Peter Robinson (Northern Ireland politician)

Peter Robinson
Robinson in 2012
First Minister of Northern Ireland
In office
5 June 2008 – 11 January 2016[a]
Serving with Martin McGuinness
Preceded byIan Paisley
Succeeded byArlene Foster
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
In office
31 May 2008 – 17 December 2015
DeputyNigel Dodds
Preceded byIan Paisley
Succeeded byArlene Foster
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the House of Commons
In office
31 May 2008 – 6 May 2010
Preceded byIan Paisley
Succeeded byNigel Dodds
Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
In office
31 May 1980 – 31 May 2008
LeaderIan Paisley
Preceded byWilliam Beattie
Succeeded byNigel Dodds
Minister of Finance and Personnel
In office
8 May 2007 – 5 June 2008
First MinisterIan Paisley
Preceded bySean Farren
Succeeded byNigel Dodds
Minister for Regional Development
In office
24 October 2001 – 11 October 2002
First MinisterDavid Trimble
Preceded byGregory Campbell
Succeeded byConor Murphy
In office
29 November 1999 – 27 July 2000
First MinisterDavid Trimble
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byGregory Campbell
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast East
In office
25 June 1998 – 7 May 2016
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byJoanne Bunting
Member of Parliament
for Belfast East
In office
3 May 1979 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byWilliam Craig
Succeeded byNaomi Long
Personal details
Born
Peter David Robinson

(1948-12-29) 29 December 1948 (age 75)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyDemocratic Unionist Party
Spouse
(m. 1970)
Children3
Alma materCastlereagh College
Signature
WebsitePeter Robinson
^a Arlene Foster served as Acting FM from 11 January 2010 to 3 February 2010 and 10 September 2015 to 20 October 2015. Robinson served alongside John O'Dowd in his capacity as Acting dFM from 20 September 2011 to 31 October 2011.

Peter David Robinson (born 29 December 1948) is a retired Northern Irish politician who served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2008 until 2016 and Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2008 until 2015. Until his retirement in 2016, Robinson was involved in Northern Irish politics for over 40 years, being a founding member of the DUP along with Ian Paisley.

Robinson served in the role of General Secretary of the DUP from 1975, a position which he held until 1979 and which afforded him the opportunity to exert unprecedented influence within the fledgeling party. In 1977, Robinson was elected as a councillor for the Castlereagh Borough Council in Dundonald, and in 1979, he became one of the youngest Members of Parliament (MP) when he was narrowly elected for Belfast East. He held this seat for 31 years until his defeat by Naomi Long in 2010, making him the longest-serving Belfast MP since the 1800 Act of Union.

In 1980, Robinson was elected as the deputy leader of the DUP. Following the re-establishment of devolved government in Northern Ireland as a result of the Good Friday Agreement, Robinson was elected in 1998 as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East. Robinson subsequently served as Minister for Regional Development and Minister of Finance and Personnel in the Northern Ireland Executive. Robinson was elected unopposed to succeed Ian Paisley as leader of the DUP on 15 April 2008, and was subsequently confirmed as First Minister of Northern Ireland on 5 June 2008.[1][2]

In January 2010, following a scandal involving his wife Iris, Robinson temporarily handed over his duties as First Minister to Arlene Foster under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 2006.[3] Following a police investigation, which recommended that Robinson should not be prosecuted following allegations made by the BBC in relation to the scandal, he resumed his duties as First Minister.[4][5] The Official Assembly Commissioner's Investigation and Report cleared Robinson of any wrongdoing.

In September 2015, Robinson again stood aside to allow Arlene Foster to become acting First Minister after his bid to adjourn the assembly was rejected. His action was a response to a murder for which a member of Sinn Féin, a party in the Northern Ireland Executive, had been questioned.[6] He resumed his duties on 20 October 2015.[7] On 19 November 2015, he announced that he would be stepping down as First Minister and as leader of the DUP.[8] Robinson subsequently stepped down as First Minister on 11 January 2016 and has now fully retired from frontline politics.[9]

  1. ^ "Robinson to follow Paisley path". BBC News. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Robinson is new NI First Minister". BBC News. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  3. ^ "Peter Robinson steps aside as NI First Minister". BBC News. 11 January 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  4. ^ "DUP disclose part of the Finance Department's legal advice". BBC News. 18 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Northern Ireland Parties agree Power-Sharing Deal". BBC News. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Stormont crisis: How the story unfolded". BBC News. 13 November 2015.
  7. ^ "DUP ministers to resume Northern Ireland Executive posts". BBC News. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Peter Robinson: NI first minister set to quit within weeks". BBC News. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Arlene Foster: DUP leader becomes new NI first minister". BBC News. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.

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