Margaret Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025
|
|
| Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party | |
| In office 7 February 2010 – 5 November 2011 |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
| Assumed office 5 November 2019 Life peerage |
|
| Member of Parliament for South Down |
|
| In office 6 May 2010 – 3 May 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Eddie McGrady |
| Succeeded by | Chris Hazzard |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Down |
|
| In office 26 November 2003 – 31 March 2012 |
|
| 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 Northern Irish politician. She was the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2010 to 2011.
Before that, she was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down. She held this role from 2003 to 2012. Margaret Ritchie also served as the Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2007 to 2010.
Later, she became a Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down. She was an MP from 2010 to 2017. In 2019, she became a life peer, which means she joined the House of Lords. She first sat as an independent member. Then, in October 2021, she joined the Labour Party.
Contents
Margaret Ritchie's Political Journey
Margaret Ritchie studied at The Queen's University of Belfast. After university, she worked for Eddie McGrady, who was an MP. She was his parliamentary assistant from 1987 to 2003.
Early Roles in Local Government
In 1985, Margaret Ritchie became a councillor on the Down District Council. This is a local government body. She served as Vice-Chairman of the Council from 1992 to 1993. The next year, from 1993 to 1994, she was the Chairman.
She also held other important roles within her party, the SDLP. She was the International Secretary for the SDLP. She was also a member of the European Committee of the Regions.
Minister for Social Development
The SDLP chose Margaret Ritchie to be the Social Development Minister. This role is part of the Northern Ireland Assembly. She officially started this job on 8 May 2007.
She was the only SDLP minister in the Northern Ireland Executive. She held this position until 2010.
Leading the SDLP Party
Margaret Ritchie became the leader of the SDLP on 7 February 2010. She took over from Mark Durkan. A few months later, on 6 May 2010, she was elected as an MP. She represented the South Down area.
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 a poppy can be a sensitive issue. Some people see it as a symbol of support for the British Army. It has often been worn by people from the unionist community. Many unionist councillors praised her for this decision.
Stepping Down as Leader
In the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, the SDLP lost some seats. Their overall vote also went down slightly. Because of this, Margaret Ritchie faced challenges to her leadership.
She decided to step down as leader in November 2011. After leaving the leadership, she also left her seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She wanted to focus on her role as a Member of Parliament. Seán Rogers took her place in the Assembly.
After Party Leadership
After leaving her leadership role, Margaret Ritchie continued to work as an MP. She helped people with important issues.
Helping Ulster Bank Customers
In 2012, there was a big computer problem at Ulster Bank. Many customers lost money or had trouble accessing it. Margaret Ritchie spoke with senior bank officials. She told them they needed to pay back all affected customers.
She said that many customers were still having problems. She also noted that the bank had not communicated well with them.
Leaving Parliament
Margaret Ritchie lost her seat in the 2017 United Kingdom general election. The new MP for South Down was Chris Hazzard from Sinn Féin.
Becoming a Life Peer
On 10 September 2019, it was announced that Margaret Ritchie would become a life peer. This was part of a special list of honours from the Prime Minister. A life peer is someone who is given a title and a seat in the House of Lords for their lifetime.
She was given the title The Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick on 16 October 2019. The SDLP party usually does not support appointments to 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 as a Labour member in the House of Lords.
