Frank McCoubrey
{{Short description|Northern Irish politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Councillor
| name = Frank McCoubrey
| image =
| image_size = 200px
| alt =
| caption =
| order = 78th Lord Mayor of Belfast
| term_start = 1 June 2020
| term_end = 1 June 2021
| predecessor = Daniel Baker
| successor = Kate Nicholl
| order1 = 21st Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast
| term_start1 = 1 June 2000
| term_end1 = 1 June 2001
| predecessor1 = Marie Moore
| successor1 = Hugh Smyth
| office2 = High Sheriff of Belfast
| term_start2 = January 2009
| term_end2 = January 2010
| predecessor2 = Margaret McKenzie
| successor2 = Christopher Stalford
| order3 = Member of
Belfast City Council
| constituency3 = Court
| term_start3 = 21 May 1997{{Cite web|title=Alderman Frank McCoubrey|url=https://minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=54|website=Belfast City Council|access-date=29 March 2022}}
| term_end3 =
| predecessor3 = Joe Coggle
| successor3 =
| birth_name = Frank McCoubrey
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|02|05|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Highfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland
| nationality = British
| other_names =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| employer =
| known_for = Ulster loyalist politician
| party = Democratic Unionist Party (2012 - present)
| otherparty = Independent (2001-2012)
Ulster Democratic Party (until 2001)
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Frank McCoubrey (born 5 February 1967) is a Northern Irish unionist politician and Ulster Loyalist, as well as a community activist and researcher.
McCoubrey is a Belfast City Councillor for the Court DEA since 1997, sitting as a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) member since 2012. {{Cite web|url=http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/councillors/councillors.asp?id=20|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023062801/http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/councillors/councillors.asp?id=20|url-status=dead|title=Profile on Belfast City Council website|archive-date=23 October 2007}}
He is a leading member of the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG).
McCoubrey is a native of Highfield, Belfast.{{Cite book|last1=McDonald|first1=H.|last2=Cusack|first2=J. |year=2004|title=UDA – Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror|location=Dublin|publisher=Penguin Ireland|page=327}}
Emergence in UPRG
In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in West Belfast.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96wb.htm|title=1996 Candidates - West Belfast|website=www.ark.ac.uk}} McCoubrey was first elected to Belfast City Council in 1997 as a member of the Ulster Democratic Party{{Cite web|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/lgbelfast.htm|title=Belfast City Council, 1993 - 2011|website=www.ark.ac.uk}} and was eventually elected as deputy mayor in 2000, with the votes of the Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Unionist Party councillors.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/774134.stm|title='Hypocrisy' claims over DUP mayor|date=2 June 2000|website=news.bbc.co.uk}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2002/nov8_problem_with_republicans.php|title=Newshound: Daily Northern Ireland news catalog - Irish News article|website=www.nuzhound.com}} Following the collapse of the UDP and the resulting decision of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) to reconvene the UPRG McCoubrey was chosen along with Sammy Duddy, Frankie Gallagher and Tommy Kirkham to lead the new group.H. McDonald & J. Cusack, UDA – Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror, Dublin, Penguin Ireland, 2004, p. 366 McCoubrey became one of the leading figures in the UPRG and even joined Kirkham and Gallagher in meeting Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2004, along with UDA leader Jackie McDonald and prisoners' spokesman Stanley Fletcher in a 'historic' event.{{Cite web |title=Ahern's loyalist meeting 'amicable' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3427709.stm |website=BBC News |date=26 January 2004}}
In his role as a councillor McCoubrey opened early channels between loyalism and Sinn Féin, joining UDP colleague John White in holding an unofficial meeting with Alex Maskey in Belfast City Hall in June 2001.{{cite book|last1=Lister |first=D. |last2=Jordan |first2=H. |year=2004 |title=Mad Dog |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Mainstream |page=306}} McCoubrey also led a campaign in 2003 to bring Gerry Adams to trial for violation of the human rights of the people of the Shankill. McCoubrey, who organised a petition to this effect, argued that Adams' and Sinn Féin's policy of abstentionism meant that the people of the Shankill were being denied representation and sought to bring a case to the European courts to alter the situation.{{Cite web |author=Staff and agencies |date=14 January 2003 |title=Adams may face court over 'forgotten constituents' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/jan/14/northernireland.devolution |website=The Guardian}} Ultimately, however, nothing came of the initiative.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
Loyalist Day of Culture controversy
McCoubrey's term of office as deputy mayor was soon marked by controversy after he wore his official robes and chain of office to a "Loyalist Day of Culture" held on the Lower Shankill on 19 August 2000, where he shared a stage with UDA members Johnny Adair and Michael Stone at the height of a loyalist feud between that group and the Ulster Volunteer Force.{{cite book |last=Wood |first=Ian S. |year=2006 |title=Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |page=249}} Adair had used the Day to bring the feud to its conclusion by running the Ulster Volunteer Force out of the Shankill by attacking their stronghold, the Rex Bar.McDonald & Cusack, op cit, p. 327-328 Calls were made for McCoubrey to resign, although he claimed that he did not know Adair and Stone would be there and that he was not expecting the gun-fire in the paramilitary show of strength that ended the night. Ultimately the Council decided not to take any action against McCoubrey,{{Cite web |title=Deputy mayor avoids censure |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/910559.stm |website=BBC News |date=5 September 2000}} with a motion of censure brought in by the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland's David Alderdice defeated in the council.{{Cite web|url=https://republican-news.org/archive/2000/September06/06feud.html|title=AN PHOBLACHT/REPUBLICAN NEWS|website=republican-news.org}} McCoubrey also faced criticism from a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Hugh Smyth, who had been a friend of his until the incident, with a number of Smyth's colleagues in the Progressive Unionist Party amongst those ran out of the Shankill by Adair and 'C' Company.
