IT was a mixed night for MPs with an Irish interest last night as British voters elected a hung parliament for the second time in just seven years.
With no clear winner emerging from Thursday’s election, a wounded Theresa May had vowed to fight on.
But Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party have insisted that they are ready to form a minority government in an attempt to oust Theresa May from No 10.
Mrs May could also face dissent from within her own party – with some Tories openly questioning her leadership credentials and predicting another election in the coming months.
Here's how the Irish in Britain fared...
Conor McGinn, Labour
Co. Armagh native Conor McGinn was re-elected as MP for St Helens North with 63.7 per cent of the vote share (32,012 votes). Oringally from Co. Armagh, he has served the constituency since 2015 and is chair of the APPG for the Irish in Britain. The former political advisor to Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker, McGinn was part of the Labour Party National Executive Committee. Before life in politics, he worked in the voluntary sector in mental health and with prisoners and families.
Thank you St Helens North & the people of Parr, Haydock, Blackbrook, Billinge, Garswood, Newton, Earlestown, Rainford, Moss Bank & Windle. https://t.co/WPko09DEYB
— Conor McGinn (@ConorMcGinn) June 9, 2017
Chris Ruane, Labour
Chris Ruane was elected as the MP for Vale of Clwyd having lost the constituency in 2015 after 18 years. He has been elected with 50.2 per cent of the vote share (19,423) - narrowly beating out second place James Davies (Conservatives). Ruane was chair of the British-Irish Inter parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) for 14 years. His father was a labourer from Co. Galway. He has joked his Irish/Welsh roots make him proud to be “Wirish”.
LABOUR GAIN: Congratulations to @ChrisRuane2017 who will be returning to Parliament as the MP for the Vale of Clwyd #StandingUpForWales pic.twitter.com/bekRxp9hsM
— Welsh Labour (@WelshLabour) June 9, 2017
Siobhain McDonagh, Labour
Siobhain McDonagh was re-elected as Mitchem & Morden's MP where she has served since 1997. She achieved 68.7 per cent of the vote share (33,039 votes). The 57-year-old is of Co. Galway heritage.
"@PaapaEssiedu: Shout out to @Siobhain_MP for holding down her seat with unbelievable chill ?#20yearsandcounting" Thank you!
— Siobhain McDonagh (@Siobhain_MP) June 9, 2017
Conor Burns, Conservative
Belfast native Conor Burns was re-elected as Bournemouth West's MP for the third time since 2010 with 53.5 per cent of the vote share (23,812 votes).
Kris Hopkins, Conservative
Kris Hopkins lost his seat in Keighley after being elected in 2010 in an extremely narrow result. His 23,817 votes were not enough to overcome John Grogan's 24,066 votes for Labour. Hopkins served as a paratrooper in Co. Armagh.
Chi Onwurah, Labour
Chi Onwurah was re-elected as the MP for Newcastle Central with 64.9 per cent of the vote share (24,071 votes). Onwurah is of Nigerian-Irish descent and is proud of her Irish roots.
Leaving the count, tired but very happy & grateful to @northumbriapol @NewcastleCC everyone who helped in the election & every single voter! pic.twitter.com/O9PsZGNFsP
— chi onwurah (@ChiOnwurah) June 9, 2017
Kevin Brennan, Labour
Kevin Brennan was re-elected as the MP for Cardiff West where he has served since 2001, with 56.7 of the vote share (26,425 votes). The Welshman is of Co. Cork heritage.
I want to dedicate my win in Cardiff West to my late predecessor Rhodri Morgan who launched my campaign and passed away suddenly on May 17
— Kevin Brennan (@KevinBrennanMP) June 9, 2017
Margaret Ferrier, Scottish National Party
Margaret Ferrier lost her seat in Rutherglen and Hamilton West in a shock result with a big swing from SNP to Labour. She narrowly lost out to Labour Ged Killen -- who had 19,101 votes to her 18,836. Ferrier is a Glaswegian of Irish descent.
It has been the greatest honour & privilege to be MP for this fantastic constituency of Rutherglen & Hamilton West, I wish my successor well
— Margaret Ferrier SNP (@MargaretFerrier) June 9, 2017
Laurence Robertson, Conservative
Laurence Robertson was re-elected as the MP for Tewkesbury with 60% of the vote share (35,448 votes). Robertson is a long-time chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
Pat McFadden, Labour
Pat McFadden was re-elected as MP for Wolverhampton South East having served there since 2005. He was re-elected with 58.2 per cent of the vote share (21,137 votes). McFadden is from Paisley, Scotland of Co. Donegal heritage.
Very pleased to be re-elected as MP for Wolverhampton South East. Thank you to everyone who voted in the election.
— Pat McFadden (@patmcfaddenmp) June 9, 2017
Paul Farrelly, Labour
Paul Farrelly was re-elected as MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme with an extremely small majority. He was re-elected with just 30 more votes than second place Owen Meredith (Conservatives) with 21,124 votes to 21,094. Farrelly is from Staffordshire of Irish heritage.
