Robin Newton

Robin Newton
Newton in 2017
5th Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
In office
12 May 2016 – 11 January 2020
DeputyCaitríona Ruane
Patsy McGlone
Danny Kennedy
Preceded byMitchel McLaughlin
Succeeded byAlex Maskey
Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
In office
20 January 2015 – 12 May 2016
Preceded byMitchel McLaughlin
Succeeded byCaitríona Ruane
Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
In office
1 July 2009 – 16 May 2011
Serving with Gerry Kelly
Preceded byJeffrey Donaldson
Succeeded byJonathan Bell
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast East
In office
26 November 2003 – 28 March 2022
Preceded bySammy Wilson
Succeeded byDavid Brooks
High Sheriff of Belfast
In office
1999–2000
Preceded byJim Clarke
Succeeded byTom Campbell
Member of
Belfast City Council
In office
15 May 1985 – 22 May 2014
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
ConstituencyVictoria
Personal details
Born (1945-12-21) 21 December 1945 (age 78)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyDemocratic Unionist Party
SpouseCarole Newton
Children2
WebsiteRobin Newton MLA

Robert "Robin" Gray Newton MBE (born 21 December 1945) is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland representing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Belfast from 2003 to 2022, and was a junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister from 2009 to 2011.

Newton is a chief executive of a management consultancy company and a member of the East Belfast Partnership Board, which promotes economic development in East Belfast. He served as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 12 May 2016 until 11 January 2020. He and his wife Carole have two children.[1]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours "for services to Local Government and to the community in Northern Ireland."[2][3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference officialwebsite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ United Kingdom list: "No. 58729". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 14 June 2008. p. 21.
  3. ^ "MLA delighted at MBE". Belfast Telegraph. 18 June 2008.