Stephen Farry

{{Short description|Former Northern Ireland politician (born 1971)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Stephen Farry

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Stephen Farry MP crop 2.jpg

| office = Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party

| leader = Naomi Long

| term_start = 3 December 2016

| status =

| term_end = 8 October 2024

| predecessor = Naomi Long

| successor = Eóin Tennyson

| office1 = Member of Parliament
for North Down

| term_start1 = 12 December 2019

| term_end1 = 30 May 2024

| predecessor1 = Sylvia Hermon

| successor1 = Alex Easton

| majority1 =

| office3 = Member of the Legislative Assembly
for North Down

| term_start3 = 7 March 2007

| predecessor3 = Eileen Bell

| majority3 =

| term_end3 = 16 December 2019

| successor3 = Andrew Muir

| office2 = Minister for Employment and Learning

| term_start2 = 5 May 2011

| term_end2 = 6 May 2016

| firstminister2 = Peter Robinson (FM)
Arlene Foster (FM)
Martin McGuinness (dFM)

| predecessor2 = Danny Kennedy

| successor2 = Office abolished

| office4 = Member of
North Down Borough Council

| constituency4 = Abbey

| term_start4 = 19 May 1993

| term_end4 = 5 May 2011

| predecessor4 = James Magee

| successor4 = Michael Bower

| birth_name = Stephen Anthony Farry{{London Gazette |issue=8218 |date=23 December 2019 |page=1002 |city=b}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1971|4|22}}

| birth_place = Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland

| nationality =

| party = Alliance (until 2024)

| alma_mater = Queen's University Belfast

| spouse = {{marriage|Wendy Watt|2005}}

| children =

| parents =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Stephen Anthony Farry (born 22 April 1971){{Cite book|last=Brunskill|first=Ian|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1129682574|title=The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election|date=19 March 2020|isbn=978-0-00-839258-1|pages=175|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |oclc=1129682574}} is a Northern Irish former politician who was the deputy leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland from December 2016 to September 2024.{{Cite news |date=2024-09-08 |title=Stephen Farry announces resignation as Alliance deputy leader |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/stephen-farry-announces-resignation-as-alliance-deputy-leader/a1430345791.html |access-date=2024-09-08 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} Farry was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Down from 2019, until he lost his seat to independent unionist Alex Easton at the 2024 general election.{{Cite web|title=Farry, Stephen Anthony, (born 22 April 1971), MP (Alliance) North Down, since 2019|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-246158|website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO|language=en|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u246158|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4|access-date=5 May 2021}}

Farry served as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 2007 to 2019, and was Minister for Employment and Learning in the Northern Ireland Executive until the post was abolished in 2016. In 2019, he was elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as MP for North Down.

Early life and career

Farry is the son of Vincent Farry and Margaret Farry (née Greer). He graduated from Queen's University, Belfast in 1992 with a BSSc in Politics and a PhD in International Relations in 2000. He was elected to the Assembly in the 2007 election for North Down, having first been elected to North Down Borough Council in 1993. In 1996, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.{{Cite web|title=1996 Candidates – Fermanagh and South Tyrone|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96fst.htm|website=www.ark.ac.uk}} In the 2010 United Kingdom general election, he contested North Down but came in third place.{{Cite web |title=BBC News {{!}} Election 2010 {{!}} Constituency {{!}} North Down |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/713.stm |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=news.bbc.co.uk}}

He is a former General Secretary of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. He was appointed an International Peace Scholar by the US Institute of Peace in 2005. In 2007, he became Mayor of North Down.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Political career

= Minister for Employment and Learning =

Farry held his North Down seat in the 2011 Assembly election, and was subsequently appointed Minister for Employment and Learning in the 4th Northern Ireland Executive.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/stormont-assembly-votes-in-new-team-of-ministers-1.573383|title=Stormont Assembly votes in new team of Ministers|last=Keenan|first=Dan|work=Irish Times|date = 17 May 2011|access-date=26 December 2011}}

In September 2011, Farry announced a freeze on tuition fees in Northern Ireland, with fees only subject to an inflationary rise.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-14843377|title=NI university tuition fees frozen|date=8 September 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=26 December 2018}}

Following the decision by Alliance Party councillors to vote in favour of restricting the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall to 17 specific days throughout the year in December 2012, Farry's constituency office in Bangor was the subject of an attempted arson attack.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/dec/06/alliance-minister-loyalist-attackers-child|title=Alliance minister accuses loyalist attackers of endangering child's life|last=McDonald|first=Henry|date=6 December 2012|work=The Guardian|access-date=26 December 2012}}

In February 2013, he launched a review of apprenticeships and youth training, aiming to build a "gold standard" system capable of "rebalancing of the local economy and meeting the specific needs of business for a highly-skilled workforce".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-21414582|title=Minister reviewing apprenticeships|date=11 February 2013|work=BBC News|access-date=26 December 2018|language=en-GB}} The 32 proposals launched by the department in June 2014 included incentives for businesses, and were welcomed by the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses and NUS-USI.{{Cite news|title=Review of NI training and skills|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-25719637|work=BBC News|date=12 January 2014|access-date=26 December 2018}}{{Cite news|last=Elliott|first=David|date=16 January 2014|title=Apprenticeships here 'could be the envy of the world'|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/apprenticeships-here-could-be-the-envy-of-the-world-29921406.html|work=Belfast Telegraph|issn=0307-1235|access-date=26 December 2018}}

