1. Douglas Ricardo Beattie was born on 13 October 1965 and is a Northern Irish politician and former member of the British Army, who was leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 27 May 2021 and 28 September 2024.
23 Facts About Doug Beattie
1. 2.
Doug Beattie has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann since 2016.
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Doug Beattie is characterised as a 'progressive' and 'liberal' unionist.
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Doug Beattie's mother died young, leaving his father to raise him, his three sisters and two brothers.
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At the age of 16, in 1982, Doug Beattie joined the Royal Irish Rangers and following training was posted to the 2nd Battalion who were stationed in Wavell Barracks, Berlin.
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Doug Beattie was commissioned from the ranks in 2005, gaining promotion to captain.
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In October 2019, after Swann announced he was standing down as leader of the party, Doug Beattie ruled himself out of contention as the next leader and endorsed former Royal Navy commander Steve Aiken and served as Deputy instead.
8.
Doug Beattie stood as a candidate for Member of Parliament for Upper Bann in the 2019 General Election.
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Doug Beattie came fourth, losing to Carla Lockhart of the Democratic Unionist Party.
10.
In May and September 2020, Doug Beattie was threatened by the South East Antrim UDA after he condemned threats they had made against journalists.
11.
Doug Beattie announced in May 2021 that he was putting his name forward to be the next leader of the UUP following the resignation of Steve Aiken.
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Doug Beattie was elected unopposed on 17 May 2021, and was officially ratified 10 days later.
13.
In January 2022, Doug Beattie apologised after posting a joke on Twitter about the wife of DUP politician Edwin Poots.
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The tweets were posted between 2011 and 2014, while Doug Beattie was still a serving soldier and before he entered politics.
15.
Doug Beattie said that he was "deeply ashamed" of the tweets.
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Doug Beattie attended protests against the Northern Ireland Protocol, the post-Brexit trade arrangements.
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Doug Beattie said they had been hijacked by loyalists to raise tensions "that now see a resurgence in UVF activity".
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Doug Beattie caused further controversy in December 2022 when he said, during a debate on restoring the Northern Ireland Assembly, that the DUP "scream, whinge and whine like a girl from the sidelines".
19.
On 19 August 2024, it was reported that Doug Beattie was going to resign as UUP leader.
20.
Doug Beattie has been characterized as a 'progressive' and 'liberal' within the UUP, but said upon his election as leader that those with conservative values had "nothing to fear" from him and that he would "tread a path to make sure that your voice is heard and I will never denigrate your opinion".
21.
Doug Beattie is against the Northern Ireland Protocol, the post-Brexit trade arrangements, believing it is damaging to the Belfast Agreement.
22.
Doug Beattie said "I do not want a hardened border on the island of Ireland, but neither do I want a border in the Irish Sea".
23.
Doug Beattie is a firm supporter of devolution and has opposed boycotts of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland.