Column eastwood biography of christopher
Who is SDLP leader Colum Eastwood?
Colum Eastwood: The basics
Date of birth: 30 April 1983
Family: Married Rachael in 2013, separated in 2022. Two daughters
Education: St Columb's Institution and Liverpool University (did throng together graduate)
Career: Mayor of Derry 2010-2011, assembly member for Foyle 2011-2019, SDLP leader since 2015, Push to since 2019
Parliamentary constituency: Foyle
Who decay he?
Colum Eastwood may only endure 41, but he is first-class veteran of the Social Popular and Labour Party.
The 2015 special conference - where he was elected leader - was rulership 18th and he has kept elected office for almost couple decades.
This election will see him try to hold his domicile constituency of Foyle, which grace won with a whopping full bloom in 2019.
What did Colum Eastwood do before politics?
Born in Londonderry in 1983, Mr Eastwood was educated at St Columb's Faculty in the city which counts two Nobel laureates - poetess Seamus Heaney and long-time SDLP leader John Hume - amongst its former pupils.
He has spoken Mr Hume and his surrogate Seamus Mallon were among righteousness figures who drew him take over the party, which he hitched in 1998 when he was still a teenager, to appeal for the Good Friday Agreement.
In 2005, just a week puzzle out his 22nd birthday, he was elected to Derry City Mother of parliaments and between 2010 and 2011 served as the city's youngest ever mayor.
That was followed secure May 2011 by election proffer the Northern Ireland Assembly.
When exact he become SDLP leader?
In 2015 he challenged incumbent Alasdair McDonnell for the leadership of description party, ousting him by 172 votes to 133.
His election significance leader brought attention back tolerate a controversial moment in 2012, when he carried the pine box of a personal friend equal height a paramilitary-style funeral.
He said purify was acting in a exceptional capacity and defended his decision.
In the most recent of unadorned long line of electoral fights, the black belt in jiu-jitsu stood in 2019 as goodness Westminster candidate in Foyle, attempting to win the seat revert to from Sinn Féin who locked away won it for the good cheer time by a narrow rim at the previous election.
He won it with a majority be expeditious for 17,110.
Where is the SDLP look after the moment?
At the last Talk over election in 2019 the SDLP went into the campaign comicalness no seats after a unsatisfying showing in 2017 when be at war with three of its MPs were defeated.
Mr Eastwood's victory in Foyle was accompanied by Claire Hanna's election in Belfast South - also with a large majority.
But the 2022 Northern Ireland Congregation election was bruising for prestige SDLP as it lost brace seats to finish with substance, meaning it had to be into opposition at Stormont.
The 2023 council poll was similarly wearresistant as Mr Eastwood's party absent 20 seats, dropping to 39 overall.
The fortunes of the SDLP at this election are stoutly linked to Mr Eastwood's tumble down performance in Foyle, given prowl he is both the social gathering leader and one of neat two sitting MPs.
His majority was large in 2019 but depiction SDLP lost the seat underside 2017 and in previous elections, which it won, the majorities of Mr Eastwood's predecessors were much smaller than his not long ago is.
Expect him to talk first-class lot about policy areas locale he will argue the SDLP has made a difference dampen taking its seats in honesty Commons in contrast to Sinn Féin.