Northern Ireland decides: The 18 MPs elected to Westminster

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Northern Ireland will elect 18 MPs to Westminster.
  • Alliance claim historic win in Lagan Valley

  • Alex Easton wins North Down

  • Gavin Robinson retains East Belfast

  • Pat Cullen holds Fermanagh South Tyrone for Sinn Fein

  • Robin Swann takes South Antrim off DUP

  • Jim Allister takes North Antrim off Ian Paisley

  • Gregory Campbell holds East Londonderry

It was a bruising night for the DUP with the party suffering a shock loss in North Antrim - the party's first seat and one it has held for 54 years.

In a difficult night for the unionist party, the Alliance Party’s Sorcha Eastwood also had a historic result as she triumphed in the DUP stronghold of Lagan Valley – the seat formerly held by party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

The party also lost out in South Antrim to the UUP's Robin Swann and in East Londonderry, Gregory Campbell was run close.

Sinn Fein meanwhile, retained its seats and ended the night as the biggest party.

Jim Allister took the seat from Ian Paisley in North Antrim. Mr Paisley and his father have held the seat for the past 54 years. Going into this campaign, the seat was regarded as the safest for the DUP. The TUV won the seat by 450 seats.

Jim Allister said his win was a political earthquake.

“There is no escaping the fact that there has been a political earthquake in North Antrim of seismic proportions,” he said. “Today, we mark an occasion when after 54 years of DUP and Ian Paisley dynasty, North Antrim has taken an alternative course. “That is an alternative course which signals a number of things. Amongst those is a very clear indication that the unionist people of North Antrim will not be taken for granted.

“Will not be taken for fools. The DUP, just a few weeks ago, sought to hoodwink every unionist in this province, when they pretended that the Donaldson deal had gotten rid of the Irish Sea border and restored our place in the United Kingdom. Those were brazen falsehoods. “The people of North Antrim call them as such in this campaign and therein is the reason why I am now a member of parliament for North Antrim.”

Ian Paisley said it had been a privilege to serve as an MP.

“The tides of life ebb and flow, as we all know,” Mr Paisley said. “This is certainly not the script that I would have written for tonight, as I think most of you would accept. But life is made up of many chapters and I embrace this chapter as happily as I embraced the previous. “I congratulate my successor. I commend all of those who took part in this race, the race to the finish, and I wish them well. “Being a member of parliament is a huge privilege. “It’s been a huge privilege for me, over 14 years as a member of Parliament and the previous 13 years in the Northern Ireland Assembly, to serve my constituency. “I greatly appreciate the support that they have given me. Thank you.”

The DUP was also run close in East Londonderry with Gregory Campbell winning by the smallest of margins - just 179 votes.

Elsewhere, Sorcha Eastwood won the race to become Lagan Valley MP, taking the seat from the DUP in an historic win for the Alliance party.

She said she was "delighted" to win in what is a "progressive, positive and vibrant" seat.

"We have shown change is possible," she said.

"Let this be the start of a new dawn... that we can all write as a united community."

The seat was held by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson who in the past months held it as an independent following his resignation from the DUP.

However, it was bittersweet for the party as deputy leader Stephen Farry lost his North Down seat to Independent Alex Easton.

Sinn Fein won the most amount of seats - retaining seven.

In Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Pat Cullen retained the seat for Sinn Féin. Ulster Unionist councillor Diana Armstrong was over 4,000 votes behind.

In East Antrim Sammy Wilson was run close for his seat for the DUP.

In South Antrim Robin Swann swept away the DUP's Paul Girvan getting almost double the amount of votes to his DUP rival.

Also elected was Cathal Mallaghan for Sinn Fein in Mid Ulster, who was the first to be declared in Northern Ireland.

In Upper Bann, Carla Lockhart retained her seat for the DUP with Órfhlaith Begley retaining her seat in West Tyrone. In Newry and Armagh Dáire Hughes retained the seat for Sinn Féin.

The SDLP's Claire Hanna retained her seat in the newly renamed South Belfast and Mid Down. Her party leader, Colum Eastwood retained his Foyle seat. Jim Shannon retained Strangford for the DUP.

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