Following the 2016 elections, Farry had been tipped by The Irish News to succeed David Ford as Minister of Justice.{{Cite news|last=Manley|first=John|date=11 May 2016|title=Stephen Farry earmarked by Alliance for justice portfolio|url=http://www.irishnews.com/news/assemblyelection/2016/05/11/news/stephen-farry-earmarked-by-alliance-for-justice-portfolio-516093/|work=The Irish News|access-date=1 July 2020}} However, with the Alliance Party opting to enter opposition, he returned to the backbench.{{Cite news|last=Moriarty|first=Gerry|date=19 May 2016|title=Battle looms for NI justice post as Alliance pulls out of executive|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/battle-looms-for-ni-justice-post-as-alliance-pulls-out-of-executive-1.2654004|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=26 December 2018}} He subsequently assumed positions on the Stormont Committee for the Economy and Business Committee, remaining on these until the collapse of the Assembly in February 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&aff=11753&per=180&cid=7|title=Dr Stephen Farry Biography|website=Northern Ireland Assembly}}

= Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party =

Following the resignation of David Ford as Alliance leader on 5 October 2016, Farry was named by The Irish Times as a potential leadership contender alongside Naomi Long.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/david-ford-to-step-down-as-leader-of-north-s-alliance-party-1.2817602|title=David Ford to step down as leader of North's Alliance Party|last=Moriarty|first=Gerry|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2018-12-26}} However, he did not stand as a leadership candidate and was later elected unopposed as Deputy Leader of the party.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-37782400|title=Naomi Long becomes new Alliance leader|date=26 October 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=26 December 2018|language=en-GB}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-38194738|title=Farry is new deputy leader of Alliance|date=3 December 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=26 December 2018|language=en-GB}}

At the 2017 Assembly election, Farry increased his share of first-preference votes in North Down to 7,014 (18.6%) and was re-elected on the first count. He served as Alliance's Brexit spokesperson and has strongly advocated for a People's Vote, argued against a no-deal Brexit and maintained that the Northern Ireland backstop must be part of any Withdrawal Agreement should the UK leave the European Union.{{cite web|last=Farry|first=Stephen|date=14 January 2019|title=A People's Vote can help dig us out of hole Brexit has now become|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/stephen-farry-a-peoples-vote-can-help-dig-us-out-of-hole-brexit-has-now-become-37706952.html|work=Belfast Telegraph|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|access-date=7 July 2019}}

On 8 September 2024, Farry announced that he will step down as deputy leader of the Alliance Party, after he lost his North Down seat in the general election earlier that year.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-08 |title=Stephen Farry steps down as Alliance Party deputy leader - Northern Ireland Elects |url=https://nielects.com/news/2024/09/08/stephen-farry-steps-down-as-alliance-party-deputy-leader/ |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=nielects.com |language=en-US}} He resigned his membership of the party.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-30 |title=Stephen Farry quits Alliance Party ahead of new Ulster University think tank role |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/politics/stephen-farry-quits-alliance-ahead-of-new-ulster-university-think-tank-role-PXINK565B5FHHGK53Q4BA335TY/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=The Irish News |language=en}}

= Member of Parliament =

On 13 December 2019, Farry was elected to represent the constituency of North Down in the 2019 general election.{{cite news|title=DUP loses seats as SDLP and Alliance Party make gains|url=https://www.helensburghadvertiser.co.uk/news/national-news/18099305.dup-loses-seats-sdlp-alliance-party-make-gains/|website=Helensburgh Advertiser|date=13 December 2019|access-date=9 December 2021}}{{cite news|last=Preston|first=Allan|date=13 December 2019|title=North Down: Alliance 'elated' with Stephen Farry's shock victory|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2019/north-down-alliance-elated-with-stephen-farrys-shock-victory-38781817.html|work=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=9 December 2021}} Farry replaced long-term incumbent Lady Hermon, who had stepped down at the election after eighteen years as an Ulster Unionist, and later independent, MP.{{cite news|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2019/12/how-alliances-stephen-farry-won-north-down|title=How Alliance's Stephen Farry won North Down|date=13 December 2019|last=Rea|first=Ailbhe|access-date=9 December 2021|work=New Statesman}} He made his maiden speech on 20 December 2019, starting his speech speaking in Irish to "reflect the shared traditions of Northern Ireland"; it was the first time since 1901 that a maiden speech had been conducted in Irish, when Thomas O'Donnell was chastised by the then-Speaker for not speaking in English in the chamber.{{Cite web|last=Murray|first=Sean|date=20 December 2019|title='Go raibh maith agat': New Alliance MP makes first remarks to the House of Commons in Irish|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/alliance-mp-irish-4943792-Dec2019/|website=TheJournal.ie|language=en|access-date=20 December 2019}}

In May 2020, Farry was one of a number of politicians warned that he was under threat from loyalist paramilitaries. The threat was believed to have come from elements of the UDA in south-east Antrim.{{Cite news|last=O'Neill|first=Julian|date=11 May 2020|title=Police warn politicians about loyalist paramilitary threats|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-52616059|work=BBC News|access-date=8 May 2022}}

He lost his seat in the 2024 United Kingdom general election. It was reported that he would not take the seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly vacated by Sorcha Eastwood.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=Alliance: Stephen Farry 'will not take' Sorcha Eastwood's seat |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4v5qeqvjlo |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Personal life

In 2005, Farry married Wendy Watt. He lists his recreations as travel and international affairs, along with quizzes (having appeared on University Challenge in 1994) and reading history and biography.{{Cite web |last=agendaNi |date=2011-12-19 |title=Stephen Farry interview: skills and study |url=https://www.agendani.com/stephen-farry-skills-and-study/ |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=agendaNi |language=en-GB}}