Gordon Lyons

Gordon Lyons (born 6 March 1986) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as Minister for Communities since 2024. He has also served as Director of Elections for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since 2021. He was Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2021 to 2022, and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since August 2015. He is the DUP's Spokesperson for Finance, Public Service Reform and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Gordon Lyons MLA
Minister for Communities
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 February 2024
First Minister	Michelle O'Neill
Preceded by	Deirdre Hargey
Minister for the Economy
In office 6 July 2021 – 27 October 2022
First Minister	Paul Givan Vacant
Preceded by	Paul Frew
Succeeded by	Conor Murphy (2024)
Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs
In office 2 February 2021 – 8 March 2021
First Minister	Arlene Foster
Preceded by	Edwin Poots
Succeeded by	Edwin Poots
Junior Minister at the Executive Office
In office 8 March 2021 – 17 June 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney
First Minister	Arlene Foster
Preceded by	Gary Middleton
Succeeded by	Gary Middleton
In office 11 January 2020 – 2 February 2021 Serving with Declan Kearney
First Minister	Arlene Foster
Preceded by	Alastair Ross
Succeeded by	Gary Middleton
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Antrim
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 August 2015
Preceded by	Sammy Wilson
Member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
In office 22 May 2014 – 19 August 2015
Preceded by	Council established
Succeeded by	Angela Smyth
Constituency	Coast Road
Personal details
Born	(1986-03-06) 6 March 1986 Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Alma mater	Newcastle University

Career

Lyons worked as an assistant to DUP MLA Sammy Wilson for five years. He stood unsuccessfully in East Antrim at the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, and also for the Coast Road area of Larne Borough Council in the local elections held that same day.

At the 2014 local elections, Lyons was elected for the Coast Road area on the new Mid and East Antrim District Council, and in August 2015, he was co-opted to take Wilson's place on the Assembly.

Lyons was re-elected at the 2016 Assembly Election, and was a member of the Economy Committee and Chairman of the Committee for Procedures.

Following his re-election at the 2017 NI Assembly Election, Lyons was appointed by DUP Leader Arlene Foster as the DUP Assembly Group Chief Whip.

When devolution was restored on 11 January 2020, First Minister Arlene Foster appointed Lyons as Junior Minister in the Executive Office.

He served as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs after Edwin Poots stood down temporarily for health reasons.

On 6 July 2021 he became Minister for the Economy after being appointed by the DUP's newly elected Leader Jeffrey Donaldson, taking over from Paul Frew.