The newly elected MP for North Down gives a tearful victory speech on Friday July 5 2024. Video by Ben Lowry
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00:00Alliance Party, 13,608, 1-3-6-0-8.
00:09Barry McPhee, Green Party Northern Ireland, 1,247, 1-2-4-7.
00:33Deidre Vaughan, SDLP, Social Democratic and Labour Party, 657, 6-5-7.
00:45I declare that Alex Easton is returned to serve in Parliament for the North Down constituency.
01:03Well, I just want to say a big thank you to the Chief Electoral Officer, all the counters today, and to the 20,913 people who actually voted for me.
01:24It means the absolute world to me, and I don't know how much it means to me, it really means absolutely everything, and I'm just gobsmacked at the moment to be honest with you.
01:35This has been a difficult election, but I want to say thank you to my canvass team.
01:45We knocked 33,000 doors, and it was an amazing effort, and it just goes to show that if unionism unites, we can take seats back for unionism, and that's a lesson that unionism needs to learn right across the board.
02:00I want to say thank you to my family for supporting me, you're my rock, so thank you.
02:10I want to say to Stephen, I want to say thank you for your stewardship, and whatever the future holds for you, I sincerely wish you all the very best in the election royal, it's not the last that we're going to see of you.
02:28I want to say thank you to Tim, you've brought an honourable campaign, and I want to say thank you for that, and I want to say thank you for the service that you've done for this country.
02:39And finally, in my darkest hours over the last couple of years, there's one person that always believed in me, and that was my dad, and I want to say to my dad and my mum, I did this for you. Thank you.
03:09Thank you.
03:16My first duty is to congratulate Alex on what is a very clear call to activity, and to wish him well for his term as the MP for North Down.
03:28Serving the constituency of North Down is an enormous privilege, it's one of the most beautiful constituencies in the United Kingdom, wonderful people, and it will be a huge opportunity for him in that particular regard.
03:43There are many issues that he and the honourable elected representatives of the constituency will need to address, and indeed for Northern Ireland as a whole. I also want to pay tribute to Tim in terms of his standing for election, and making this a very good and sometimes excruciating contest.
04:03But that is democracy, it's important that people do come forward and put their opinion before the people, and that we have a fair choice. Democracy is a beautiful, important, important thing. I also want to pass on my thanks to all of the elected staff, particularly Ronan O'Rourke, who I'm sure you'll notice is also one of them. He's a guy from New York in July.
04:26I've had the privilege of serving North Down in different capacities over 30 years as a councillor, as a MLA, and more recently as an MP. I look back on Fridays, and all that I've done in that particular respect, the different achievements that I have made, and in particular the highlight of being the MP in particular, and what we have been able to achieve in that particular regard.
04:52I've vouched for a set of values, I've vouched for a vision for North Down and for Northern Ireland, and it has been good to be able to apply that agenda. I will continue to advocate for North Down and Northern Ireland, I will continue to set out my vision and values, and I would like to see whatever role it must be as an MP to continue to apply.
05:17I'm not going anywhere, I'm very dedicated to my community, I'm very dedicated to Northern Ireland, and to sorting out problems for people at home and abroad. So thank you very much, and I wish you well. Thank you.