Nigel Dodds facts for kids

Nigel Alexander Dodds, also known as Baron Dodds of Duncairn, was born on August 20, 1958. He is a politician from Northern Ireland and a lawyer. Since 2021, he has been the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the House of Lords. Before this, he was the deputy leader of the DUP from 2008 to 2021. He also led the DUP in the House of Commons from 2010 to 2019.

Dodds was born in Derry and grew up in County Fermanagh. He worked as a lawyer. He was the Lord Mayor of Belfast two times. He also served as the General Secretary of the DUP from 1993 to 2008.

He was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2010. He held three different government jobs in the Northern Ireland Executive. His last role was Minister of Finance and Personnel from 2008 to 2009. He took on this job shortly after becoming Deputy Leader of his party.

Dodds became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast North in 2001. He held this role until 2019, when he lost to John Finucane of Sinn Féin. In 2020, he was chosen to become a peer in the House of Lords. He then announced he would be known as Lord Dodds of Duncairn.

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Dodds of Duncairn OBE PC
Official portrait, 2017
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the House of Lords
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 June 2021
Leader	Jeffrey Donaldson Gavin Robinson
Preceded by	Office established
Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
In office 31 May 2008 – 28 May 2021
Leader	Peter Robinson Arlene Foster
Preceded by	Peter Robinson
Succeeded by	Paula Bradley
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the House of Commons
In office 6 May 2010 – 13 December 2019
Leader	Peter Robinson Arlene Foster
Preceded by	Peter Robinson
Succeeded by	Jeffrey Donaldson
Ministerial offices Minister of Finance and Personnel In office 5 June 2008 – 1 July 2009 First Minister Peter Robinson Preceded by Peter Robinson Succeeded by Sammy Wilson Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment In office 8 May 2007 – 5 June 2008 First Minister Ian Paisley Peter Robinson Preceded by Reg Empey Succeeded by Arlene Foster Minister for Social Development In office 24 October 2001 – 14 October 2002 First Minister Reg Empey (acting) David Trimble Preceded by Maurice Morrow Succeeded by Margaret Ritchie In office 21 November 1999 – 27 July 2000 First Minister David Trimble Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Maurice Morrow
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Life peerage 19 October 2020 Member of Parliament for Belfast North In office 7 June 2001 – 6 November 2019 Preceded by Cecil Walker Succeeded by John Finucane Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast North In office 25 June 1998 – 10 September 2010 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by William Humphrey Member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Belfast North In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998
Local government offices 45th and 48th Lord Mayor of Belfast In office 1 June 1991 – 1 June 1992 Preceded by Fred Cobain Succeeded by Herbert Ditty In office 1 June 1988 – 1 June 1989 Preceded by J.J. Dixon Gilmore Succeeded by Reg Empey Member of Belfast City Council In office 15 May 1985 – 5 May 2010 Preceded by District created Succeeded by Lydia Patterson Constituency Castle
Personal details
Born	Nigel Alexander Dodds (1958-08-20) 20 August 1958 (age 66) Derry, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Spouse	Diane Dodds
Children	3
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge Queen's University of Belfast
Profession	Politician

Early Life and Education

Nigel Dodds was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. His father, Joe Dodds, was also a long-time member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He served on the Fermanagh District Council.

Nigel grew up in County Fermanagh. He went to Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. Later, he studied law at St John's College, Cambridge. He did very well there, earning a top degree and several awards.

After university, he returned to Northern Ireland. He studied at Queen's University of Belfast and became a barrister. A barrister is a type of lawyer who represents people in court. From 1984 to 1996, he worked for the Secretariat of the European Parliament. This office helps the European Parliament with its work.

Political Career

Dodds started his political journey in local government. In 1985, he was elected to the Belfast City Council. He represented the Castle electoral area in North Belfast.

He quickly became an important figure in the DUP. He served as Lord Mayor of Belfast twice. The first time was in June 1988, when he was 29 years old. This made him the youngest Lord Mayor of Belfast at that time. He served again in June 1992.

In 1996, Dodds was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum. He then topped the poll in Belfast North in three elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly (1998, 2003, and 2007). In 1997, he received the OBE award for his work in local government.

North Belfast was a strong area for the DUP. In 2001, Dodds ran for MP for the Belfast North area. He won with over 40% of the votes.

Dodds served as a government minister in the Northern Ireland Executive. He was the Minister of Social Development from November 1999 to July 2000. He held this role again from October 2001 until October 2002.

In June 2008, Dodds became the Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). In June 2010, he joined the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. This is a group of advisors to the British monarch.

In 2012, Dodds spoke in a debate about football. He pointed out that some Northern Irish footballers choose to play for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He believed action was needed to stop this "loss of talent" from Northern Ireland.

Office Incident

In 2003, an explosive device was found outside Dodds' office. Experts from the British Army safely removed the device.

2013 Incident

During a parade in July 2013, Dodds was hurt by a brick thrown during protests in North Belfast. The protests happened because the Parades Commission had stopped some marchers from going through a certain area. Dodds had been removed from the House of Commons chamber just before this. He had refused to take back a strong statement he made about the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Recent Political Work

Dodds said that the 2017 general election helped the DUP gain more influence. This was because the DUP supported the Conservative government, which did not have a majority. Dodds and Arlene Foster made a special agreement with the Conservative government.

Dodds was against any ideas that would weaken the connection between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. He also rejected a plan called the "Backstop option" from Brussels. He felt it would give up too much control.

In January 2018, a political issue called the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal made Dodds even more important. This led to an extra £1 billion in funding for Northern Ireland. In June 2018, Dodds said that anything that would "diminish the Union" would be a "clear red line" for his party.

In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Dodds lost his seat as MP for Belfast North to John Finucane of Sinn Féin.

House of Lords

In September 2020, Dodds was given a special title and became Baron Dodds of Duncairn. This made him a member of the House of Lords. He gave his first speech there on November 3, 2020.

In May 2021, Dodds announced that he would not run for re-election as deputy leader of the DUP.

Personal Life

Nigel Dodds is married to Diane Dodds, who is also a DUP politician. They have two sons and one daughter. They live in Banbridge, County Down.

Images for kids

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  Official portrait, 2017

See also

In Spanish: Nigel Dodds para niños