Easton, Alex

Background

Alexander Easton (born 19 May 1969) is a Northern Irish politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Down since 2024. He previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 2003 to 2024. Originally a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Easton represented Ballyholme and Groomsport on the North Down Borough Council from 2001 to 2014, and became an MLA in 2003. He left the party, then led by Jeffrey Donaldson, in July 2021 following disagreements over the party's leadership and has since stood as an independent unionist. Easton won the House of Commons seat of North Down at the 2024 United Kingdom general election as an independent, having failed to win the seat as the DUP candidate in three previous elections. He defeated the incumbent Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry with a majority of 7,305 (16.8 per cent).