# Strangford (UK Parliament constituency)

Strangford is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.
The constituency's current MP is Jim Shannon of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who has served since the 2010 election.

## Constituency profile

Strangford covers the settlements either side of Strangford Lough.
In 2024, for the first time, the town of Strangford is included in the constituency due to boundary changes, after previously being in South Down.
The seat is strongly unionist, and one of 7 areas of Northern Ireland which voted to leave the European Union.

## Boundaries

The seat was created after boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from parts of North Down. At its creation the constituency was formed from the local government district of Ards, and the Castlereagh districts of Beechill, Fourwinds, Hillfoot, Lower Braniel, Minnowburn, Moneyreagh, Newtownbreda, and Upper Braniel.
In 1995, the Commission controversially recommended abolishing the constituency and dividing it between North Down and new constituencies of Mid Down, and Castlereagh and Newtownards. This was successfully opposed in local enquiries and from the 1997 general election it was made up of parts of the districts of Ards, Castlereagh and Down.
For the 2010 general election the electoral wards which made up the constituency were:
* Ballygowan, Ballyrainey, Ballywalter, Ballyhalbert, Bradshaw's Brae, Carrowdore, Central, Comber East, Comber North, Comber West, Glen, Gregstown, Killinchy, Kircubbin, Lisbane, Loughries, Movilla, Portaferry, Portavogie, Scrabo and Whitespots, from the Ards district.
* From the Down district; Ballymaglave, Ballynahinch East, Derryboy, Killyleagh, Kilmore and Saintfield
* The Moneyreagh ward from Castlereagh district
For the 2024 general election, boundaries changed. The current electoral wards are:
| Constituency | Ward |
| Strangford | Ballynahinch |
| Strangford | Ballyward-Strangford |
| Strangford | Crossgar and Killyleagh |
| Strangford | Derryboy |
| Strangford | Drumaness |
| Strangford | Kilmore |
| Strangford | Quoile-Strangford |
| Strangford | Strangford-Strangford |
| Strangford | Ballygowan |
| Strangford | Ballywalter |
| Strangford | Carrowdore-Strangford |
| Strangford | Comber North |
| Strangford | Comber South |
| Strangford | Comber West |
| Strangford | Conway Square |
| Strangford | Cronstown |
| Strangford | Glen |
| Strangford | Gregstown |
| Strangford | Killinchy |
| Strangford | Kircubbin |
| Strangford | Loughries-Strangford |
| Strangford | Movilla |
| Strangford | Portaferry |
| Strangford | Portavogie |
| Strangford | Scrabo |
| Strangford | West Winds |

## History

For the history of the equivalent constituencies prior to 1950 please see Down (UK Parliament constituency) and from 1950 until 1983, please see North Down.
The constituency has been represented by Unionist candidates since it was formed. There have not been significant votes for parties outside the traditional unionist block, although the Alliance has saved its deposit in every election.
The main interest in elections has been the contest between the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Until 2001, the UUP were clearly ahead of the DUP in the Westminster elections, but elections to regional assemblies and local government were much closer. In 2001 the sitting MP John Taylor stood down and the contest to succeed him was fierce. The seat was won by Iris Robinson for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the subsequent 2003 assembly election saw the DUP increase their vote further.

## Members of Parliament

The first Member of Parliament for the seat was John Taylor of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). After the 2001 general election, he was succeeded by Iris Robinson (the wife of Peter Robinson) of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Robinson resigned in January 2010 after a scandal involving financial dealings. However, no by-election was held, as the next general election was held in May. Jim Shannon (DUP) has held the seat since 2010.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | John Taylor | Ulster Unionist |
| 2001 | Iris Robinson | Democratic Unionist$^*$ |
| 2010 | Jim Shannon | Democratic Unionist$^*$ |
$^*$ Note: Iris Robinson left the DUP shortly before taking Chiltern Hundreds to leave the Commons. The seat was vacant from 13 January 2010 until the general election on 6 May 2010.

