Sinn Féin Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, Pat Cullen, eyeing Stormont seat
SINN Féin Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, Pat Cullen, has been announced as one of its two candidates for the new constituency of South Belfast and Mid Down ahead of next year’s Assembly election
SINN Féin Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, Pat Cullen, is eyeing a seat in Stormont having been announced as one of its two candidates for the new constituency of South Belfast and Mid Down in the Northern Ireland Assembly election in May 2027.
The Carrickmore native, a former leader of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), was elected as the Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 2024.
Ms Cullen won the seat by more than 4,000 votes, despite predictions of a close race with Diana Armstrong of the Ulster Unionist Party, after stepping down early as chief executive and general secretary of the RCN.
She had faced criticism due to the fact she lived in south Belfast but was seeking to represent the rural Fermanagh and South Tyrone area.
Ms Cullen will join the party’s current South Belfast MLA, Deirdre Hargey, on the ticket in an attempt to gain a second seat in the constituency.
The former Belfast South constituency was renamed South Belfast and Mid Down following boundary changes in 2023.
Commenting on her latest political move, Ms Cullen said: “I have spent my life standing up for our health service and the people who work in it.
“First as a nurse, then as the leader of the Royal College of Nursing, working every day for a better health service for all our people.
“I know what it takes to lead, to stand up for people and to get things done,” she said. “Together, let’s make history. Let’s make it two Sinn Féin MLAs in this constituency.”
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the pair were a “formidable team”, who “know what it takes to lead and get things done”.
She said: “Next May, we have the opportunity to make history by electing two Sinn Féin MLAs in the new constituency of South Belfast and Mid Down.
“Deirdre Hargey and Pat Cullen are two outstanding candidates for Sinn Féin,” she said. “They know what it takes to lead and to get things done.
“They are a formidable team, and they will bring their strong leadership, their experience, and their determination to South Belfast and Mid Down,” said Ms O’Neill.
She added: “Sinn Féin has grown hugely in this constituency and now Sinn Féin can win two seats in South Belfast and Mid Down. We are ambitious, we are confident, and we are moving forward.