Sammy Wilson

Sammy Wilson was born in Belfast in 1953 and worked as a teacher before becoming a press officer for the DUP. In 1981, Wilson was elected to Belfast City Council where he served until 2010, serving as Lord Mayor of Belfast in two separate spells. Wilson was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum for East Belfast in 1996, representing the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly from its creation in 1998. He stood successfully for East Antrim in the 2003 Assembly election, becoming the area’s MP in 2005. In 2008, Wilson was appointed as environment minister on the Assembly Executive, an appointment criticised by environmental groups due to his belief that “climate change is not man-made and the myth of climate change is based on dodgy science not proven”. Wilson has served as DUP spokesperson in the Commons on education; work and pensions; and communities and local government; the Treasury and Brexit. He has been a member of committees on Northern Ireland affairs and transport. Wilson was a Brexiter who sat on the Brexit select committee. In 2019, he was appointed chief whip for the DUP in Westminster.