Richard James Shannon (born 25 March 1955) is a Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Strangford since 2010. He is the DUP's Health Spokesperson.[1] He had previously sat in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2010 as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland (MLA) for Strangford.
Jim Shannon | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of Parliament for Strangford | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Iris Robinson |
| Majority | 5,131 (13.2%) |
| Democratic Unionist portfolios | |
| 2017–present 2012–2015 | Human Rights |
| 2015–present 2010–2015 | Health |
| 2015–2017 | Equality |
| 2015–2017 2010–2015 | Transport |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Strangford | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 2 August 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Simpson Gibson |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Strangford | |
| In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Local government offices | |
| 1991–92 | 14th Mayor of Ards |
| 1990–91 | 13th Deputy Mayor of Ards |
| Member of Ards Borough Council for Ards Peninsula | |
| In office 15 May 1985 – 5 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Robert Adair |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard James Shannon 25 March 1955 Omagh, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Spouse | Sandra Shannon |
| Children | 3 |
Personal life
editRichard Shannon[2] was born on 25 March 1955 in Omagh. He is a member of the Orange Order and Apprentice Boys of Derry.[3] He has been voted "least sexy MP" in a list of all Westminster MPs but laughed off his position at the bottom of the poll.[4] In 2022, Shannon broke down in tears as he thanked his "long-suffering" wife in the Commons. Shannon lost his mother-in-law to Covid-19 and has previously spoken about her in the House as well.[5]
Military service
editShannon served in the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1974-1975 and 1976-1977.[6] He subsequently served over eleven years in the Royal Artillery Territorial Army (TA) and achieved the rank of Lance Bombardier,[7][8] until he was expelled in May 1989.[9][10][11] Two other TA soldiers were also discharged.[11][10] The expulsions followed the theft of Blowpipe man-portable surface-to-air missile components from the TA base in Newtownards by the loyalist paramilitary group Ulster Resistance.[11][12] Shannon and the other two soldiers were discharged for ‘their membership of extremist Protestant organisations with paramilitary links’. Shannon was a founder member of Ulster Resistance and also a member of the Ulster Clubs.[13] A colleague stationed at the Newtownards base, Sergeant Samuel Quinn, had been arrested at the Hilton Hotel, Paris in April 1989 attempting to exchange missile technology for guns from South Africa.[11] Two other members of Ulster Resistance, Noel Little and James King, were also arrested. Both men were long-time DUP activists.[14][11]
Shannon later confirmed that following his dismissal from the Territorial Army he had been questioned by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and released without charge. He suggested that his arrest was "designed to embarrass the DUP" ahead of the upcoming European Parliament election.[15]
Political career
editShannon was a longstanding councillor, first elected to Ards Borough Council in 1985 and serving as Mayor in 1991–1992. He was elected as a member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue in 1996. Shannon was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for Strangford in 1998 and then re-elected in 2003 and 2007, representing the DUP.
Parliamentary career
edit1st term (2010-2015)
editAt the 2010 general election, Shannon was elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as MP for Strangford with 45.9% of the vote and a majority of 5,876.[16][17] Following his election to Westminster, Shannon resigned his Assembly seat in favour of Simpson Gibson.[18]
2nd term (2015-2017)
editShannon was re-elected as MP for Strangford at the 2015 general election with a decreased vote share of 44.4% and an increased majority of 10,185.[19][20] Shannon was an advocate for Leave Means Leave, a pro-Brexit campaign.[21]
3rd term (2017-2019)
editAt the 2017 general election, Shannon was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 62% and an increased majority of 18,343.[22][23]
Shannon was one of the most active contributors to debates in the 2017–2019 Parliament, intervening in almost every adjournment debate, which he says he does to support fellow backbench MPs who wish to raise issues in typically poorly attended debates.[24]
4th term (2019-2024)
editAt the 2019 general election, Shannon was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 47.2% and a decreased majority of 7,071.[25]
Since January 2023, Shannon has been a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee having previously served on the committee from December 2016 to November 2019 in the previous Parliament.
