Prime Minister of Northern Ireland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Arms of the Executive Committee
Nominator	House of Commons
Appointer	Governor of Northern Ireland
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure so long as General Elections are held no more than five years apart.
Inaugural holder	Sir James Craig
Formation	7 June 1921
Final holder	Brian Faulkner
Abolished	30 March 1972 (suspended) 18 July 1973 (abolished) suspended in 1972 and then abolished in 1973, along with the contemporary government, when direct rule of Northern Ireland was transferred to London.
Succession	Chief and deputy-Chief Executive (1 Jan–28 May 1974) First Minister and deputy First Minister (1 July 1998–)

The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the main leader of the Northern Ireland government from 1921 to 1972. This important job was not officially created by the law that set up Northern Ireland's government in 1920. However, the top official, known as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, decided to appoint someone to lead the government, much like in other countries that follow the "Westminster system" (like Canada).

The person chosen for this role took the title Prime Minister to show it was similar to the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Later, a special "Department of the Prime Minister" was created to support this role. The job of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was stopped in 1972. It was then officially removed in 1973. This happened when control of Northern Ireland was moved directly to London, a process called direct rule.

How the Prime Minister Was Chosen

The law from 1920 allowed the Governor to pick people for the government's main committee. There was no need for a vote in parliament to choose the Prime Minister. In theory, the Prime Minister and the committee didn't have to answer to the House of Commons of Northern Ireland.

However, in practice, the Governor always chose the leader of the political party that had the most seats in the House. This was always the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. This party was very strong in elections, winning many times. All the Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland were also members of the Orange Order, a Protestant organization.

Where Prime Ministers Lived

From 1920 to 1922, the Prime Minister lived at a place called Cabin Hill. This building later became a junior school. After 1922, Stormont Castle was used as the Prime Minister's official home. However, some Prime Ministers chose to live in Stormont House. This was a large house meant for the Speaker of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, but it was not used by the Speaker.

What Came After the Prime Minister Role

The role of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland ended in 1972/1973. Later, in 1998, new leadership roles were created by the Good Friday Agreement. These new roles are the first minister and deputy first minister. Unlike the old system, which was like the UK's "Westminster style," the new Northern Ireland Executive works differently. It uses a system called consociational democracy. This means different groups share power.

In 1974, Brian Faulkner led the Northern Ireland Executive. But he was called the Chief Executive of Northern Ireland, not the Prime Minister.

List of Northern Ireland Prime Ministers

No.		Name (Born–Died) Area Represented	Portrait	Time in Office		Elected (Parliament)	Government	Party	Last Job Before Becoming Prime Minister
	1.	Sir James Craig (became The 1st Viscount Craigavon in 1927) (1871–1940) MP for Down until 1929 MP for North Down from 1929		7 June 1921	24 November 1940	1921 (1st)	Craigavon	Ulster Unionist Party	Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (1920–1921)
						1925 (2nd)
						1929 (3rd)
						1933 (4th)
						1938 (5th)
	2.	John Miller Andrews (1871–1956) MP for Mid Down		27 November 1940	1 May 1943	— (5th)	Andrews	Ulster Unionist Party	Minister of Finance (1937–1941)
	3.	Sir Basil Brooke (became The 1st Viscount Brookeborough in 1952) (1888–1973) MP for Lisnaskea		1 May 1943	26 March 1963	— (5th)	Brookeborough	Ulster Unionist Party	Minister of Commerce (1941–1943)
						1945 (6th)
						1949 (7th)
						1953 (8th)
						1958 (9th)
						1962 (10th)
	4.	Terence O'Neill (1914–1990) MP for Bannside		25 March 1963	1 May 1969	— (10th)	O'Neill	Ulster Unionist Party	Minister of Finance (1956–1963)
						1965 (11th)
						1969 (12th)
	5.	James Chichester-Clark (1923–2002) MP for South Londonderry		1 May 1969	23 March 1971	— (12th)	Chichester-Clark	Ulster Unionist Party	Minister of Agriculture (1967–1969) Leader of the House of Commons (1968–1969)
	6.	Brian Faulkner (1921–1977) MP for East Down		23 March 1971	30 March 1972	— (12th)	Faulkner	Ulster Unionist Party	Minister of Development (1969–1971)