## Election results
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 15,559 | 40.0 | −0.5 |
| | Alliance | Michelle Guy | 10,428 | 26.8 | +0.6 |
| | UUP | Richard Smart | 3,941 | 10.1 | +0.9 |
| | TUV | Ron McDowell | 3,143 | 8.1 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Noel Sands | 2,793 | 7.2 | −0.4 |
| | SDLP | Will Polland | 1,783 | 4.6 | −5.4 |
| | Green (NI) | Alexandra Braidner | 703 | 1.8 | ±0.0 |
| | Independent | Garreth Falls | 256 | 0.7 | New |
| | Independent | Gareth Burns | 157 | 0.4 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Barry Hetherington | 146 | 0.4 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,131 | 13.2 | −5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,909 | 52.2 | −4.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 74,525 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | −0.55 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 17,705 | 47.2 | −14.8 |
| | Alliance | Kellie Armstrong | 10,634 | 28.4 | +13.7 |
| | UUP | Phillip Smith | 4,023 | 10.7 | −0.7 |
| | SDLP | Joe Boyle | 1,994 | 5.3 | −0.9 |
| | NI Conservatives | Grant Abraham | 1,476 | 3.9 | +2.6 |
| | Green (NI) | Maurice Macartney | 790 | 2.1 | +0.5 |
| | Sinn Féin | Ryan Carlin | 555 | 1.5 | −1.3 |
| | UKIP | Robert Stephenson | 308 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,071 | 18.8 | −28.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,485 | 56.0 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,938 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | −14.3 | |
General election 2017: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 24,036 | 62.0 | +17.6 |
| | Alliance | Kellie Armstrong | 5,693 | 14.7 | +0.9 |
| | UUP | Mike Nesbitt | 4,419 | 11.4 | −2.9 |
| | SDLP | Joe Boyle | 2,404 | 6.2 | −0.7 |
| | Sinn Féin | Carole Murphy | 1,083 | 2.8 | +0.2 |
| | Green (NI) | Ricky Bamford | 607 | 1.6 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Claire Hiscott | 507 | 1.3 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,343 | 47.3 | +17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,749 | 60.4 | +7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,327 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
General election 2015: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 15,053 | 44.4 | −1.5 |
| | UUP | Robert Burgess | 4,868 | 14.3 | −13.5 |
| | Alliance | Kellie Armstrong | 4,687 | 13.8 | +5.1 |
| | SDLP | Joe Boyle | 2,335 | 6.9 | +0.2 |
| | UKIP | Joe Jordan | 2,237 | 6.6 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Johnny Andrews | 2,167 | 6.4 | New |
| | TUV | Stephen Cooper | 1,701 | 5.0 | −0.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Sheila Bailie | 876 | 2.6 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,185 | 30.1 | +12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,924 | 52.8 | −0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,289 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | +6.0 | |
General election 2010: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 14,926 | 45.9 | −8.8 |
| | UCU-NF | Mike Nesbitt | 9,050 | 27.8 | +2.6 |
| | Alliance | Deborah Girvan | 2,828 | 8.7 | +0.5 |
| | SDLP | Claire Hanna | 2,164 | 6.7 | ±0.0 |
| | TUV | Terry Williams | 1,814 | 5.6 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Michael Coogan | 1,161 | 3.6 | −0.1 |
| | Green (NI) | Barbara Haig | 562 | 1.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,876 | 18.1 | −17.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32.505 | 53.7 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,539 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | −7.6 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Iris Robinson | 20,921 | 56.5 | +13.7 |
| | UUP | Gareth McGimpsey | 7,872 | 21.3 | −19.0 |
| | Alliance | Kieran McCarthy | 3,332 | 9.0 | +2.3 |
| | SDLP | Joe Boyle | 2,496 | 6.7 | +0.6 |
| | NI Conservatives | Terry Dick | 1,462 | 3.9 | New |
| | Sinn Féin | Dermot Kennedy | 949 | 2.6 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,049 | 35.2 | +32.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,032 | 53.6 | −6.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,570 | | |
| | DUP hold | DUP hold | Swing | +16.4 | |
General election 2001: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | DUP | Iris Robinson | 18,532 | 42.8 | +12.6 |
| | UUP | David McNarry | 17,422 | 40.3 | −4.0 |
| | Alliance | Kieran McCarthy | 2,902 | 6.7 | −6.4 |
| | SDLP | Danny McCarthy | 2,646 | 6.1 | −0.6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Liam Johnston | 930 | 2.2 | +1.0 |
| | NI Unionist | Cedric Wilson | 822 | 1.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,110 | 2.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,254 | 59.9 | +0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 72,192 | | |
| | DUP gain from UUP | DUP gain from UUP | Swing | −8.3 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | John David Taylor | 18,431 | 44.3 | −4.7 |
| | DUP | Iris Robinson | 12,579 | 30.2 | +10.3 |
| | Alliance | Kieran McCarthy | 5,467 | 13.1 | −3.0 |
| | SDLP | Peter O'Reilly | 2,775 | 6.7 | New |
| | NI Conservatives | Gilbert Chalk | 1,743 | 4.2 | −10.0 |
| | Sinn Féin | Garret O'Fachtna | 503 | 1.2 | New |
| | Natural Law | Sarah Mullins | 121 | 0.3 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,852 | 14.1 | −15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,619 | 59.5 | −5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 70,073 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | −7.6 | |
Notional 1992 Election Result: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | N/A | 20,473 | 49.0 | N/A |
| | DUP | N/A | 8,295 | 19.9 | N/A |
| | Alliance | N/A | 6,736 | 16.1 | N/A |
| | NI Conservatives | N/A | 5,945 | 14.2 | N/A |
| | Others | N/A | 295 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,178 | 29.1 | N/A |
General election 1992: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | John David Taylor | 19,517 | 43.6 | −32.3 |
| | DUP | Sammy Wilson | 10,606 | 23.7 | New |
| | Alliance | Kieran McCarthy | 7,585 | 16.9 | −3.4 |
| | NI Conservatives | Stephen John Arthur Eyre | 6,782 | 15.1 | New |
| | Natural Law | David Shaw | 295 | 0.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,911 | 19.9 | −35.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,785 | 65.0 | +7.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,901 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | John David Taylor | 28,199 | 75.9 | +27.1 |
| | Alliance | Addie Morrow | 7,553 | 20.3 | +4.5 |
| | Workers' Party | Imelda Elizabeth Hynds | 1,385 | 3.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,646 | 55.6 | +36.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,137 | 57.6 | −7.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,429 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
1986 Strangford by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | John David Taylor | 32,627 | 94.2 | +45.4 |
| | "For the Anglo-Irish Agreement" | "Peter Barry" (Wesley Robert Williamson) | 1,993 | 5.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30,634 | 88.4 | +69.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,620 | 55.0 | −9.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 62,854 | | |
| | UUP hold | UUP hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Strangford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | UUP | John David Taylor | 19,086 | 48.8 | |
| | DUP | Simpson Gibson | 11,716 | 30.0 | |
| | Alliance | Addie Morrow | 6,171 | 15.8 | |
| | SDLP | James Curry | 1,713 | 4.4 | |
| | Independent Labour | Samuel Raymond Heath | 430 | 1.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,370 | 18.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,116 | 64.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,179 | | |
| | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) | UUP win (new seat) |