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 was born on March 6, 1986. He is a politician from Northern Ireland. He is currently the Minister for Communities since 2024. This means he helps manage important services for people in Northern Ireland.
Since 2021, he has also been the Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This is a big role in his political party. From 2021 to 2022, he was the Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015.
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Gordon Lyons' Political Journey
Gordon Lyons started his political career working for another politician. He was an assistant to Sammy Wilson, who was also a DUP MLA. He worked with him for five years.
Early Elections and Local Council Work
In 2011, Gordon Lyons tried to become an MLA for East Antrim. He also ran for a local council position in the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council. He was not elected in either of these attempts.
However, in 2014, he was successful. He was elected to represent the Coast Road area on the new Mid and East Antrim District Council. This was an important step in his political journey.
Becoming an MLA
In August 2015, Gordon Lyons became an MLA for East Antrim. He took the place of Sammy Wilson, who moved to a different role. This process is called being "co-opted."
He was re-elected as an MLA in the 2016 Assembly Election. During this time, he was part of the Economy Committee. He also chaired the Committee for Procedures, which helps decide how the Assembly works.
Leadership Roles in the DUP
After being re-elected in the 2017 NI Assembly Election, Gordon Lyons took on more responsibility. The leader of the DUP, 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 as a Minister
When the Northern Ireland government started working again on January 11, 2020, Gordon Lyons was appointed as a Junior Minister. He worked in the Executive Office, helping with important government tasks.
He later served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs. He stepped into this role when Edwin Poots temporarily left for health reasons.
On July 6, 2021, he became the Minister for the Economy. He was appointed by the new DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson. In this role, he helped manage Northern Ireland's economy.
