.4 |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 18,411 | 36.3 | ―6.0 |
| | SDLP | Denis Haughey | 11,205 | 22.1 | ―8.9 |
| | Alliance | Ephrem Bogues | 460 | 0.9 | ―1.9 |
| | Workers' Party | Marian Donnelly | 238 | 0.5 | ±0.0 |
| | Natural Law | Maureen Murray | 61 | 0.1 | ―0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,883 | 3.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,669 | 85.8 | +6.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,086 | | |
| | Sinn Féin gain from DUP | Sinn Féin gain from DUP | Swing | ―10.3 | |
1992 Notional Results: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 19,274 | 41.0 |
| | SDLP | Denis Haughey | 14,360 | 30.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Barry McElduff | 11,340 | 24.4 |
| | Alliance | Ann Gormley | 1,229 | 2.6 |
| | Others | | 779 | 1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,914 | 10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,982 | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | |
Between 1992 and 1996 there were significant boundary changes, creating the new seat of West Tyrone. This had a huge knock on effect on Mid Ulster, which lost all its areas in Omagh and Strabane district councils, and gained the Torrent LGD in Dungannon from Fermanagh and South Tyrone, and the parts of Magherafelt District Council previously in East Londonderry. Therefore, the implied 1992 election results are very different from the actual ones and are displayed above.
General election 1992: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 23,181 | 42.3 | −1.9 |
| | SDLP | Denis Haughey | 16,994 | 31.0 | +4.8 |
| | Sinn Féin | Barry McElduff | 10,248 | 18.7 | −5.2 |
| | Independent | Johnny McLaughlin | 1,996 | 3.6 | New |
| | Alliance | Ann Gormley | 1,506 | 2.8 | −0.7 |
| | Labour and Trade Union | Harry Hutchinson | 389 | 0.7 | New |
| | Workers' Party | Tommy Owens | 285 | 0.5 | −1.7 |
| | Natural Law | James Anderson | 164 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,187 | 11.3 | −6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,763 | 79.2 | +1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 69,138 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 23,004 | 44.2 | +14.2 |
| | SDLP | Denis Haughey | 13,644 | 26.2 | +3.8 |
| | Sinn Féin | Sean Begley | 12,449 | 23.9 | −6.0 |
| | Alliance | Patrick Bogan | 1,846 | 3.5 | +0.3 |
| | Workers' Party | Paddy McLean | 1,133 | 2.2 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,360 | 18.0 | +17.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,076 | 77.4 | −6.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,256 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | | |
1986 Mid Ulster by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 23,695 | 46.4 | +16.4 |
| | Sinn Féin | Danny Morrison | 13,998 | 27.1 | −2.8 |
| | SDLP | Adrian Colton | 13,021 | 25.2 | +2.8 |
| | Workers' Party | Tommy Owens | 691 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,697 | 19.3 | +19.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,405 | 77.6 | −6.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,757 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | William McCrea | 16,174 | 30.0 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Danny Morrison | 16,096 | 29.9 | New |
| | SDLP | Denis Haughey | 12,044 | 22.4 | −7.0 |
| | UUP | William Thompson | 7,066 | 13.1 | New |
| | Alliance | Aidan Logan | 1,735 | 3.2 | −2.1 |
| | Workers' Party | Tommy Owens | 766 | 1.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 78 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,881 | 84.3 | +3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 63,831 | | |
| | DUP gain from UUUP | DUP gain from UUUP | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUUP | John Dunlop | 29,249 | 44.7 | −2.7 |
| | SDLP | Paddy Duffy | 19,266 | 29.4 | −10.7 |
| | Irish Independence | Patrick Fahy | 12,055 | 19.9 | New |
| | Alliance | Aidan Lagan | 3,481 | 5.3 | New |
| | Republican Clubs | Francie Donnelly | 1,414 | 2.2 | −10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,983 | 15.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,465 | 80.4 | +1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 81,457 | | |
| | UUUP gain from Vanguard | UUUP gain from Vanguard | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Vanguard | John Dunlop | 30,552 | 47.4 | +8.4 |
| | SDLP | Ivan Cooper | 25,885 | 40.1 | +11.0 |
| | Republican Clubs | Francie Donnelly | 8,091 | 12.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,667 | 7.3 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,528 | 79.0 | −0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 81,869 | | |
| | Vanguard hold | Vanguard hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Vanguard | John Dunlop | 26,044 | 39.0 | New |
| | SDLP | Ivan Cooper | 19,372 | 29.1 | New |
| | Independent Socialist | Bernadette McAliskey | 16,672 | 25.0 | –28.5 |
| | Pro-Assembly Unionist | Neville Thornton | 4,633 | 7.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,632 | 9.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,681 | 79.3 | −11.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 84,106 | | |
