Author Nigel Dodds

The Right Honourable Nigel Dodds OBE MP is one of Northern Ireland’s best known politicians and is Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Born in Londonderry, Nigel is married to Diane and they have two children. A Barrister by profession, Nigel was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen and St John’s College, Cambridge. He also studied at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queens University, Belfast. He worked on the European Parliament’s Secretariat between 1984 and 1996. In 1985 Nigel was elected to Belfast City Council for the Castle area of North Belfast. He has served two terms as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1988 – 89 and 1991 – 92, being the youngest person ever to have been elected to the position of First Citizen at the age of 29 in 1988. He served as Chairman of various Committees of the Council and is a former Vice-President of the Association of Local Authorities for Northern Ireland and member of the Senate of Queens University Belfast. In 1992 Nigel was awarded the OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to local government. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996 and has topped the poll in all three elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Belfast in 1998, 2003 and 2007. In 2001 Nigel was elected to Westminster to serve as Member of Parliament for North Belfast, recording one of the biggest swings in Parliamentary elections. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2010. In the Northern Ireland Assembly he served as Minister for Social Development (1999 – 2000 and 2001 - 2002), Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (2007 – 2008) and Minister of Finance and Personnel (2008 – 2009). He stepped down from the Assembly in 2010. DUP Secretary from 1993, Nigel was elected Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in 2008. In 2010 he was appointed to The Privy Council.