1986 North Antrim by-election

← 1983

23 Jan 1986

1987 →

Constituency of North Antrim

Turnout

53.5% (

16.3%)

	First party

Candidate	Ian Paisley
Party	DUP
Popular vote	33,937
Percentage	97.4
Swing	43.2%

MP before election

Ian Paisley
DUP

Subsequent MP

Ian Paisley
DUP

The 1986 North Antrim by-election was one of the fifteen 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections held on 23 January 1986, to fill vacancies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom caused by the resignation in December 1985 of all sitting Unionist Members of Parliament (MPs). The MPs, from the Ulster Unionist Party, Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Popular Unionist Party, did this to highlight their opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Each of their parties agreed not to contest seats previously held by the others, and each outgoing MP stood for re-election.

All but one of the Unionists were re-elected, many with extremely large majorities. The largest of all went to Ian Paisley in North Antrim. He won 97.4% of the vote, the highest percentage polled by any candidate in a UK by-election since the 1940 Middleton and Prestwich by-election.

1986 North Antrim by-election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DUP	Ian Paisley	33,937	97.4	+43.2
	"For the Anglo-Irish Agreement"	"Peter Barry" (Wesley Williamson)^[2]	515	2.6	N/A
Majority			33,024	94.8	+65.0
Turnout			34,452	53.5	-16.3
Registered electors			65,157
	DUP hold		Swing	N/A

References

Other References

v t e By-elections in Northern Ireland to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
1920s	June 1921: Mid Armagh Belfast Duncairn North Down July 1921: Mid Down West Down August 1921: South Londonderry January 1922: South Londonderry February 1922: West Down North Down June 1922: North Londonderry July 1922: North Down January 1929: Londonderry
1930s	March 1931: Fermanagh and Tyrone June 1934: Fermanagh and Tyrone May 1939: Down
1920s	February 1940: Belfast East November 1940: Queen's University of Belfast February 1943: Belfast West Antrim June 1946: Down March 1948: Armagh
1950s	November 1950: Belfast West May 1951: Londonderry October 1952: North Antrim November 1952: Belfast South April 1953: North Down November 1954: Armagh August 1955: Mid Ulster May 1956: Mid Ulster March 1959: Belfast East
1960s	October 1963: Belfast South April 1969: Mid Ulster
1970s	None
1980s	April 1981: Fermanagh and South Tyrone August 1981: Fermanagh and South Tyrone March 1982: Belfast South January 1986: Antrim North Antrim East Antrim South Belfast East Belfast North Belfast South Down North Down South Fermanagh and South Tyrone Lagan Valley East Londonderry Mid Ulster Strangford Newry and Armagh Upper Bann
1990s	May 1990: Upper Bann June 1995: North Down
2000s	September 2000: South Antrim
2010s	June 2011: Belfast West March 2013: Mid Ulster May 2018: West Tyrone
2020s	None to date
Lists of UK by-elections 1801–1806 1806–1818 1818–1832 1832–1847 1847–1857 1857–1868 1868–1885 1885–1900 1900–1918 1918–1931 1931–1950 1950–1979 1979–2010 2010–present Northern Ireland Hereditary peers

v t e « 48th Parliament « By-elections to the 49th Parliament of the United Kingdom » 50th Parliament »
1983	July: Penrith and the Border
1984	March: Chesterfield May: Cynon Valley South West Surrey Stafford June: Portsmouth South December: Enfield Southgate
1985	July: Brecon and Radnor December: Tyne Bridge
1986	January: Belfast East Belfast North Belfast South East Antrim East Londonderry Fermanagh & South Tyrone Lagan Valley Mid Ulster Newry & Armagh North Antrim North Down South Antrim South Down Strangford Upper Bann April: Fulham May: Ryedale West Derbyshire July: Newcastle-under-Lyme November: Knowsley North
1987	February: Greenwich March: Truro
Lists of UK by-elections 1801–1806 1806–1818 1818–1832 1832–1847 1847–1857 1857–1868 1868–1885 1885–1900 1900–1918 1918–1931 1931–1950 1950–1979 1979–2010 2010–present Northern Ireland Hereditary peers