Alex Easton MLA (born 19 May 1969) is an Independent Unionist politician from Northern Ireland who has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down since 2003. A former member of the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

(DUP), Easton left the party in July 2021, following disagreements over the party's leadership. He was educated at Gransha Boys High School and Bangor Technical College. He worked in the accident and emergency department in the

Newtownards Newtownards is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtownard ...

and then the Ulster Hospital as a clerical officer. He is a member of the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It also ...

and the Church of Ireland. He served on the North Down Policing Partnership. As a

politician, he was first elected to North Down Borough Council in 2001 and left Council in December 2013. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003 for the constituency of North Down and returned again in 2007, 2011, 2016 and again in 2017, when he topped the poll for North Down, having increased his vote each election. Easton stood in North Down in the

2017 General Election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

and polled 14,940 votes, nearly unseating the sitting MP. In the 2019 General Election, he stood once again in the constituency but was defeated narrowly.He again stood as an independent Unionist MLA and topped the poll for the fifth consecutive time at the 2022 NI Assembly Election. Easton is opposed to a border poll and has said those politically backing a backstop through Brexit could potentially lead to a border poll and is a threat to the Union, which must be opposed. Easton is also opposed to the Northern Ireland protocol. He announced his resignation from the DUP on 1 July 2021, stating that he saw no "respect, discipline or decency" in the party's recent behaviour. He was re-elected as an independent candidate in the

2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months ...

References

External links

DUP webpage
1969 births Living people Democratic Unionist Party MLAs Democratic Unionist Party parliamentary candidates Northern Ireland MLAs 2003–2007 Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022 Members of North Down Borough Council Anglicans from Northern Ireland Northern Ireland MLAs 2022–2027 {{Northern-Ireland-MLA-stub