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. Nort ...

, 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 m ...

(UUP) since May 2021. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley 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 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 Lagan Valley in the 2017 general election, polling 16.8% of the vote. He stood again in the 2019 election, polling 19.0%. Following Steve Aiken'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 Douglas Ricardo Beattie (born 13 October 1965) is a Northern Irish politician and former member of the British Army, who has been leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) since 27 May 2021. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assemb ...

was elected unopposed. On 24 May 2021, in addition to his existing role as party chief whip, 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