Reg Empey

Reginald " Reg" Norman Morgan Empey, Baron Empey, of Shandon in the City and County Borough of Belfast Kt OBE ( born October 26, 1947 in Belfast ) is a British politician of the Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP ), the 2001 interim basis for several months first Minister of Northern Ireland and between 2005 and 2010 leader of the UUP was and is a life peer member of the House of Lords since 2011.

Life

Two-time Mayor of Belfast

Empey began in the mid -1980s, his involvement in local politics in Northern Ireland and was 1985-2010 Member of the City Council of Belfast ( Belfast City Council ). After he was from 1989 to 1990 for the first time Mayor (Lord Mayor ) of Belfast, he was first time in 1991 to the negotiating team of the Ulster Unionist Party in the Brooke- Mayhew talks to end the conflict in Northern Ireland. He then from 1992 to 2001 member of the police administration of Northern Ireland (Police Authority of Northern Ireland).

Empey was 1993-1994 again Lord Mayor of Belfast and of the Council of the UUP then between 1996 and 2004 Vice- President of the Ulster Unionist Council. In this capacity he took part in the Castle Buildings Talks to the final settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland between 1996 and 1998. In the meantime, he was from 1994 to 2002 a member of the EU Committee of the Regions.

Unsuccessful House Nominations and Acting First Minister of Northern Ireland

In the general election on 1 May 1997 Empey candidate for the Ulster Unionist Party in the constituency of East Belfast for the first time unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons. After the settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland, he was elected for the UUP on 25 June 1998 for the first time as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Parliament of Northern Ireland. There he took after his re- election on 26 November 2003 and 7 March 2007 until his mandate waiver in January 2011, the constituency of East Belfast.

1999 Empey, launched in 1999 a Knight Bachelor and then on the additional name "Sir" wore, was appointed by the First Minister David Trimble as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the government of Northern Ireland and has held this post until 2002. As his successor he was on 1 July. themselves as acting first Minister in 2001 and held that post until his replacement by Trimble on 1 November 2001.

After retiring from the Northern Ireland government 2003 he was first deputy Trimble as party leader of the UUP, as his successor before he was himself leader of the UUP between 2005 and 2010. As such, he was a candidate for the UUP again without success in the general election on 5 May 2005 in the constituency of Belfast East again unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons.

2007 Empey, who was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire was, as Minister for Employment and Training recalled to the Government of Northern Ireland by the then First Minister of Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley and held this position under Paisley's successor, Peter Robinson to 2010. In the UK general election on May 6, 2010, he finally ran for the last time for a seat in the House of Commons, but also suffered this time for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists in the constituency of South Antrim electoral defeat and missed once again the entry into the House of Commons. After his resignation as leader of the UUP Tom Elliott was elected on 22 September 2010 as his successor in that office.

House of Lords member

After retiring from the Northern Ireland Assembly Empey was raised by a Letters Patent dated 15 January 2011 as the life peer with the title Baron Empey, of Shandon in the City and County Borough of Belfast to the peerage. Shortly thereafter, took place on January 19, 2011 his introduction ( Introduction) as a member of the House of Lords.

In April 2012, Lord Empey was the successor of David Campbell Chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party.