Arlene Foster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Chair of Intertrade UK | |
| Assumed office 19 September 2024 |
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| Appointed by | Steve Baker |
| Secretary of State | Hilary Benn |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| First Minister of Northern Ireland | |
| In office 11 January 2020 – 14 June 2021 Serving with Michelle O'Neill
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| Preceded by | Herself (2017) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Givan |
| In office 11 January 2016 – 9 January 2017 Serving with Martin McGuinness
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| Preceded by | Peter Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Herself (2020) |
| Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party | |
| In office 17 December 2015 – 28 May 2021 |
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| Deputy | The Lord Dodds of Duncairn |
| Preceded by | Peter Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Poots |
| Minister for Finance and Personnel | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 12 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Simon Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Mervyn Storey |
| Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment | |
| In office 9 June 2008 – 11 May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Nigel Dodds |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Bell |
| Minister for the Environment | |
| In office 8 May 2007 – 9 June 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Dermot Nesbitt |
| Succeeded by | Sammy Wilson |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 9 November 2022 Life Peerage |
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
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| In office 26 November 2003 – 6 October 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Joan Carson |
| Succeeded by | Deborah Erskine |
| Member of Fermanagh District Council | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 5 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Raymond Ferguson |
| Succeeded by | Alison Brimstone |
| Constituency | Enniskillen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Arlene Isobel Kelly
17 July 1970 Enniskillen, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | None (non affiliated) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Unionist Party (2004–2021) Ulster Unionist Party (Before 2004) |
| Spouse | Brian Foster |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Foster served as acting first minister from 11 January 2010 to 3 February 2010 and from 10 September 2015 to 20 October 2015 while Robinson was on leave. | |
Arlene Isobel Foster, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, born Arlene Isobel Kelly on 17 July 1970, is a British politician from Northern Ireland. She is currently the Chair of Intertrade UK, a role she started in September 2024.
Before this, she was the First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2020 to 2021. She also led the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2015 to 2021. Arlene Foster was the first woman to hold either of these important positions. She is now a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. Before that, she was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fermanagh and South Tyrone from 2003 to 2021.
Foster served in the Northern Ireland Executive in several government roles. She was the Minister of the Environment (2007–2008), Minister for Enterprise and Investment (2008–2015), and Minister for Finance and Personnel (2015–2016). In December 2015, she became the leader of the DUP without anyone running against her. In January 2016, she became First Minister of Northern Ireland, sharing power with Martin McGuinness.
McGuinness resigned in January 2017 because of a problem with a green energy plan. This plan, called the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal, was set up by Foster when she was Minister for Enterprise and Investment. Because of the rules of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, Foster could not stay in her job as First Minister after McGuinness resigned. This led to an election in 2017, where the DUP lost some seats.
In January 2020, she became First Minister of Northern Ireland again. This happened after a new agreement, called New Decade, New Approach, was made to restart the government. On 28 April 2021, Foster announced she would resign as party leader and First Minister after many DUP politicians said they no longer had confidence in her leadership. She was replaced by Edwin Poots as DUP leader and Paul Givan as First Minister. She left the Northern Ireland Assembly in October 2021 and started working as a presenter for GB News.
In May 2024, it was confirmed that Foster would become the chairperson of Intertrade UK. This is a new group that helps promote trade within the UK. She officially started this role on 19 September 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Arlene Kelly was born in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on 17 July 1970. She grew up in a small area called Dernawilt. When she was nine, her family moved to Lisnaskea after their home was attacked. Her father, who was a police reservist, was shot and badly hurt in an attack. This forced her family to move from their farm.
As a teenager, Arlene Foster was on a school bus that was bombed. The bus was targeted because its driver was a soldier. A girl sitting near her was seriously injured. She went to Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School and then to Queen's University Belfast. There, she studied law and joined the Queen's Unionist Association, which was part of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
She was the chair of this association from 1992 to 1993. After university, she stayed active in the UUP, leading its youth group in 1995. She also held a position on the UUP's main council until she left the party in 2003. From 2005 to 2010, she was a local councillor for Enniskillen on the Fermanagh District Council.
Starting Her Political Journey
Arlene Foster was first elected as an MLA for the Ulster Unionist Party in 2003. While in the UUP, she was part of a group that disagreed with the party leader, David Trimble. They did not support the Belfast Agreement.
