Profile

Diane’s first entry to elected politics was in 2003 when she was elected to represent West Belfast in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the first unionist to represent this constituency in a regional assembly in over twenty years. She represented the constituency at Stormont between 2003 and 2007.

She was elected to Belfast City Council in 2005 representing the Court DEA with the largest vote of any local government candidate at that election.  Whilst serving on Belfast City Council between 2005 and 2010 she was the Chief Whip of the Democratic Unionist group and she spearheaded the Belfast homecoming parade for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2009 Diane contested the European Election and was elected as MEP.