The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a political group in Northern Ireland that supports British identity and Ulster Protestant culture. It was created in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party until 2008. Currently, Gavin Robinson is the leader, following the temporary leadership of Jeffrey Donaldson after Donaldson resigned. The DUP is the second-largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and won five seats in the UK Parliament during the 2024 election. The party is described as right-wing and socially conservative, opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. It supports Britishness and opposes Irish nationalism and republicanism. The DUP also supports Brexit and is critical of the European Union.
The DUP originated from the Protestant Unionist Party and has strong ties to the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, which Ian Paisley founded. During the Troubles, the DUP refused to share power with Irish nationalists or republicans and opposed involving the Republic of Ireland in Northern Irish matters. The party rejected agreements such as the Sunningdale Agreement (1973), the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985), and the Good Friday Agreement (1998). In the 1980s, the DUP was linked to loyalist paramilitary groups, including Ulster Resistance, which helped transport weapons to Northern Ireland.
For the first 30 years of its existence, the Ulster Unionist Party was the largest unionist group in Northern Ireland. However, by 2004, the DUP became the largest party in both the Northern Ireland Assembly and the UK House of Commons. In 2006, the DUP signed the St Andrews Agreement and later agreed to share power with Sinn Féin, who supported police, courts, and the rule of law. Ian Paisley became joint First Minister of Northern Ireland. However, some members left the DUP to form the Traditional Unionist Voice.
Ian Paisley was succeeded by Peter Robinson (2008–2015), then by Arlene Foster (2015–2021). After Foster left, Edwin Poots briefly led the party and named Paul Givan as First Minister, but Poots resigned after three weeks. In 2021, Jeffrey Donaldson became leader. In 2022, Givan resigned as First Minister, causing the Northern Ireland government to collapse. In January 2024, Donaldson announced a deal with the UK government that restored shared governance. Donaldson resigned in March 2024 after being charged with historical sex offenses, and Gavin Robinson became interim leader, later confirmed as the party’s leader in May 2024.
History
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was formed from the Protestant Unionist Party, which came from the Ulster Protestant Action movement. The DUP was created on September 30, 1971, by Ian Paisley, leader of the Protestant Unionist Party, and Desmond Boal, who had previously been part of the Ulster Unionist Party. Paisley, a Protestant minister known for his strong religious beliefs, was the founder and leader of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. He led both the DUP and the church for 37 years, and the two groups were closely connected. When the DUP was formed, Northern Ireland was experiencing a conflict called the Troubles, which began in 1969 and lasted for 30 years. This conflict started because some people wanted to stop unfair treatment of the Catholic/Irish nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government and police. Others, including unionists, opposed these efforts, often using violence. Paisley had led unionist opposition to the civil rights movement, which aimed to end discrimination. The DUP was more loyal to unionist views than the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and its creation was partly because some Protestants felt the UUP was not listening to their concerns.
The DUP opposed the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973. This agreement tried to end the conflict by creating a new government for Northern Ireland where unionists and Irish nationalists would share power. It also proposed a Council of Ireland to help Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland work together. The DUP won eight seats in the 1973 election to the Assembly. Along with other unionists who opposed the agreement, the DUP formed the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) to fight it. In the February 1974 UK election, the UUUC won 11 out of 12 Northern Ireland seats, while unionists who supported the agreement won none. On May 15, 1974, anti-agreement unionists called a general strike to stop the agreement. The strike was organized by the DUP, UUUC leaders, and loyalist paramilitary groups. The strike lasted 14 days and caused major disruptions in Northern Ireland. Loyalist paramilitaries helped enforce the strike by blocking roads and scaring workers. On the third day, loyalists exploded four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, killing 33 people. The strike caused the agreement to fail on May 28.
After the agreement failed, in 1975, the British government created a Constitutional Convention, a group of unionists and nationalists who would try to find a political solution for Northern Ireland. In the convention election, the UUUC (which included the DUP) won 53% of the votes. The UUUC opposed sharing power and wanted only unionist rule. Since this was not acceptable to nationalists, the convention was ended.
The DUP opposed the UK joining the European Economic Community (EEC). In June 1979, during the first European Parliament election, Paisley won one of three Northern Ireland seats. He received 29.8% of the first-choice votes and kept the seat until 2004, when he was replaced by Jim Allister. Allister left the DUP in 2007 but kept his seat.
