Margaret Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party | |
| In office 7 February 2010 – 5 November 2011 |
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| Deputy | Patsy McGlone |
| General Sec. | Gerry Cosgrove |
| Chairman | Joe Byrne |
| Preceded by | Mark Durkan |
| Succeeded by | Alasdair McDonnell |
| Minister for Social Development | |
| In office 8 May 2007 – 7 February 2010 |
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| First Minister | Ian Paisley Peter Robinson Arlene Foster (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Nigel Dodds |
| Succeeded by | Alex Attwood |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 5 November 2019 Life peerage |
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| Member of Parliament for South Down |
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| In office 6 May 2010 – 3 May 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Eddie McGrady |
| Succeeded by | Chris Hazzard |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Down |
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| In office 26 November 2003 – 31 March 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Eddie McGrady |
| Succeeded by | Seán Rogers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 March 1958 Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Political party | Labour (2021–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (2019–2021) SDLP (1980–2019) |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
Margaret Mary Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (born 25 March 1958) is a politician from Northern Ireland. She led the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2010 to 2011.
Before becoming a leader, she was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down. She served in this role from 2003 to 2012. She also worked as the Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2007 to 2010.
Later, Margaret Ritchie became a Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down. She held this position from 2010 to 2017. In 2019, she became a life peer, which means she was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords. She first sat as an independent member, but in October 2021, she joined the Labour Party.
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Margaret Ritchie's Political Journey
Margaret Ritchie studied at The Queen's University of Belfast. After finishing her studies, she worked as a parliamentary assistant for Eddie McGrady, who was an MP. She held this job from 1987 to 2003.
In 1985, she became a councillor on the Down District Council. A councillor is someone elected to represent people in a local area. She was the Vice-Chairman of the Council from 1992 to 1993. Then, she became the Chairman from 1993 to 1994. She also worked as the International Secretary for the SDLP party.
Serving as a Minister
The SDLP party chose Margaret Ritchie to be the Social Development Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She started this role on 8 May 2007. As a minister, she was in charge of important areas like social welfare. She was the only SDLP minister in the government at that time, serving until 2010.
Leading the SDLP Party
Margaret Ritchie became the leader of the SDLP party on 7 February 2010. She took over from Mark Durkan. Soon after, on 6 May 2010, she was elected as an MP for South Down.
Wearing the Poppy
On Remembrance Day in 2010, Margaret Ritchie did something new. She became the first leader of an Irish nationalist party to wear a remembrance poppy. She wore it at a special ceremony in Downpatrick. In Northern Ireland, wearing poppies can be a sensitive topic. Many people see it as a symbol linked to the British Army. Because of this, it is usually worn by people who support unionist or loyalist views. Some unionist councillors praised her for wearing the poppy.
Changes in Leadership
In the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the SDLP party lost two seats. Their overall vote also went down slightly. Because of this, some people in the party felt it was time for a new leader. On 27 July 2011, it was reported that the deputy leader, Patsy McGlone, might challenge her for the leadership.
Margaret Ritchie decided to step down as leader in November 2011. When she left the leadership, she also announced she would leave her seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She wanted to focus on her role as a Member of Parliament. The SDLP then chose Seán Rodgers to replace her in the Assembly. She officially resigned from the Assembly on 31 March 2012.
After Party Leadership
After leaving the SDLP leadership, Margaret Ritchie continued her work as an MP. She spoke with officials from Ulster Bank in 2012. She wanted to make sure that customers who lost money due to a computer problem were fully paid back. She said that many customers were still having problems and that the bank was not communicating well.
In the 2017 United Kingdom general election, Margaret Ritchie lost her seat as an MP. The new MP for South Down became Chris Hazzard from the Sinn Féin party.
Becoming a Peer
On 10 September 2019, it was announced that Margaret Ritchie would become a life peer. This special honour was part of a list from the former Prime Minister, Theresa May. On 16 October 2019, she was given the title The Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick. This title is linked to Downpatrick in County Down.
The SDLP party has a rule against its members accepting seats in the House of Lords. Because of this, Margaret Ritchie resigned from the SDLP. She decided to sit in the House of Lords as an independent member at first. However, on 20 October 2021, she joined the Labour Party. She now sits in the House of Lords as a Labour member.
