PoliticsWest Tyrone Report

Sinn Féin incumbent Órfhlaith Begley retains West Tyrone seat with overwhelming majority

UK election: Begley almost doubles her majority over DUP candidate Tom Buchanan since 2019

UK election: Sinn Féin's Órfhlaith Begley celebrates her election in West Tyrone at Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Jack White
Fri Jul 5 2024 - 13:17

One of the youngest constituencies in Northern Ireland, having been established in 1997, West Tyrone has been a Sinn Féin stronghold since 2001.

It is seen as one of the party’s safest seats in Northern Ireland, so it was no shock then that incumbent MP Órfhlaith Begley retained her seat.

However, she did so with an overwhelming majority of 15,917 votes ahead of DUP candidate Tom Buchanan.

Ms Begley initially won her seat in the 2018 byelection, which was held following the resignation of Barry McElduff over a controversial video he posted on Twitter on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre.

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In both 2018 and 2019, Ms Begley secured a majority of between 7,000 and 8,000 over Mr Buchanan, almost doubling that on Friday.

Mr Buchanan’s vote share fell from 9,066 in 2019 to 6,794.

Prior to Mr McElduff, the seat was held by former Sinn Féin vice-president Pat Doherty from 2001.

On retaining her seat, Ms Begley said she is determined to work for “every single person right across West Tyrone”.

“The people of West Tyrone have come out in their thousands and they’ve given a clear mandate that they want decisions about their future to be made here at home,” she said.

She said she would continue to stand up for “our towns, our villages, and indeed our rural way of life”.

Ms Begley also promised to continue to champion the A5 road upgrade, describing the road in its current form as “without a doubt, one of the most dangerous roads on this island”.

Jack White

Jack White

Jack White is a reporter for The Irish Times

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