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UK Parliament - East Antrim

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United Kingdom > Northern Ireland > Northern Ireland > East Antrim

Office

Parliament

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

April 20, 2010 - 06:00pm

Polls Open

May 06, 2010 - 01:00am

Polls Close

May 06, 2010 - 04:00pm

Term Start

May 06, 2010 - 11:00pm

Term End

May 07, 2015 - 11:00pm

Contributor

Ralphie

Last Modified

IndyGeorgia April 29, 2017 03:51pm

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

BBC Profile:
The Ulster Unionist Party's Roy Beggs, who is a former Democratic Unionist Party member, won this seat for the Ulster Unionists in 1983, when the constituency was re-created. He was defeated by his former party in 2005.

In 2001 the DUP drafted in a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sammy Wilson, a high-profile political figure in Northern Ireland who increased the DUP vote by 16.5%, reducing the UUP majority to 128 - the fifth smallest in the House of Commons. Wilson achieved a swing of 11.5% in 2005, winning the seat by 7,304 votes.

At this election, boundary changes will see the seat gain two wards from North Antrim. To find out what might have happened had this boundary change been in force at the last election, see a notional - or estimated - result above.

This largely urban constituency nestles on the north eastern coast of Ireland between the Antrim Hills and Belfast Lough. It combines all of Larne and Carrickfergus district councils and a small part of Newtownabbey.

The constituency is dominated by the all-weather port of Larne, known as the Gateway to Northern Ireland for people travelling to Northern Ireland from Scotland. Given its easy access to sea and airports, the constituency contains an above average percentage of distribution operators including Famac, a world-wide courier service, and the Belfast Co-operative Society Distribution Centre, a major grocery retail supplier in Northern Ireland.

The constituency's large heavy industry sector was reduced by the closure of the ICI and Courtaulds plants in Carrickfergus in the 1980s, but still retains the large power station at Ballylumford. This was formerly an oil-fired plant but is now gas-fuelled with two oil-fired units retained on contract to the Irish Republic. The seat also contains the Kilroot dual-fired power station.

With significantly higher population than Larne, Carrickfergus has rebuilt its tourism sector and has a new marina to go along with the Norman castle at Carrickfergus, one of the Northern Ireland's major historical attractions.

Rallings & Thrasher Notional:
No Boundary Changes