Crossmaglen councillor Pete Byrne has been selected as the SDLP’s Assembly candidate for Newry and Armagh – ousting sitting MLA Justin McNulty at a party convention in Newry on Thursday night.
The closely watched selection process, held at Newry’s Flagstaff Lodge, saw Byrne win the backing of local party members to contest the seat at next year’s Assembly election. It marks a significant changing of the guard in a constituency long associated with the late SDLP deputy leader and former deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon.
McNulty, a former Armagh GAA All-Ireland winner, has represented Newry and Armagh at Stormont since 2016, having taken the seat with more than 12,000 first preference votes. In the most recent Assembly election in 2022, he retained the final of the five seats in the constituency with 6,217 first preferences.
However, his position within the party had come under increasing scrutiny in recent times. He was temporarily suspended from the SDLP after leaving the Assembly chamber on the first day of its restoration to travel by helicopter to Co Wexford to fulfil his role as manager of the Laois Gaelic football team – an absence which meant he missed colleague Matthew O’Toole being formally designated leader of the Opposition.
It is understood McNulty had previously turned down an offer from the SDLP leadership to run in the neighbouring Upper Bann constituency.
Byrne, who represents the Slieve Gullion area on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and was the council’s first openly gay chairperson, contested the 2024 Westminster election for the party in Newry and Armagh, securing 6,806 votes. He had been widely tipped as the main challenger to McNulty for the Assembly nomination once the selection contest was announced.
Confirming his selection, Byrne said he was “incredibly grateful” for the support shown by SDLP members across the constituency.
“I’m incredibly grateful to SDLP members across Newry and Armagh for putting their trust in me,” he said.
“I want to be a relentless champion for Newry and Armagh – fighting for Daisy Hill, supporting our local businesses and farmers, developing the potential for this region through the Belfast–Dublin economic corridor, improving infrastructure and ensuring that our towns, villages and rural communities get the public services they deserve.”
Byrne also paid tribute to McNulty and “his work representing people across this constituency” during his time at Stormont.
The outcome will be seen as part of a wider effort by the SDLP to refresh its Assembly team as it seeks to rebuild from a reduced tally of eight seats and consolidate its role as the official opposition at Stormont.
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