In 2004, Foster left the UUP and joined the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Other MLAs, Jeffrey Donaldson and Norah Beare, joined with her. She ran as the DUP candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the 2005 UK general election. She came in second place in that election.
On 11 January 2010, she temporarily took over as First Minister of Northern Ireland when Peter Robinson stepped aside. She worked with the deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. She also became acting First Minister again in September 2015 after Robinson resigned for a short time.
Roles in Government
In September 2007, as Northern Ireland's Environment Minister, Foster gave early approval for a new visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway. This led to some public debate about the project. On 29 January 2008, she changed her mind and decided against the private proposal for the visitor centre.
As Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Foster worked to help businesses in Northern Ireland. She helped reduce a tax on long-haul flights from Northern Ireland to zero. She also worked with UK ministers to help restore HMS Caroline in Belfast, a historic ship.
In June 2012, she spoke out against a documentary that was against fracking, a way of getting gas from the ground. She said the film was "one-sided." She also worked to bring in £500 million in investment and save jobs at Bombardier, a large company.
Becoming First Minister
In January 2016, Arlene Foster became the First Minister of Northern Ireland. She said her goal was to bring "hope for all the community." She strongly supported Brexit (the UK leaving the European Union) but wanted a soft border with the Republic of Ireland.
In 2018, Foster spoke at an LGBT event in Belfast, becoming the first DUP leader to do so. She said that even though she didn't support same-sex marriage, she valued the LGBT community in Northern Ireland.
Challenges and Changes
On 9 January 2017, Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy First Minister because of the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. This was a green energy scheme that had problems and was expected to cost a lot of money. Because of the rules for power-sharing, Foster also had to leave her role as First Minister. This led to a new election in March 2017, where the DUP lost 10 seats.
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After this, Northern Ireland faced a period of political disagreement until January 2020. One main issue was the Irish Language Act. On 11 January 2020, after a new agreement was reached, the government was restarted. Arlene Foster became First Minister again, and Michelle O'Neill from Sinn Féin became deputy First Minister.
In the 2017 UK general election, the DUP won 10 seats. Since no party had a clear majority in the UK Parliament, the DUP made an agreement to support the government led by Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May.
After Brexit officially happened, Foster raised concerns in February 2021 about the Northern Ireland Protocol. She said it created a "border" in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. She argued that this went against the Act of Union. She also started a legal challenge against the Protocol, but the High Court later ruled it was lawful.
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On 27 April 2021, many DUP politicians said they no longer supported Foster's leadership. The next day, she announced she would resign as party leader and First Minister. She was replaced by Edwin Poots as DUP leader and Paul Givan as First Minister. On 7 September 2021, she announced she would also leave her role as an MLA.
After Being First Minister
Since leaving her political roles, Arlene Foster has started a career in media. On 25 July 2021, she joined GB News as a contributor. On 15 October 2021, she began hosting her own show called The Briefing with Arlene Foster. She also writes a column for Local Women magazine.
In August 2022, Foster supported Liz Truss to become Prime Minister, saying she would best protect the UK. She was also given the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2022 for her public service. On 14 October 2022, it was announced she would join the House of Lords. On 9 November 2022, she was given the title Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee.
In May 2023, Foster suggested that the DUP might be able to work with the Labour Party after the next general election. In May 2024, she said she did not believe in a united Ireland, stating there were not enough people who wanted to leave the UK.
On 19 September 2024, Foster officially became the chairperson of Intertrade UK, a new group that helps trade within the UK. In October 2024, it was reported that she was advertising herself as an expert in renewable energy for public speaking events. She also confirmed in October 2024 that a disagreement over conversion therapy was a key reason for her leaving the DUP leadership.
Personal Life
Arlene Foster is married to Brian Foster, and they have three children. They live in Brookeborough, a village in County Fermanagh. In 2008, she was named Assembly member of the year at the Women in Public Life Awards.
In 2020, Foster won a lawsuit against a TV doctor named Christian Jessen. He had made false claims about her on social media. On 27 May 2021, the court ordered him to pay her £125,000 in damages.
See also
In Spanish: Arlene Foster para niños
- Demography and politics of Northern Ireland