5th term (2024-)
editShannon was again re-elected at the 2024 general election with a decreased vote share of 40% and a decreased majority of 5,131.[26]
On 9 July 2024, Shannon chose to swear his parliamentary Oath of Allegiance in the Ulster Scots dialect after his re-election as an MP.[27] He appeared on BBC Radio 4 saying that he is hoping for a deal from the Labour government that "will free Northern Ireland from the shackles of Europe" on 14 July 2024.[28] Following the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024, he asked the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer to outline exactly what his "10-year plan" will be for Northern Ireland.[29]
Expenses
editIn 2015, Shannon was the highest-claiming MP out of 650, claiming £205,798, not including travel which led to his expenses being investigated.[30]
In 2016, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority announced it was launching a formal investigation into Shannon's expenses. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority found breaches of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses by his constituency workers for claiming mileage and said £13,925 must be repaid by the MP.[31][32]
References
edit- ^ "Jim Shannon MP". DUP. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "No. 8702". The Belfast Gazette. 22 July 2024. p. 62.
- ^ Jim Shannon MP MLA DUP
- ^ Spackman, Conor (31 May 2011). "Jim Shannon laughs off least sexy MP rating". BBC News.
- ^ "MP's emotional tribute to 'long-suffering' wife in Commons speech". ITV News. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ The Newsroom, The Newsroom (6 January 2017). "Jim Shannon: Saluting the bravery of the UDR". Belfast News Letter. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
{{cite news}}:|last1=has generic name (help) - ^ "MoD silent on TA dimissal 'probe'", Belfast Telegraph 30 May 1989.
- ^ Jim Shannon, MP (17 November 2015). "Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP), Reserve Forces, Tuesday 17 November 2015". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons.
- ^ "Religion and Violence: The Case of Paisley and Ulster Evangelical" (PDF). Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Sacked soldiers cases probed", Belfast News Letter 30 May 1989.
- ^ a b c d e Bruce, Steven (2001). "Religion and Violence: The Case of Paisley and Ulster Evangelicals". Religion. 31 (4): 387–405. doi:10.1006/reli.2001.0357. S2CID 145007214.
- ^ "Call for army-Loyalist enquiry", Evening Echo 30 May 1989.
- ^ Urwin, Margaret (5 December 2023). "RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES AND LOYALIST PARAMILITARY ORGANISATIONS". www.patfinucanecentre.org. Pat Finucane Centre. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Peter Taylor (1999). Loyalists. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7475-4519-4.
- ^ "Ex-TA man questioned", Belfast News Letter 24 June 1989.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Jim Shannon keeps Iris [Robinson] seat for the DUP". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Northern Ireland Assembly Archived 2007-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, note 14
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland - EONI". www.eoni.org.uk.
- ^ "Co-Chairmen - Political Advisory Board - Supporters". Leave Means Leave. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Election of a Member of Parliament for the STRANGFORD Constituency - Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Electoral Office of Northern Ireland. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Election 2017 Results - Election Polling". www.electionpolling.co.uk.
- ^ "Commons' most prolific contributing MP says he just wants to support colleagues". Belfast Telegraph. 8 January 2018. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Strangford Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ "Strangford - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ https://x.com/TomHulme79/status/1811108787773919525 [bare URL]
- ^ https://x.com/patricklohlein/status/1812463910009598234 [bare URL]
- ^ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-07-17/debates/E49310A5-9111-4957-905D-5471B0019D80/details#contribution-72021E95-0F83-425A-A5F4-92980450C52E [bare URL]
- ^ McDonald, Henry (1 November 2016). "Expense claims of DUP MP Jim Shannon to be investigated". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ Bell, Jonny (26 May 2016). "DUP Strangford MP Jim Shannon to repay £14k Westminster expenses". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Expenses of DUP MP Shannon by far highest in House of Commons". The Irish Times. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
External links
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