26 Facts About Sylvia Hermon

Sylvia Eileen, Lady Hermon is a retired Unionist politician from Northern Ireland.

Sylvia Hermon served as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Down from 2001 to 2019.

Sylvia Hermon was first elected for the Ulster Unionist Party, but left the party in 2010, sitting as an Independent unionist for the rest of her time as Member of Parliament.

Sylvia Hermon is the widow of Sir Jack Hermon, who served as Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Sylvia Hermon was the only independent MP elected at the 2010 general election, 2015 general election and 2017 general election.

On 25 March 2010, Lady Hermon announced her resignation from the Ulster Unionist Party, and had served since then as an Independent MP.

Sylvia Hermon's decision was triggered by the Ulster Unionist alliance with the Conservative Party.

Sylvia Hermon successfully retained her seat in the 2010 election with a large gain in her share of the vote, increasing her majority, retaining the seat again in the 2015 election.

Sylvia Hermon announced her decision not to contest her seat at the December 2019 general election in November 2019.

Sylvia Hermon went to Dungannon High School before studying Law at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Sylvia Hermon lectured in Law at the Queen's University of Belfast at the same time as David Trimble.

Sylvia Hermon did not enter politics until 1998, when she joined the Ulster Unionist Party, having been impressed by the role the party had played in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement.

Sylvia Hermon is a long-standing supporter of the Alzheimer's Research Trust and helped launch its Northern Ireland network centre.

Sylvia Hermon was chosen as UUP candidate for the North Down constituency to contest the 2001 general election, and defeated the incumbent Robert McCartney of the UK Unionist Party by over 7,000 votes.

Sylvia Hermon became chair of the North Down branch of the UUP in 2001 and held this position until 2003.

Sylvia Hermon subsequently lost the Trade and Industry portfolio and took responsibility for Culture, Media and Sport in 2002.

Outside of the UUP, Sylvia Hermon has been involved in policing support and pensioners' rights campaigns.

Sylvia Hermon was the only Ulster Unionist to be returned to Westminster in the 2005 general election and as a result figured in consideration for who would succeed David Trimble as party leader.

In 2009, Sylvia Hermon announced her opposition to the Ulster Unionist link-up with the Conservative Party.

Sylvia Hermon declared, in an unplanned announcement, during an interview in her constituency office,.

On 23 February 2010, Sylvia Hermon confirmed that she would not be seeking the nomination as a Conservative and Unionist candidate.

Sylvia Hermon was re-elected in May 2015 and June 2017, both times as an Independent unionist, and the only independent MP elected in those Parliaments.

Sylvia Hermon announced in November 2019 that she would not be standing as a candidate in the 2019 general election on 12 December.

Sylvia Hermon campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union during the 2016 referendum on Brexit.

Sylvia Hermon described the potential for a "no-deal" Brexit as a "threat to UK stability" and said that it could lead to a hard border, which could, combined with changing demographics in Northern Ireland, lead to a border poll on a united Ireland, which could lead to Northern Ireland uniting with the Republic of Ireland.

Sylvia Hermon voted in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement in the meaningful vote on 15 January 2019, which was defeated by 432 votes to 202.