Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard is planning a high-stakes bid to move from Westminster to Stormont and become Strangford’s first nationalist MLA.
The South Down MP will tonight launch his campaign for next year’s Assembly election in the neighbouring constituency. Speaking exclusively to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Hazzard said boundary changes had created a “huge opportunity” for his party to win a seat in Strangford.
It is one of the SDLP’s key target constituencies, but the entry of a Sinn Féin heavyweight into the race is a serious blow to the chances of a breakthrough by Claire Hanna’s party.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen was last night unveiled as the party’s second candidate in South Belfast and Mid Down, where she lives. She will join sitting MLA Deirdre Hargey on the ticket.
If he and Ms Cullen are successful, it will lead to two Westminster by-elections.
I’m not sure what to make of this. Is it a sign that Sinn Féin has so little talent it has to recycle its elected representatives or is it recognition of the utter pointlessness of being an MP and better to be in the Assembly? Does it show confidence that there is actually going to be an Assembly in a year’s time?
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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