John Kyle (Northern Ireland politician)

{{Short description|Northern Irish unionist politician and General practitioner}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = John Kyle

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Dr John Kyle PUP sits on panel addressing poverty in the North (9691764621) (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Kyle in 2013

| office = High Sheriff of Belfast

| term_start = January 2023

| term_end = January 2024

| predecessor = John Hussey

| successor = Sammy Douglas

| office2 = Interim Leader of the
Progressive Unionist Party

| term_start2 = 3 June 2010

| term_end2 = 16 October 2010

| predecessor2 = Dawn Purvis

| successor2 = Brian Ervine

|office1 = Deputy leader of the Progressive Unionist Party

|leader1 = Billy Hutchinson

|term_start1 = 2012

|term_end1 = 16 December 2021

|predecessor1 = Nigel Gardiner

|successor1 = Russell Watton

| office3 = Member of
Belfast City Council

| constituency3 = Titanic

| assembly3 =

| majority3 =

| term_start3 = 22 May 2014

| term_end3 = 18 May 2023

| predecessor3 = District created

| successor3 = Pádraig Donnelly

| office4 =

| constituency4 = Pottinger

| assembly4 =

| majority4 =

| term_start4 = 28 February 2007

| term_end4 = 22 May 2014

| predecessor4 = David Ervine

| successor4 = District abolished

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1952|1}}{{cite web|title = Samuel John KYLE personal appointments|url =https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Ai-B0s_VNeZosXqsWW3-NZNawro/appointments|website = Companies House|access-date = 4 November 2024}}

| birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = British

| party = UUP (since 2022)

| otherparty = Independent (2021 - 2022)
PUP (2000 - 2021)

| children = 5

| alma_mater = Queens University of Belfast

| profession = General Practitioner

| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20110810185953/http://progressiveunionistparty.org/profiles/candidates/dr-john-kyle/ Cllr Dr John Kyle]

}}

Samuel John Kyle (born January 1952) is a Northern Irish unionist politician and General practitioner who was High Sheriff of Belfast from 2023 to 2024, and was a Belfast City Councillor for the Titanic (formerly Pottinger) DEA from 2007 to 2023. Additionally, he served as interim leader of the centre-left loyalist Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) in 2010, then as deputy leader from 2012 to 2021.

Background

Kyle was born in East Belfast and attended Grosvenor Grammar School and Queen's University Belfast (QUB). He graduated as a medical doctor in 1975 and has practiced medicine in Belfast and London. Since 1993, he has been a General Practitioner at Holywood Arches Health Centre.{{cite web|url=http://progressiveunionistparty.org/profiles/candidates/dr-john-kyle|title=Dr John Kyle profile|publisher=Progressive Unionist Party|accessdate=19 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810185953/http://progressiveunionistparty.org/profiles/candidates/dr-john-kyle/|archive-date=10 August 2011|url-status=dead}}

Kyle was co-opted onto Belfast City Council, following the death of party leader, MLA and Pottinger councillor David Ervine in 2007, sitting with party colleague, Hugh Smyth. He was a member of Belfast City Council's Development Committee, Health and Environmental Services Committee, and the Parks and Leisure Committee.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Due to the planned change in local councils in Northern Ireland, the local elections due for 2009 were postponed, awaiting provisions for the new eleven-council model (as agreed by the DUP/Sinn Féin led government); and as a result Kyle, along with all other councillors remained in office.

Following the resignation of Dawn Purvis MLA from the party on 3 June 2010, Kyle was selected as interim leader.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0603/moffettb.html|title=Dawn Purvis resigns as PUP leader|publisher=RTÉ.ie|date=3 June 2010|accessdate=19 September 2011}}

Purvis' resignation came in the aftermath of a killing in the Shankill Road area of West Belfast, widely believed to be carried out by the PUP-linked Ulster Volunteer Force. Purvis announced that she could "no longer offer leadership to a political party which is expected to answer for the indefensible actions of others", in a clear reference to the killing.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10222663 |title=Purvis quits PUP over murder of loyalist Moffett |publisher=BBC News |date=2010-06-03 |access-date=2024-06-02}}

Kyle, as a result, became interim leader of a party facing a very uncertain future; with no representation in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and loyalist politics in clear disagreement with the UVF. On the day after the funeral of the murdered man, Kyle claimed that he believed that the UVF had still not decommissioned all of its weapons - as previously confirmed by the Independent Monitoring Commission.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/northern_ireland/10234210.stm|title=UVF 'still has guns' - PUP leader|work=BBC News|date=5 June 2010|accessdate=19 September 2011}}

A General Meeting of the Progressive Unionist Party, held in Belfast on 10 June 2010, issued a statement detailing the Party's continued support of Dr Kyle as interim leader, whilst the party has "space and time for a period of mature and considered reflection with reference to its future direction."

He was re-elected to the council in 2011, and was later elected onto the successor Titanic District in 2014.

Kyle has campaigned over a period of years against expansion of the George Best Belfast City Airport because of alleged noise and other effects on householders.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Kyle was the PUP candidate in East Belfast at the 2016 and 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly elections, though was not elected on both attempts.

He was re-elected to the council in 2019, again for the Titanic District.

In November 2021, during an interview on BBC's The View programme, Kyle said that the Northern Ireland Protocol could present "significant opportunities" if some "serious problems" are addressed. The PUP distanced themselves from Kyle's comments, releasing a statement, saying: “Last night on BBC’s The View Dr Kyle gave his personal opinion on the Protocol. He is entitled to do so but this is not the position of our party. Our position remains unchanged and is as set out in our constitutional statement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Protocol must go.” {{cite news|title = NI Protocol could have advantages - PUP councillor John Kyle says|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59423272|work = BBC News|date = 26 November 2021|access-date = 19 August 2024}}{{cite web|title = Unionist backlash against PUP Deputy leader John Kyle support for Northern Ireland Protocol|url = https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/brexit/unionist-backlash-against-john-kyle-support-for-ni-protocol-3472934|website = Belfast Newsletter|date = 26 November 2021|access-date = 19 August 2024}}

He resigned from the PUP the following month, saying: "While we agree that the Northern Ireland Protocol has created major difficulties for Northern Ireland and has critically undermined the Good Friday Agreement, we respectfully but strongly differ on how best to address these problems."{{cite web|title = John Kyle: Belfast councillor leaves PUP over NI Protocol|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59423272|website = BBC News|date = 16 December 2021|access-date = 19 August 2024}}.

After briefly sitting as an independent, he joined the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in February 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60332928|title=Dr John Kyle joins UUP weeks after quitting PUP|publisher=BBC News|date=10 February 2022}}

In June 2022, the UUP nominated Kyle for its seat on the Education Authority board.{{Cite news |date=14 June 2022 |title=Alliance gains two seats on Education Authority board | work=BBC News | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-61790053}}

In December 2022, nearly a year after his defection, Kyle said that he would not be standing at the 2023 local elections.

He was appointed High Sheriff of Belfast in January 2023.