Jonathan Buckley

Jonathan Buckley (born 19 July 1991) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann since 2017. He currently serves as the DUP's Spokesman for Economy, Business, and Energy and Trade Union Engagement.

Early life
Buckley grew up outside Portadown, where he still lives today.

Jonathan was educated at Queens University Belfast studying Modern History and Politics.

Political career
Before entering the Northern Ireland Assembly, Buckley served as a Local Councillor for Portadown DEA within the Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council. During his time in local government, he was a member of various committees, including Economic Development, Governance, and Policy and Planning.

Buckley has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann since 2017. He succeeded retiring veteran legislator Sydney Anderson. During the campaign, he publicly exhorted voters in the constituency to vote and to transfer to other Unionist candidates. He was declared the winner on 3 March 2017. This made Buckley the youngest elected representative for the DUP.

Buckley's political journey has been marked by his extensive involvement in legislative committees. He notably chaired the Committee for Infrastructure at the Northern Ireland Assembly, where he played a crucial role in advising, assisting, and scrutinizing the work of the Department for Infrastructure. He has also been a member of the committees for Health and Communities, contributing to the oversight of key government departments.

Beyond his legislative work, Buckley is actively engaged in promoting business and parliamentary collaboration. He serves as a Board Member and Trustee at the Northern Ireland Assembly Business Trust, fostering connections between local businesses and parliamentarians. Additionally, he is an Executive Committee Member at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Northern Ireland Branch, where he supports parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth.

In October 2021, Buckley voted against 'safe zones' outside abortion clinics, saying the move which supporters claim is designed to protect women from physical and verbal harassment was "regressive".

In May 2022, Buckley admitted that he was "surprised" to learn that he had been nominated by Anne Donaghy's office for an MBE for "political and public service".

In addition to his political roles, Buckley has been actively engaged in various leadership and educational programs. He participated in the British Council Future Leaders Connect Programme at Cambridge University, becoming part of a global network of emerging policy leaders. He was also selected by the United States Government for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), representing the United Kingdom in the Department of State Exchange Programme Global Economic Cooperation.

In 2023, Buckley stood for the Deputy Leadership of the DUP, losing by one vote to Gavin Robinson, the MP for East Belfast.

On 24 May 2024, Buckley was selected as the Democratic Unionist Party candidate for Lagan Valley in the 2024 United Kingdom general election following the departure of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

Personal life
Outside of politics, Buckley is passionate about pigeon racing, country sports, and football.

On 1 July 2022, Buckley married Jill Porter in Lisburn.