Preceded by Mitchel McLaughlin Spouse(s) Carole Succeeded by Jonathan Bell Nationality British Party Democratic Unionist Party | Preceded by Sammy Wilson Role Politician Preceded by Jeffrey Donaldson Name Robin Newton | |
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Born 21 December 1945 (age 78)
Belfast, Northern Ireland ( 1945-12-21 ) Political party Democratic Unionist Party | ||
Robin Newton on Short Strand riots
Robin Newton (born 21 December 1945) is a Democratic Unionist Party politician in Northern Ireland. He is a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast, and was a junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister from 2009-11.
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Newton is a chief executive of a management consultancy company and a member of the East Belfast Partnership Board, which promotes economic development in East Belfast. He was elected Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 May 2016. He and his wife Carole have two children.
Political career
Newton was first elected to Belfast City Council in 1985 and has been re-elected every election since. Newton is chairman of the Waterfront Hall board. He was an unsuccessful candidate in East Belfast in the 1996 Northern Ireland Forum election. He was elected as a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast in 2003.
After the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1998, he was the deputy chair of the Development Committee. He takes particular interest in housing matters, the elderly, health services and employment opportunities. Newton is the DUP party spokesperson for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. On May 12, 2016, he was elected Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Executive
First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson announced on 22 June 2009 that Robin Newton would replace Jeffrey Donaldson as junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister at the beginning of the new assembly term in September 2009. This reshuffle took place due to Robinson's plans to phase out "double jobbing" amongst elected representatives. Newton was sworn in as junior minister by the speaker, William Hay, on 1 July 2009, and served until 16 May 2011. From 2011 until 2012, he was a Political Member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.