Belfast East.
Democratic Unionist Party MP Gavin Robinson holds the seat on 46.6% of the vote.
3 Jun 2026
Robinson has attracted scrutiny for hosting Robert Jenrick at a DUP event -- a choice directly criticised in the Belfast-based press, which questioned his judgment in associating with a politician whose positions on immigration and asylum have drawn widespread condemnation. He has also been vocal on security issues: condemning the Lurgan proxy bomb attack as a return to Troubles-era tactics, and branding Irish rap group Kneecap a "hatefest" while calling for legal accountability. In parliament, he backed referring Prime Minister Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Mandelson appointment, and opposed carrying over the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill -- a significant stance given the bill's contentious immunity provisions.
At 57% voting participation, Robinson sits below the Commons average, though this partly reflects Northern Ireland MPs' structural relationship with Westminster legislation. He is a near-perfect party-line voter at 99.7%, with one rebel vote recorded -- against his party on a Mental Health Bill clause in October 2025. His speeches cluster around economy and jobs, defence, and crime, consistent with a unionist MP focused on security, constitutional matters, and Northern Ireland's economic position. He consistently opposes progressive taxation, employer NI increases, and worker rights measures, while backing victims' rights and parliamentary scrutiny at high rates.
His membership of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee aligns with his speech record and his public interventions on legacy, terrorism, and community issues. He sits notably below his party average on public health votes -- 25% against the DUP's 59% -- a gap the available data does not fully explain. News coverage over the past 90 days skews toward cost-of-living and crime, with broadly neutral-to-positive sentiment outside the Jenrick controversy.
Headline indicators.
| Indicator | Local | National | Δ |
|---|
Ethnicity.
Source · Census 2021
Population by age & sexCensus 2021 · 18 bands · click to expand
Source · Census 2021 (ONS) · % of usual residents; tick marks the median seat per band
2024 — full result.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin RobinsonWON | DUP | 19,894 | 46.6 |
| Naomi Long | Ind | 17,218 | 40.3 |
| John Ross | Ind | 1,918 | 4.5 |
| Ryan Warren | Ind | 1,818 | 4.3 |
| Brian Smyth | Ind | 1,077 | 2.5 |
| Séamas De Faoite | Ind | 619 | 1.4 |
| Ryan North | Ind | 162 | 0.4 |
Turnout 42,706
Prior contests.
| Year | Winner | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Gavin Robinson | DUP | 49.2 |
| 2017 | Gavin Robinson | DUP | 55.8 |
| 2015 | Gavin Robinson | DUP | 49.3 |
| 2010 | Long, Naomi | Ind | 37.2 |
Sources, methods & last update
2023 boundary review
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Census 2021
National avg over 575 seats
LSOA-aggregated · rolling 12mo