Michelle Gildernew: Sinn Féin MP to run for European Parliament

Michelle Gildernew is a former minister in the Stormont executive

The Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew is to run for a seat in the European Parliament.

She will contest the Midlands-North West constituency, with elections scheduled for 7 June.

Ms Gildernew has been the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone since 2017. She also held the seat between 2001 to 2015.

A former minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, she said the EU was crucially important to Ireland.

"Ireland needs to be the fore in setting the direction of the European Union in the years ahead," she said.

"I want to play a role in making that happen by bringing my experience of negotiation and dealing with EU institutions as a former agriculture minister to the job of standing up for Irish interests in the European Parliament.

"The European Union played a key role in ensuring Brexit did not create a hard border in Ireland and I believe the north's future must be within the European Union, as part of a united Ireland."

Abstentionist MP

Ms Gildernew was the first female candidate elected from her party to the House of Commons in more than 80 years since Countess Markievicz in 1918.

She has held senior roles within Sinn Féin, both as health spokesperson and as a member of the party's national executive.

If successful she will need to step down from her position as an MP and a by-election would be called, as dual mandates are not permitted in the UK Parliament.