Edwin Poots facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edwin Poots MLA
Poots in 2024
7th Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 February 2024
Deputy	Carál Ní Chuilín John Blair Steve Aiken
Preceded by	Alex Maskey
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
In office 28 May 2021 – 30 June 2021
Deputy	Paula Bradley
Preceded by	Arlene Foster
Succeeded by	Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
Ministerial offices 2007‍–‍2022 Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs In office 11 January 2020 – 27 October 2022 First Minister Arlene Foster Paul Givan Preceded by Michelle McIlveen Succeeded by Andrew Muir (2024) Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety In office 16 May 2011 – 23 September 2014 First Minister Peter Robinson Preceded by Michael McGimpsey Succeeded by Jim Wells Minister of the Environment In office 3 July 2009 – 4 May 2011 First Minister Peter Robinson Preceded by Sammy Wilson Succeeded by Alex Attwood Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure In office 14 May 2007 – 9 June 2008 First Minister Ian Paisley Peter Robinson Preceded by Michael McGimpsey Succeeded by Gregory Campbell
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley
In office 25 June 1998 – 6 March 2022
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Paul Rankin
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 March 2022
Preceded by	Christopher Stalford
Member of Lisburn City Council
In office 21 May 1997 – 5 May 2011
Preceded by	Charles Poots
Succeeded by	Uel Mackin
Constituency	Downshire
Northern Ireland Forum Member for Lagan Valley
In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Preceded by	New forum
Succeeded by	Forum dissolved
Personal details
Born	(1965-05-27) 27 May 1965 (age 60) Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Speaker (since 2024)
Other political affiliations	Democratic Unionist Party (before 2024)
Spouse	Glynis Poots
Children	4
Alma mater	College of Agriculture
Occupation	Farmer
Website	Edwin Poots MLA
Gordon Lyons served as Acting Agriculture Minister from 2 February 2021 to 8 March 2021 while Poots temporarily stood aside for health reasons. Poots announced that he had requested a new leadership contest on 17 June 2021, but remained in office until a successor was elected.

Edwin Poots (born 27 May 1965) is a politician from Northern Ireland. He has been the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly since February 2024. Before that, he was the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for a short time in 2021.

He was first chosen as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1998. MLAs are like elected representatives who make laws for Northern Ireland.

In 2007, he became a government minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure. He later served as Minister for the Environment and then Minister for Health. From 2020 to 2022, he was the Minister for Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs.

In 2021, Edwin Poots was chosen to lead the DUP. However, he stepped down from this role after only a few weeks. In 2024, he was elected as the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Speaker is like the referee in the Assembly, making sure debates run smoothly.

Early Life and Family

Edwin Poots grew up in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He went to Wallace High School. After that, he studied at Greenmount Agricultural College.

He works as a farmer. He is married to Glynis Poots and they have four children. His father, Charles Poots, was also a politician.

Political Career

Local and Regional Roles

Before joining the Assembly, Edwin Poots was a local councillor on Lisburn City Council. He was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998.

From 2003 to 2024, he worked on many different committees in the Assembly. These committees help to look closely at new laws and government plans.

In May 2007, he became the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure. He held this job until June 2008. Later, in July 2009, he became the Minister of the Environment.

In May 2011, he was given the role of Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. He left this position in September 2014.

When the Northern Ireland government started working again in January 2020, Edwin Poots was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs. He held this important role until October 2022.

Poots in 2013

Leading the DUP Party

In April 2021, Edwin Poots decided to run for the leadership of the DUP. He won the election in May 2021, becoming the new leader of the party.

As DUP leader, he nominated Paul Givan to be the First Minister of Northern Ireland. However, after a short time, Edwin Poots decided to step down as leader. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson then became the new leader of the DUP in June 2021.

Assembly Work and New Role

In March 2022, Edwin Poots became an MLA for the Belfast South area. This happened after his friend, Christopher Stalford, passed away.

In February 2024, Edwin Poots was elected as the 7th Speaker of the Assembly. As Speaker, he is in charge of leading the Assembly's meetings. He makes sure that all members follow the rules and that debates are fair.

Political Beliefs

Edwin Poots has shared some of his beliefs on different topics. He believes the Earth is quite young, around 6,000 years old. This is a belief held by some people, often called "young earth creationism."

He has also spoken about health policies. For example, he has supported rules about who can donate blood.

In 2016, he made comments about the role of the First Minister, Arlene Foster. He said her most important jobs were as a "wife, mother and daughter." He later said he felt his most important jobs were as a "husband, father and son."

Personal Health

In December 2020, Edwin Poots tested positive for COVID-19. In January 2021, he shared that he had cancer. He took a short break from his work for health reasons in February 2021, but returned a few weeks later.