Dawn Purvis

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title: "Dawn Purvis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1967-births", "living-people", "independent-members-of-the-northern-ireland-assembly", "leaders-of-political-parties-in-northern-ireland", "northern-ireland-mlas-2003–2007", "northern-ireland-mlas-2007–2011", "female-members-of-the-northern-ireland-assembly", "politicians-from-belfast", "progressive-unionist-party-mlas"] description: "Northern Irish policy director and unionist politician" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_Purvis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Northern Irish policy director and unionist politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Dawn Purvis
image	Dawn Purvis 2007.jpg
imagesize	150px
caption	Purvis in 2007
constituency_AM2	Belfast East
assembly2	Northern Ireland
term_start2	7 March 2007
term_end2	May 2011
predecessor2	David Ervine
successor2	Judith Cochrane
office	Leader of the
Progressive Unionist Party
deputy	Andy Park
term_start	23 January 2007
term_end	2 June 2010
predecessor	David Ervine
successor	John Kyle (acting)
Brian Ervine
birth_date
birth_place	Donegall Pass, Belfast, Northern Ireland
party	Independent (2010 - present)
otherparty	PUP (1994 - 2010)
website	Official website
::

| honorific-prefix = | name = Dawn Purvis | honorific-suffix = | image = Dawn Purvis 2007.jpg | imagesize = 150px | caption = Purvis in 2007 | constituency_AM2 = Belfast East | assembly2 = Northern Ireland | majority2 = | term_start2 = 7 March 2007 | term_end2 = May 2011 | predecessor2 = David Ervine | successor2 = Judith Cochrane | office = Leader of the Progressive Unionist Party | deputy = Andy Park | term_start = 23 January 2007 | term_end = 2 June 2010 | predecessor = David Ervine | successor = John Kyle (acting) Brian Ervine | birth_date =
| birth_place = Donegall Pass, Belfast, Northern Ireland | death_date = | death_place = | restingplace = | birthname = | nationality = | party = Independent (2010 - present) | otherparty = PUP (1994 - 2010) | spouse = | relations = | children = | residence = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | religion = | signature = | website = Official website Dawn Purvis (born 22 October 1966) is a Northern Irish company executive and former unionist politician, who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East from 2007 to 2011. She was previously the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2007 to 2010.

Biography

Born in the Donegall Pass area of Belfast, Purvis joined the PUP in 1994. She stood for the party in the 1996 Northern Ireland Forum election in Belfast South and then in the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election in Belfast South, here taking 271 votes. She served as director of the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast.

In November 2014, Bernadette Smyth, founder of the Precious Life organisation, was found guilty of the harassment of Purvis, but the verdict was later quashed.

Political career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Dawn_Purvis_office.jpg" caption="Dawn Purvis PUP office"] ::

By 1999, Purvis was the PUP's Spokesperson on Women's Affairs. She took a degree in Women's Studies, Social Policy and Social Anthropology and began working full-time for the party.

Purvis stood in Belfast South in the 2001 UK general election, finishing in sixth place with a total of 1112 votes (2.9%). | last = The Guardian | author-link = The Guardian | title = Ms Dawn Purvis | url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-8400,00.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130420204339/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-8400,00.html | archive-date = 2013-04-20 | accessdate = 2007-03-09 | location=London | url-status=dead}}

In 2006, Purvis was appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. Her appointment was later criticised by the Democratic Unionist Party, because of the PUP's links with the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

In January 2007, Purvis succeeded the late David Ervine as leader of the PUP and MLA for Belfast East. Commenting on her new role she said: ::quote

I am deeply honoured to have been made the leader of the PUP. However this is also tinged with sadness given the huge loss of David. It is a huge challenge to step into this role, especially after the good work he did. But this gives us an opportunity to rebuild and continue to serve working class loyalists and unionist communities.{{cite web | last = 4NI.co.uk News | title = Dawn Purvis chosen as PUP leader | date = 2007-01-23 | url = http://www.4ni.co.uk/news.asp?id=58559 | accessdate = 2007-03-09 | archive-date = 28 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928083943/http://www.4ni.co.uk/news.asp?id=58559 | url-status = live }} ::

In her maiden speech in the Assembly she said "As long as there is poverty, and as long as there is inequality in education, health and gender, it will be my duty to articulate the needs of the working and workless classes in East Belfast."

Purvis was re-elected in the constituency at the 2007 Assembly election on the tenth and final round of counting. She polled 3045 votes (10.3%)

In 2011 Dawn left politics and became the Northern Ireland Programme Director with Marie Stopes International (MSI). ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Purvisoffice.png" caption="Constituency office of Dawn Purvis as independent MLA, Holywood Road, [[Belfast]], April 2011"] ::

Resignation from PUP

In June 2010, Purvis resigned as leader, and as a member, of the PUP because of its relationship with the UVF and the murder of Bobby Moffet which was attributed to that group by the Independent Monitoring Commission.

Electoral defeat

In the 2011 Assembly election Purvis defended her seat as an independent candidate with PUP leader Brian Ervine running against her. In the end neither candidate was elected and instead the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland gained a second East Belfast seat. Purvis polled 1702 votes (5.2%)

References

References

1. "The Northern Ireland Assembly".
2. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930154708/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article2245772.ece A new Dawn for the PUP]", ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]''
3. [https://archive.today/20120719111440/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/article840509.ece PUP bids to win Chinese vote]", ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]''
4. (1998-06-25). "CAIN Web Service: Assembly Election (NI) Thursday 25 June 1998". Cain.ulst.ac.uk.
5. Anti-abortion protester Bernadette Smyth guilty of harassing Dawn Purvis (November 2014) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-30116191] {{Webarchive. link. (2 November 2018)
6. "Bernadette Smyth wins harassment appeal". [[UTV (TV channel).
7. [[Eamonn McCann]], "[https://archive.today/20120803202858/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/article1005705.ece Choice the PUP must make ... and soon]", ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]''
8. "[https://archive.today/20120721014041/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/article816399.ece Education]", ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]''
9. RTÉ. (2007-03-09). "Northern Ireland Elections 2007 – Belfast East". RTÉ News.
10. "Dawn Purvis {{!}} Ulster Museum".
11. (2010-06-03). "Purvis quits PUP over murder of loyalist Moffett". BBC News.
12. "PremiumSale.com Premium Domains". Independentmonitoringcommission.org.
13. McDonald, Henry. (3 June 2010). "The Guardian – Ulster loyalist Dawn Purvis resigns from party over UVF killing". The Guardian.
14. "[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/election-2011/northern-ireland-assembly-elections-east-belfast-results-15152673.html Northern Ireland Assembly elections: East Belfast results] {{Webarchive. link. (11 May 2011 ", ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]'', 7 May 2011)

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