Gordon Lyons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gordon Lyons
MLA
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| Minister for Communities | |
| Assumed office 3 February 2024 |
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| First Minister | Michelle O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Minister for the Economy | |
| In office 6 July 2021 – 27 October 2022 |
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| First Minister | Paul Givan Vacant |
| Preceded by | Paul Frew |
| Succeeded by | Conor Murphy (2024) |
| Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs | |
| In office 2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021 |
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| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Edwin Poots |
| Succeeded by | Edwin Poots |
| Junior Minister at the Executive Office | |
| In office 8 March 2021 – 17 June 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney
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| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Gary Middleton |
| Succeeded by | Gary Middleton |
| In office 11 January 2020 – 2 February 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney
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| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Alastair Ross |
| Succeeded by | Gary Middleton |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Antrim |
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| Assumed office 19 August 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Sammy Wilson |
| Member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council |
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| In office 22 May 2014 – 19 August 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Council established |
| Succeeded by | Angela Smyth |
| Constituency | Coast Road |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1986 Coleraine, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Gordon Lyons (born 6 March 1986) is a politician from Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Since February 2024, he has been the Minister for Communities.
Mr. Lyons also served as the Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. Since 2021, he has been the Director of Elections for the DUP. As of 2023, he is the DUP's spokesperson for Finance, Public Service Reform, and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
When he was temporarily appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs in 2021, people saw him as a rising star in the DUP. In June 2025, he was defeated by DUP politician Paul Frew in a party election to become party secretary. The Assembly Communities Committee voted that they did not have confidence in Mr. Lyons as Minister on 12 June 2025, during the 2025 Northern Ireland riots.
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Gordon Lyons' Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Gordon Lyons worked for Sammy Wilson, a DUP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), for five years. In 2011, he tried to get elected in East Antrim for the Assembly and for the Coast Road area in local elections, but he was not successful.
In the 2014 local elections, Mr. Lyons was elected to represent the Coast Road area on the new Mid and East Antrim District Council. In August 2015, he became an MLA for East Antrim, taking over from Sammy Wilson.
He was re-elected in the 2016 Assembly Election. During this time, he was a member of the Economy Committee. He also chaired the Committee for Procedures, which looks at how the Assembly works. After being re-elected in the 2017 NI Assembly Election, DUP Leader Arlene Foster made him the DUP Assembly Group Chief Whip. This role involves making sure party members vote in line with the party's decisions.
Serving in Government
When the Northern Ireland government was restarted on 11 January 2020, First Minister Arlene Foster appointed Gordon Lyons as a Junior Minister in the Executive Office. This office helps to lead the government.
He then served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs for a short time. He took over this role when Edwin Poots temporarily stepped down for health reasons.
On 6 July 2021, he became the Minister for the Economy. The DUP's new leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, appointed him to this position. He took over from Paul Frew.
Minister for Communities (2024–Present)
When the Northern Ireland Assembly started working again on 3 February 2024, a new government was formed. The DUP chose Gordon Lyons to be the Minister for Communities. In 2025, Mr. Lyons introduced the Sign Language Bill. He even used sign language during part of his speech to show support.
In June 2025, Mr. Lyons was defeated by Paul Frew in a party election to become party secretary.
Events During the 2025 Northern Ireland Riots
During the 2025 Northern Ireland riots, some people in Ballymena had to leave their homes. On 11 June 2025, they were temporarily moved to Larne leisure centre. This centre is in Mr. Lyons' East Antrim area. Mr. Lyons shared this information on social media. He said that people were moved to the centre after problems in Ballymena. After this, the leisure centre was damaged by fire.
Mr. Lyons said he strongly disagreed with the idea that he had caused the centre to be targeted by revealing its use. However, Sinn Féin Finance Minister John O'Dowd and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn asked Mr. Lyons to think about his position. The Green Party also called for him to resign.
Vote of No Confidence
On 11 June 2025, Matthew O'Toole, the Leader of the Opposition, said he would report Mr. Lyons to the Assembly’s Standards Commissioner. The next day, on 12 June, the Stormont Communities Committee voted that they did not have confidence in Mr. Lyons. This vote was proposed by Maolíosa McHugh. The Committee Chair, Colm Gildernew, had also asked Mr. Lyons to consider his position. Following this vote, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, asked Mr. Lyons to resign.
Gordon Lyons' Political Beliefs
Views on the Northern Ireland Protocol
In 2021, Gordon Lyons encouraged people to sign a DUP petition. This petition asked the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to use Article 16 of the NI Protocol. This article allows parts of the Protocol to be suspended in certain situations.
Images for kids
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Gordon Lyons in 2021
