Sinn Fein becomes biggest party from Northern Ireland in Westminster for first time

Sinn Fein has won a historic victory in the general election, making it the biggest party from Northern Ireland in Westminster for the first time.

The nationalists are on course to win seven seats, compared to the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) five MPs, giving them a hat-trick of landmark wins after their Stormont triumph in 2022 and last year’s local election.

Sinn Fein is now certain to point to its third electoral victory in two years to press their case for a referendum on Irish reunification by 2030, although their politicians never take up their seats.

As the DUP lost three seats, Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, said: “It’s time for a change, it’s time for us to take control of our own fortunes here.”

The Good Friday Agreement says a border poll must be called if it “appears likely” a majority would favour a united Ireland.

Ms O’Neill said: “We now have the opportunity to do something better.”

In the shock of a disappointing night for the DUP, Ian Paisley Jr lost the North Antrim seat once held by his father, a giant of unionism, to the hardline unionist Jim Allister by 450 votes.

The seat had been held by a member of the Paisley family for 54 years, with a majority of at least 10,000 in every election since 1974, but will now go to Mr Allister’s Traditional Unionist Voice, which is allied to Reform UK.

“There is no escaping the fact there has been a political earthquake of seismic proportions,” Mr Allister said.

The veteran firebrand campaigned against the Irish Sea border and accused the DUP of trying to “hoodwink” unionists by claiming its deal to return to Stormont had removed it.

Sinn Fein is still in the running for another DUP seat in East Londonderry, where a full recount was underway at 6.30am.

Mr Allister made the “smoky bacon border” – a looming EU ban on smoke flavourings for crisps that will apply in Northern Ireland but not the rest of the UK – central to his election race.

Victory was particularly sweet for Mr Allister after Nigel Farage said he personally backed staunch Brexiteer Paisley to return to Westminster, despite Reform’s pact with the TUV.

Lagan Valley had been held for the last 27 years by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former DUP leader, who resigned in March after being accused of historical sex offences. It was won by the centrist Alliance party’s Sorcha Eastwood, 38, who defeated Jonathan Buckley.

South Antrim was lost to the Ulster Unionist Party’s Robin Swann, giving the party which dominated Northern Irish politics for much of the region’s history a single MP after winning 16,311 votes to the DUP’s 8,799.

There was better news in Belfast East, where DUP leader Gavin Robinson won a close battle with Alliance leader Naomi Long.

Ms Long took 17,218 votes to Mr Robinson’s 19,894, much to the relief of senior DUP figures who said the victory meant the party could now regroup.

Greeted by cheers as he arrived at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast, Mr Robinson said that losses by his party in other seats were a warning of the “consequences of divided unionism”.

Despite Catholics now outnumbering Protestants, there is still a majority of unionist voters in Northern Ireland.

A December poll found almost twice as many Northern Irish voters would vote to remain in the UK if a referendum was held.

But unionist support is fragmented across three parties, which has helped Sinn Fein to its recent victories.