| | Vanguard gain from Unity | Vanguard gain from Unity | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unity | Bernadette Devlin | 37,739 | 53.5 | N/A |
| | UUP | Neville Thornton | 31,810 | 45.1 | −7.2 |
| | Independent | Michael Cunningham | 771 | 1.1 | New |
| | National Socialist | Phelim O'Neill | 198 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,929 | 8.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,518 | 90.9 | +7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 77,143 | | |
| | Unity hold | Unity hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1969 Mid Ulster by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unity | Bernadette Devlin | 33,648 | 53.3 | New |
| | UUP | Anna Forrest | 29,437 | 46.7 | –5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,211 | 6.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63,085 | 91.5 | +7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,973 | | |
| | Unity gain from UUP | Unity gain from UUP | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | George Forrest | 29,728 | 52.3 | +0.7 |
| | Ind. Republican | Tom Mitchell | 27,168 | 47.8 | +8.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,560 | 4.5 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,896 | 83.9 | −1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,796 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | George Forrest | 29,715 | 51.6 | −18.4 |
| | Ind. Republican | Tom Mitchell | 22,810 | 39.6 | N/A |
| | NI Labour | Patrick McGarvey | 5,053 | 8.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,905 | 12.0 | −28.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,578 | 85.1 | +14.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,607 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | George Forrest | 33,093 | 70.0 | +20.2 |
| | Sinn Féin | Tom Mitchell | 14,170 | 30.0 | −20.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,923 | 40.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,263 | 71.0 | −17.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,647 | | |
| | UUP gain from Ind. Unionist | UUP gain from Ind. Unionist | Swing | | |
1956 Mid Ulster by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Unionist | George Forrest | 28,605 | 48.36 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Tom Mitchell | 24,124 | 40.78 | −9.92 |
| | Anti-Partition | Michael O'Neill | 6,421 | 10.86 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,481 | 7.58 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,150 | 88.43 | −0.17 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,891 | | |
| | Ind. Unionist gain from Sinn Féin | Ind. Unionist gain from Sinn Féin | Swing | | |
1955 Mid Ulster by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Tom Mitchell | 30,392 | 50.7 | +0.5 |
| | UUP | Charles Beattie | 29,586 | 49.3 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 806 | 1.4 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,852 | 89.7 | +1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,847 | | |
| | Sinn Féin hold | Sinn Féin hold | Swing | | |
The seat was awarded to Beattie on petition on the grounds that Mitchell's conviction as a felon made him ineligible to sit in Parliament. However, Beattie in turn was also found ineligible to sit due to holding an office of profit under the crown, triggering a further by-election.
General election 1955: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Sinn Féin | Tom Mitchell | 29,737 | 50.2 | New |
| | UUP | Charles Beattie | 29,477 | 49.8 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 260 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,214 | 88.6 | −3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,847 | | |
| | Sinn Féin gain from Ind. Nationalist | Sinn Féin gain from Ind. Nationalist | Swing | | |
Mitchell was subsequently unseated by a resolution of the House of Commons, on the grounds that his terrorist convictions made him ineligible to sit in Parliament.
General election 1951: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Michael O'Neill | 33,097 | 52.7 | New |
| | UUP | John Shearer | 29,701 | 47.3 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,396 | 5.4 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,798 | 91.8 | +0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,412 | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist gain from Nationalist | Ind. Nationalist gain from Nationalist | Swing | | |
General election 1950: Mid Ulster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Nationalist | Anthony Mulvey | 33,023 | 52.6 | |
| | UUP | John Shearer | 29,721 | 47.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,302 | 5.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,744 | 91.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,535 | | |
| | Nationalist win (new seat) | Nationalist win (new seat) | Nationalist win (new seat) | Nationalist win (new seat) | Nationalist win (new seat) |