Jack Dromey, Labour
Jack Dromey was re-elected as MP for Birmingham Erdington with 58 per cent of the vote share (21,571 votes). Dromey is from Brent in London of Irish heritage.
Damian Collins, Conservative
Retained his seat in Folkstone and Hythe with a 54.7 per cent share of the vote (32,197) ahead of Labour’s Laura Davison (28.5 per cent). The Northampton-born politician has served as the Conservative MP since 2010 and in 2016 was elected by the House of Commons as Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee. Educated at St. Mary’s High School in Lugwardine, he was PPS in 2012 to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers under David Cameron.
Mike Kane, Labour
Mike Kane was re-elected the MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East with 62.2 per cent of the vote share (28,525). Kane is from Manchester of Irish heritage.
Jim McMahon, Labour
Retained his seat Oldham West & Royton with 29,846 votes – a 65.2 per cent share ahead of the Conservatives Christopher Glenny on 12,648 votes (27.6 per cent). With Irish connections through his mother who lives in Roscommon, McMahon has been Shadow Minister from Communities and Local Government, Devolution.
Patrick McLoughlin, Conservative
Retains his seat in Derbyshire Dales with a 60 per cent share of the vote (29,744) ahead of Labour’s Any Botham on 15,417 votes. The Conservative Party Chairman has been described as that ‘rare beast, a working class Tory of Irish extraction who worked as a miner like his father and grandfather before him.’
Mary Creagh, Labour
Retained her seat in Wakefield with 22,987 votes, a 49.7 per cent share, ahead of Conservative Antony Calvert on 20,811 votes. Of Irish descent, Creagh has held several roles in the shadow cabinet.
Jon Cruddas, Labour
Retains seat in Dagenham and Rainham with a 50.1 per cent share of the votes (22,958) ahead of Conservative Julie Marson (18,306 votes). Cruddas has Donegal roots and has been an MP since 2001. His wife and House of Lords member Anna Healy’s family came to Britain in the 1950s from Mayo.
Jim Dowd, Labour
Having represented Lewisham West and Penge since 1992, Jim Dowd announce his departure in April after Prime Minister Theresa called the June 8 election. Dowd is the son of an Irish father and a German mother. Born in Germany, he grew up on south east London. “I enjoyed representing the people of Lewisham and so have mixed feelings about bringing it all to a conclusion,” he said at the time. “I did decide with my family that the 2015 election would be my last one but I did of course think that this would run until 2020. The Labour Party faces huge problems getting its message across and so it needs someone perhaps younger with more energy and drive.”
Patrick Grady, Scottish National Party
Retained his seat with 12,597 votes (37.6 share, down 15.5 percent ahead of Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy on 11,537 votes. Brought up in Inverness, Grady worked as an advocacy manager for the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund between 2011-2015 and was his party’s Shadow Spokesperson for International Development.
Kate Hoey, Labour
Retained her seat ion Vauxhall with a 57.4 per cent share of the vote (31,576) ahead of the Liberal Democrat’s George Turner on 11,326 votes. From Mallusk in Co. Antrim, Hoey has been Labour MP for Vauxhall since 1989 and served as Minister for Sport between 1999-2001.
Carol Monaghan, Scottish National Party
Retains seat with 16,508 votes, though this result is down 12 per cent on the 2015 election, ahead of Labour’s Michael Shanks on 13,947 votes. Monaghan is the SNP’s Public Services and Education spokesperson at Westminster. She is married top Glasgow City Councillor Feargal Dalton, who is the son of a Crossmaglen mother who was raised in Dublin.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour
Born to an Irish father who worked on the Salford Docks and later became a trade unionist representative, Rebecca Long-Bailey retains her seat in Salford and Eccles with a 65.5 per cent share of the vote (31,168) ahead of the Conservative candidate Jason Sugarman on 12,036 votes. Described as a ‘rising star’, in 2015 she was asked by Jeremy Corbyn to become a Shadow Treasury Minister as part of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s team. Before politics, Long-Bailey worked in call centres, a furniture factory and as a postwoman before eventually studying to be a solicitor.
Stephen Lloyd, Liberal Democrats
Takes seat in Eastbourne with an extremely narrow margin of 26,924 votes to second place Conservative Caroline Ansell's 25,315. Lloyd, who comes from a Mayo/Belfast background, previously lost the seat to Ansell in 2015.
John Grogan, Labour
John Grogan won the Keighley seat with a 46.5 per cent share of the vote (24,066) ahead of the Conservatives’ Kris Hopkins (23,817). As a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs committee, Grogan is the grandson of Irish immigrants to Bradford. He first delivered leaflets in Keighley for Labour’s Bob Cryer in 1979 when he held on to the seat by just 78 votes.
Have we missed any Irish MP or newly-elected MP with an Irish interest in your area? If so email [email protected]
(NOTE: This article was amended at XX on June12 to include the names of additional Irish MPs)