Subsequent activity
McCoubrey remains a member of the Council. He officially sat as an Independent, as do all elected members of the UPRG. However, in November 2012 it was announced that McCoubrey was giving up his independent status to become a member of the DUP.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20314463 "Frank McCoubrey joining the DUP"] BBC News 13 November 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012 McCoubrey remains a prominent community activist in the Shankill, working to secure increased funding for the Shankill district, which was named in 2008 as Northern Ireland's most deprived area.{{Cite web |title=Shankill "most deprived area in Northern Ireland" |url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Shankill-39most-deprived-area-in.3835096.jp |work=News Letter |date= |access-date=31 May 2022}}
In December 2008, McCoubrey was nominated by Bob Stoker for the post of High Sheriff of Belfast{{Cite web|title=Loyalist nominated high sheriff |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7767133.stm |work=BBC News |date=5 December 2008}} and was sworn into office on 21 January 2009.{{Cite web|url=http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/lordmayor/highsheriff.asp?menuitem=sheriff|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528035141/http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/lordmayor/highsheriff.asp?menuitem=sheriff|url-status=dead|title=Biodata on Frank McCoubrey|archivedate=28 May 2009}} Subsequently he successfully defended his council seat in the 2011 local elections.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-13335132|title=NI council election results: County Antrim|date=10 May 2011|via=www.bbc.co.uk}} He retained his seat for the DUP in 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/election|title=Elections|website=Belfast City Council}}
He later stood in West Belfast at the 2015 general election, coming fourth with 7.8% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=Belfast West parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/N06000004 |work=BBC News |date=13 December 2019 |access-date=31 May 2022}}
At the 2016 Assembly election, he was the DUP's candidate for Belfast West, where he came within 90 votes of winning the first seat for a Unionist party in 13 years.{{cite news |title=NI Assembly election: DUP remains largest as assembly count ends |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-northern-ireland-36234717 |work=BBC News |date=7 May 2016 |access-date=18 May 2018}} At the 2017 Assembly election, he was the last candidate to be eliminated, outpolling the defeated SDLP member, Alex Attwood.{{cite news|title = Belfast West results - NI Assembly 2017|url = https://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ni-assembly-2017/belfast-west|work = Belfast Telegraph|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
He increased his vote to 13.4% at the 2017 general election, coming a distant second to Sinn Féin's Paul Maskey.{{cite web|title = Westminster - Belfast West|url = https://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=2017UK&cons=714|website = Elections Ireland|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
McCoubrey topped the poll at the 2019 Council election, and was elected on the first count.{{cite news|title = Court: in Belfast results - NI Local Elections 2019|url = https://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ni-local-election-2019/belfast/court|work = Belfast Telegraph}}
He was pushed into third place at the 2019 general election, though did see a small increase in his vote by 0.5%.{{cite news|title = Belfast West - parliamentary constituency - Election 2019|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/N06000004|work = BBC News|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
In 2020, McCoubrey was appointed Lord Mayor of Belfast, replacing Sinn Fein's Daniel Baker.{{cite news |title=DUP councillor Frank McCoubrey to become lord mayor of Belfast |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52828582 |work=BBC News |date=28 May 2020 |access-date=2 June 2020}} Due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic the traditional handover was replaced with a smaller meeting in front of 18 of the 60 Belfast councillors inside the chamber at City Hall.
McCoubrey stood again in Belfast West at the 2022 Assembly election. He was beaten by People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll for the final seat, despite initially polling higher than him, with 4,166 first-preference votes (9.54%), to Carroll's 3,279 (7.51%).{{cite news|title = Belfast West results - NI Assembly Election 2022|url = https://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ni-assembly-election-2022/belfast-west|work = Belfast Telegraph|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
He topped the poll again in 2023.{{cite news|title = Election 2023: Three DUP candidates - Frank McCoubrey, Nicola Verner and Davy Douglas - make it onto Belfast City Council at first count|url = https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/national/election-2023-three-dup-candidates-frank-mccoubrey-nicola-verner-and-davy-douglas-make-it-onto-belfast-city-council-at-first-count-4150065|work = Belfast Newsletter|date = 19 May 2023|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
At the 2024 general election, he finished fourth with 4,304 votes (10.8%).{{cite news|title = Belfast West - General election results 2024 - BBC News|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/N05000004|work = BBC News|access-date = 3 November 2024}}
McCoubrey is a member of the board of directors of the Shankill Mirror, a newspaper aimed at the loyalist communities of the Greater Shankill and North Belfast.Shankill Mirror, No. 171, May 2011, p. 8
References
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{{succession box | title=Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast | years=2000–2001 | before=Marie Moore | after=Hugh Smyth}}
{{succession box|title=High Sheriff of Belfast | before=Margaret McKenzie | after=Christopher Stalford | years=2009}}
{{succession box|title=Lord Mayor of Belfast | before=Daniel Baker | after=Kate Nicholl | years=2020-2021}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoubrey, Frank}}
Category:High sheriffs of Belfast
Category:Independent politicians in Northern Ireland
Category:Members of Belfast City Council