Robbie Butler (born 16 April 1972) is a Unionist politician from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

, who has been the Deputy Leader of the

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule ...

(UUP) since May 2021. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for

Lagan Valley The Lagan Valley (, Ulster Scots: ''Glen Lagan'') is an area of Northern Ireland between Belfast and Lisburn. The River Lagan rises on Slieve Croob in County Down and flows generally northward discharging into Belfast Lough. For a section, the ...

since May 2016. He is the Ulster Unionist Party's representative for

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and for

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...

. He is an officer in the

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

at 1st Magheragall. Before entering politics, Butler worked as a butcher from the age of 16, became a

prison officer A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...

in 1996 and then a firefighter in 2000. Butler was a UUP candidate in the 2014 local elections for

Lisburn and Castlereagh , settlement_type = District , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_type1 = Constituent country , subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_type3 = , subdivision_type4 = Status , subdivision_ ...

Council. He stood in the Killultagh electoral area and was elected as a councillor with 18.2% of the vote. He was the UUP candidate for

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 ...

, polling 16.8% of the vote. He stood again in the 2019 election, polling 19.0%. Following

Steve Aiken Stephen Ronald Aiken (born 16 June 1962) is a Northern Irish politician, who served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2019 to 2021, and was Chief Whip of the UUP from 2017 to 2019. Aiken has been a Member of the Northern Irela ...

's resignation as leader of the UUP, Butler was reported to be "giving serious consideration" around standing for the party leadership. Butler decided not to stand, and Doug Beattie was elected unopposed. On 24 May 2021, in addition to his existing role as party

chief whip The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. United Kingdom ...

, Butler was appointed deputy leader of the UUP.

References

External links

Lagan Valley constituency profile
BBC News; accessed 4 November 2016.
Northern Ireland Assembly profileUlster Unionist Party profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Robbie 1972 births Living people Ulster Unionist Party MLAs Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022 Place of birth missing (living people) Northern Ireland MLAs 2022–2027