In 1981, the DUP opposed talks between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish leader Charles Haughey. That year, Paisley and others tried to create a Protestant militia called the (Ulster) Third Force, which would help the police and army fight the Irish Republican Army (IRA). They held rallies where men showed firearms certificates in military formation. Paisley said, "This is a small token of the men who are ready to stop Margaret Thatcher and Charles Haughey from weakening the Union." The DUP organized a "Day of Action" on November 23, 1981, to pressure the UK government to take a stronger stance against the IRA. At a rally in Newtownards, thousands of masked men marched before Paisley, who declared, "My men are ready to be recruited to destroy the IRA. If they refuse, we will destroy the IRA ourselves." In December, Paisley claimed the Third Force had 15,000–20,000 members. James Prior, the UK’s Northern Ireland Secretary, said private armies would not be allowed.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed by the UK and Ireland in November 1985 after months of talks. It stated that Northern Ireland’s status could not change without the majority of its people’s approval and proposed a power-sharing government. It also gave Ireland an advisory role in Northern Ireland. Both the DUP and UUP protested the agreement, calling it "Ulster Says No." They resigned from the UK Parliament, stopped council meetings, and led protests, strikes, and rallies.
On June 23, 1986, DUP politicians occupied the Stormont Parliament Building to protest the agreement. Police removed them the next day. On July 10, Paisley and DUP leader Peter Robinson led 4,000 loyalists to protest in Hillsborough, where the agreement was signed. On August 7, Robinson led loyalists to attack the village of Clontibret in Ireland, damaging property and injuring police. Robinson was arrested for unlawful assembly.
On November 10, 1986, Paisley, Robinson, and Ivan Foster announced the creation of the Ulster Resistance Movement (URM), a loyalist group that aimed to "take direct action" against the agreement and fight republicanism. Recruitment rallies were held across Northern Ireland, and thousands joined. In 1987, the URM helped smuggle weapons into Northern Ireland, which were shared with other groups. Most of the weapons were seized by police in 1988. In 1989, URM members tried to trade missile plans for weapons from South Africa. After this, the DUP claimed it had ended its ties with the URM in 1987.
In the mid-1980s, the Irish republican party Sinn Féin began winning local elections. The DUP responded by running on the slogan "Smash Sinn Féin" and refusing to allow Sinn Féin members to participate in council meetings. Their 1985 manifesto said, "The Sinn Féiners must be ostracised and isolated" in all local government activities. For years, DUP members ignored Sinn Féin members, shouted during their speeches, or made noise to prevent them from speaking.
In early January 1994, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) released a plan to divide Ireland, aiming to make Northern Ireland entirely Protestant. The plan was to be implemented by…
Policies and views
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a political group in Northern Ireland. They support keeping Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom and oppose the idea of Northern Ireland joining Ireland to form a united country. The party believes it is important to protect British traditions and the culture of Ulster Protestants, and they are against efforts to promote Irish nationalism or republicanism. The DUP supports the rights of the Orange Order, a loyalist group, to hold parades and wants the British Union Flag to be displayed on government buildings year-round. They believe funding in Northern Ireland should not be focused too much on Irish and Gaelic culture and have blocked laws that would protect the Irish language. The DUP supports the British military and police, and they want to stop legal action against soldiers and officers for actions taken during the Northern Ireland conflict.
Some people describe the DUP as right-wing and say the party has some extreme views. It is linked to the Ulster loyalist group, which has been called a form of ethnic nationalism. In 2017, the Loyalist Communities Council, a group connected to banned terrorist organizations, endorsed the DUP. However, the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, said the party did not seek this endorsement and rejected any support from groups involved in paramilitary or criminal activities.
The DUP opposed the UK leaving the European Union (EU) and supported the 2016 Brexit referendum. However, they wanted to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and wanted to keep the Common Travel Area, which allows free movement between the UK and Ireland. In 1991, the DUP’s leader at the time, Ian Paisley, compared a German leader to Adolf Hitler, which caused controversy. In 2016, a DUP member, Sammy Wilson, said he agreed with a comment that suggested leaving the EU and “getting the ethnics out,” though he later clarified he only supported leaving the EU.
The DUP strongly opposed the Northern Ireland backstop in 2019, which was part of the Brexit agreement. They believed the backstop would weaken Northern Ireland’s connection to the UK. This opposition was a major reason the agreement was not approved by the UK Parliament before 2020. The DUP also voted against the EU Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May in all three key votes.
The DUP supports Israel and has not always supported military actions. In 2011, the party did not vote on military action in Libya. They opposed military action in Syria against Bashar al-Assad in 2013 but supported attacks on Islamic State targets in 2015.
The DUP is socially conservative and has strong ties to the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, a church founded by the party’s founder, Ian Paisley. Most DUP members are evangelical Christians, and many are from this church. The party also works with the Caleb Foundation, a group that promotes religious beliefs.
