Gregory Lloyd Campbell

Biography

Gregory Campbell was re-elected MP for Londonderry East in May 2010 with a majority of 5,355 votes.

Campbell was raised in Derry's Waterside area and was educated at the city's technical college and the University of Ulster (Magee College site). He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to Derry City Council in 1981. Campbell briefly led the local DUP members out of the Council in 1984 when the council changed its name from Londonderry to Derry City Council, although he returned to his seat not long after and still holds it.

He was chosen to contest the Foyle constituency in the general election of 1983. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of 1987 and 1992, although each time he finished second behind Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume.

Given that Foyle had a predominantly nationalist population, the increasingly high profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in 1997. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the 2001 general election, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP William Ross of the Ulster Unionist Party. He was re-elected in the 2005 general election, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate David McClarty. He is also a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, topping the Londonderry East poll (from which 6 members are elected) in the 1998 election, 2003 and again in March 2007. He was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Executive in July 2000. On 9 June 2008, Campbell took over the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, replacing Edwin Poots, following a reshuffle of the DUP's Ministerial team by newly-appointed First Minister Peter Robinson.

Constituency

Londonderry East

Constituency Address

25 Bushmills Road Coleraine BT52 2BP

Constituency Tel

028 7032 7327

Date of Birth

15 February 1953

Email

campbellg@parliament.uk

Party

DUP

Personal Website

http://www.dup.org.uk/GregoryCampbell.asp

Westminster Address

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Westminster Tel

020 7219 8495