Reg Empey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Empey
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Official portrait, 2024
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| First Minister of Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Acting
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| In office 1 July 2001 – 6 November 2001 Serving with Seamus Mallon
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| Appointed by | David Trimble | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | David Trimble | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | David Trimble | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Reginald Norman Morgan Empey
26 October 1947 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
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| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party (Before 1973; 1984–2011; 2011-) |
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| Other political affiliations |
Ulster Vanguard (1973–1975) United Ulster Unionist Party (1975–1984) Conservatives (2011) |
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| Spouse | Stella Empey (died 2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Businessman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reginald Norman Morgan Empey, also known as Reg Empey, was born on October 26, 1947. He is a politician from Northern Ireland. He held an important role as the acting First Minister of Northern Ireland in 2001.
Reg Empey also led the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2005 to 2010. Later, he served as the chairman of the party from 2012 to 2019. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast from 1998 to 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Reg Empey was born in West Belfast on October 26, 1947. His family worked in retail, running shops. His uncle, Joseph Morgan, was also a politician.
Reg went to Hillcrest Preparatory School in Belfast and The Royal School, Armagh. He then studied economics at Queen's University Belfast. After university, he built his own business career in retail. One of his shops was damaged in an explosion.
Early Political Involvement
Reg Empey started in politics in the late 1960s. He joined the Ulster Young Unionist Council. Later, he became an early member of the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party. He was the chairman of this party in 1975. In the same year, he was elected to the Constitutional Convention.
When the Vanguard party split, Empey joined a new group called the United Ulster Unionist Party. He was the deputy leader of this party from 1977 until it ended in 1984.
Political Career Highlights
Joining the Ulster Unionist Party
After the United Ulster Unionist Party dissolved, Reg Empey rejoined the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). He was elected to the Belfast City Council. He served as the Lord Mayor of Belfast twice, from 1989 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1994. The Lord Mayor is a special leader for the city.
In 1994, he received an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award recognized his important work in local government.
Reg Empey became a key negotiator for the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement was a major step towards peace in Northern Ireland.
He became more important within the UUP. He worked closely with David Trimble, who became the party leader in 1995. In 1996, Empey was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for East Belfast. He was also elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 and 2003.
Serving in the Northern Ireland Government
When the Northern Ireland Executive was formed in 1999, Reg Empey became the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. This role meant he was in charge of business and trade for Northern Ireland. He held this job for several years.
In June 2001, David Trimble temporarily stepped down as First Minister of Northern Ireland. He asked Reg Empey to take over the role for a short time. Empey served as acting First Minister until November of that year. In 1999, he was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
From 2007 to 2010, he was the Minister for Employment and Learning. In this role, he focused on jobs and education.
Leading the Ulster Unionist Party
In 2005, David Trimble resigned as leader of the UUP. Reg Empey decided to run for the leadership position. On June 24, 2005, he was elected as the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
On May 15, 2010, Empey announced that he would step down as leader later that year. He officially resigned in September 2010.
Joining the House of Lords
On November 19, 2010, it was announced that Reg Empey would become a life peer. This means he would get a special title and a seat in the House of Lords. The House of Lords is part of the UK Parliament. He joined as a member of the Conservative Party.
On January 15, 2011, he became Baron Empey. He took his seat in the House of Lords with support from Lord Trimble and Lord Rogan.
In 2017, Lord Empey voted for the UK to leave the European Union, a process known as Brexit. However, he later said that Brexit had been "a disaster for unionism."
In October 2024, Lord Empey asked Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson to apologize. This was after it was revealed that the DUP had secret meetings with Sinn Féin in the mid-2000s, even though the DUP had a policy of not talking to Sinn Féin at the time.
First Minister of Northern Ireland (2001)
On June 30, 2001, David Trimble temporarily resigned as First Minister of Northern Ireland. He appointed Reg Empey to take on the duties of the office. This was a temporary role until disagreements between political parties were solved. Trimble resigned because the IRA had not kept its promise to get rid of its weapons. Reg Empey was a strong supporter of Trimble.
During Empey's time as First Minister, there was a big problem. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) had not yet gotten rid of its weapons. This was a promise they made in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
On August 7, 2001, the IRA agreed on a way to destroy their weapons. Tony Blair, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, called this a "significant" and "historic" step. An independent group confirmed that the IRA's plan would make their weapons "completely and verifiably beyond use."
Reg Empey and the other two UUP ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive resigned from their jobs on October 18, 2001. This was to put pressure on solving the crisis. They were re-appointed on October 24, 2001.
On November 2, 2001, Empey suggested a motion to re-elect David Trimble as First Minister. However, this motion failed. So, Empey continued as First Minister until Trimble was finally elected on November 6. This happened after some members of another party temporarily changed their political group to help the vote succeed.
Personal Life
Reg Empey and his wife, Stella Empey, had two children. Stella Empey passed away in 2023. She also received an MBE award in 2007 for her community work in Northern Ireland. Reg Empey is a member of the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organization.
Electoral History
Reg Empey first ran for election in 1975. He was elected to the Constitutional Convention for Belfast East. He also served on the Belfast City Council from 1985 to 2011.
He ran in every election for the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He was elected in 1998, 2003, and 2007. In 2005, he ran for a seat in the UK Parliament but was not elected. In the 2010 general election, he ran for a different seat but was also defeated.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2024
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Reg Empey and John White at a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party.