The DUP has opposed LGBT rights in Northern Ireland. They believe homosexuality is wrong, and surveys show many members share this view. The party campaigned against legalizing same-sex relationships from 1977 to 1982. They also voted against laws that would expand LGBT rights, such as lowering the age of consent for gay sex, allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, or legalizing same-sex marriage. From 2015 to 2019, Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage was not allowed.
In 2012, a DUP councillor suggested making homosexuality illegal again, and the party leader said he was “entitled” to that opinion. The DUP also tried to create a law that would let businesses refuse services based on religious beliefs, which critics said could allow discrimination against LGBT people.
In 2008, a DUP member, Iris Robinson, said homosexuality could be “cured” through therapy and called it an “abomination.” She later said she meant child abuse was worse than homosexuality, but her comments were widely criticized. In 2015, a DUP official suggested prayer could “cure” homosexuality, which also drew criticism.
Associations with loyalist paramilitaries
The DUP party has never officially connected with any major military groups in Northern Ireland. However, many DUP members have had links to loyalist groups or supported their actions, especially during the Troubles. In 1972, William McCrea made a public statement encouraging loyalists to support the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in protecting citizens from attacks by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He later became the DUP party chairman in 1976. McCrea and another DUP member, Ivan Foster, helped organize funerals for Wesley Somerville and Harris Boyle, two members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) who were involved in the Miami Showband killings in 1975. Foster also gave a speech at the funeral of Sinclair Johnston, a UVF member killed during a 1972 riot in Larne.
McCrea also led the funeral service for Benjamin Redfern, a UDA member who died in 1984 while trying to escape Maze Prison. Redfern was serving a life sentence for killing two Catholics. In 1996, Billy Wright, a former UVF member who created the Loyalist Volunteer Force, held a rally defending free speech. McCrea attended the event.
Eddie Sayers, a businessman from Omagh, ran as a DUP candidate in the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election but was not elected. Later, he joined the UDA and became a leader in its Mid Ulster Brigade. Bangor DUP councillor Billy Baxter was arrested in 1993 and found guilty of asking for money to support the UVF. He was later removed from the DUP.
In July 1994, DUP press officer Sammy Wilson and deputy leader Peter Robinson carried the coffin at the funeral of Ray Smallwoods, a UDA member who served part of a 15-year prison sentence for trying to kill Bernadette McAliskey in 1981. That same year, the UDA released a document called the "Doomsday scenario," which stated that if Britain left Northern Ireland, the group would aim to create a homeland for Protestants and remove Catholics from the area. Wilson praised the document, calling it a "very valuable return to reality."
In 2006, George Seawright was listed by the UVF as one of its members killed during the Troubles. Seawright was a DUP Belfast City Councillor in 1981 and ran as a DUP candidate in the 1982 election, but he was expelled from the party in 1984. His election agent was John Bingham, a leader of the UVF.
John Smyth, a former UVF member who was jailed in the 1970s, served as a DUP councillor on Antrim Borough Council for over a decade. In 2014, Billy Hutchinson, a former UVF member convicted of murder in 1974, said most UVF members supported the DUP or voted for it.
In January 2023, DUP councillor and former Mayor of Lisburn Paul Porter joined a march to honor the 25th anniversary of the killing of UDA member Jim Guiney by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). The march was criticized by Marian Walsh, whose son was killed by the UDA in 1993.
In 2023, Tyler Hoey was chosen as a DUP candidate for the Mid and East Antrim Council elections. In 2020, Hoey shared a social media post remembering the Greysteel massacre, which described an attack by the Ulster Freedom Fighters on a bar in 1993. After this, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Hoey "deeply regrets" past actions and believes he deserves another chance.
Leadership
Founder Ian Paisley led the party from its start in 1971 until he stopped leading in spring 2008.
Paisley was replaced by Peter Robinson, who was the party's second-in-command, on May 31, 2008. Robinson was later replaced by Arlene Foster on December 17, 2015.
Foster said in April 2021 that she would stop leading the party on May 28, 2021. Edwin Poots won the next leadership election, which was the first ever for the party, against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. However, Poots left his position after 20 days and was replaced by Donaldson on June 26, 2021. Donaldson resigned immediately on March 29, 2024. Because of this, Gavin Robinson, the party's second-in-command, became the acting leader on the same day. After the party announced on May 22, 2024, that the 2024 UK general election would take place on July 4, Robinson's leadership was confirmed by the party's leaders on May 29, 2024, without a new election.
The following shows the time each person led the party and served as First Minister of Northern Ireland:
Representatives
Members of the House of Commons
All members listed below were elected in 2024.
Members of the House of Lords
Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly as of April 7, 2026:
{*} = Member was co-opted (appointed) to fill a seat.