Mike Nesbitt

Michael Nesbitt, MLA (born 11 May 1957) is a Northern Irish politician and former broadcaster currently serving as the Minister of Health since 28 May 2024. He was the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) from 2012 to 2017 and has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Strangford since 2011.

Nesbitt was appointed as the Ulster Unionist Party's Economy spokesperson by Doug Beattie, and was briefly the private secretary to the Health Minister, Robin Swann, in preparation for Nesbitt succeeding Swann.

Broadcasting career
Nesbitt worked as a sports reporter at BBC Northern Ireland and progressed to presenting Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster from 1986 to 1990. Nesbitt joined UTV as a presenter and reporter in 1992, being joined by his wife Lynda Bryans to co-present evening news programme UTV Live in 1996.

Nesbitt and Bryans also co-presented weekly religious series Sunday Morning for Anglia Television from 1999 to 2001, and two series of home and garden series Home Sweet Home for UTV.

Nesbitt also hosted Counterpoint and made a guest appearance in comedy programme Everything You Know Is Wrong in 1998.

In 2006, Nesbitt announced he was not renewing his presenting contract with UTV. His final edition of UTV Live was broadcast on 10 February 2006.

Political career
In January 2008, Nesbitt was announced as a Commissioner of Victims and Survivors, a Northern Ireland Assembly role designed to promote the interests of victims of the Troubles.

Nesbitt resigned from the post on 17 February 2010 to become the parliamentary candidate for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force in the constituency of Strangford. He lost out to the Democratic Unionist Party's Jim Shannon in the election.

In the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Nesbitt was elected as one of six MLAs representing Strangford.

Nesbitt has been the UUP representative on the NI Policing Board since July 2020.

Nesbitt was the Ulster Unionist Party's Economy spokesperson. In this role, he called on the United Kingdom government to cut Northern Ireland's corporation tax to appeal to businesses and U.S. investment in NI. In August 2023, he called for duty free shopping for flights from Northern Ireland to the EU to be reinstated.

Nesbitt voiced concerns over the safety implications of the PSNI data leak. Furthermore, he said that he was concerned for the "wellbeing of the officers and police staff." Nesbitt also wrote to the Chief Constable Simon Byrne to ask for clarity over the theft of a police laptop.

On August 22 2023, following an emergency meeting of the Policing Board, Nesbitt called on PSNI leadership "to form a plan to improve the appalling levels of low confidence in the PSNI." This came after a LucidTalk opinion poll revealed that public confidence in the PSNI was at its lowest ever.

In 2024, Nesbitt was appointed as the private secretary to the Health Minister, Robin Swann, and succeeded Swann as Health Minister following his resignation following the calling of the 2024 general election, in which Swann is a candidate.

UUP party leader (2012–17)
Mike Nesbitt was elected as UUP party leader on 31 March 2012. He defeated South Down assembly member John McCallister with a final vote tally of 536 votes to 129. Nesbitt said he wanted the UUP to become "the party of choice for every pro-union voter in Northern Ireland".

In April 2012, Nesbitt announced that he wanted to make history by being the first leader of his party to attend a Sinn Féin ard fheis. He said: "We should be going to all the conferences of the main parties, not just the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats."

Shortly after his election, Nesbitt received attention when he criticised the Alliance Party, a rival party of the UUP. He called them "unprincipled and driven by self-interest" and said they presided over "a catalogue of disasters". He challenged their commitment to its core policy of a shared future, saying "I can only imagine the disappointment of Alliance voters hoping for a principled stance on a shared future." An Alliance spokesman retorted, saying "In last year's election the public showed growing support for the Alliance Party. These criticisms come from a newly elected leader with little experience who leads a party that is in decline at a time when Alliance is in the ascendant. We will not, therefore, be responding to these silly remarks."

Nesbitt has tried to present a unionism which is more accommodating to aspects of Irish culture; for example he visited the Gaeltacht Quarter on the Falls Road, Belfast as the first step in trying to overturn the perception of some that his party is hostile to the Irish language.

Following the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Nesbitt announced his intention to step down as party leader, which he did on 8 April 2017.

Nesbitt is regarded as one of the more liberal unionists, he had previously stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, but spoke in favour in 2017. His appeal to change the hands of leadership in Northern Ireland with the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Alliance Party fell on the deaf ears of Northern Irish society in which the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin claimed an increased victory over the opposing parties. He has been compared to reforming and liberal Ulster Unionist Party Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill by some historians and politicians.

Appointment
Nesbitt succeeded Robin Swann as Health Minister following his resignation on 28 May 2024. His appointment prompted a resignation from the UUP after Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Councillor Paul Michael resigned citing Nesbitt's breach of the COVID-19 regulations during the pandemic in which he was involved in an extramarital affair as the reason. Nesbitt called being health minister "the political honour" of his life but also the "ultimate political challenge of my life."

May
On 29 May 2024, Nesbitt stated that he is not prepared to implement "catastrophic cuts" to services. He also vowed not to shirk hard or controversial decisions in the remaining three years of the Assembly mandate. He also visited L'Arche Village in Belfast and presented certificates at the Orchardville Society's annual awards at Titanic Belfast in his first engagements. Nesbitt said that he would be a champion for both patients and healthcare staff.

Nesbitt welcomed the increase in the number of people supporting organ donation in Northern Ireland following the one year anniversary of the introduction of Dáithi’s Law on 31 May 2024.

June
On 3 June 2024, Nesbitt made his opening statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly as Health Minister. Nesbitt stressed the importance of being aware of the dangers of UV exposure on 5 June 2024. He visited Kirkinriola Primary School to take part in a Cancer Focus Northern Ireland Sun Scientist session.

On 12 June 2024, Nesbitt said that the Health Inequalities Annual Report must be essential reading across all parts of public life in Northern Ireland, stating that health inequalities are ‘a challenge to us all.'

Nesbitt congratulated Health and Social Care staff honoured in the 2024 Birthday Honours list on 14 June 2024. He sent his "warmest congratulations to each and every person nominated."

On 25 June 2024, Nesbitt welcomed the publication of final draft NICE guidance recommending use of the drugs Kaftrio, Orkambi and Symkevi for cystic fibrosis.

Nesbitt praised local health trusts after Northern Ireland became the first region in the UK to have all its diagnostic imaging services accredited on 26 June 2024.

On 28 June 2024, Nesbitt praised a family-run GP surgery for its commitment to the rural community in South Armagh.

July
Nesbitt welcomed additional in-year funding for the Department of Health on 1 July 2024. However, he also said a "significant shortfall" remains in the department's budget.

Personal life
Nesbitt was born in Belfast. He attended Campbell College, Belfast and studied at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Since giving up broadcasting, Nesbitt and his wife set up their own independent media services company. Nesbitt worked for a public relations company between his careers at BBC Northern Ireland and UTV. In April 2010, Nesbitt revealed that he had 2 daughters from a previous marriage with whom he has had no contact since his divorce from their mother.

Nesbitt has four children.

Nesbitt is one of two leaders of the UUP not to be a member of the Orange Order, the other being Steve Aiken, who led the Party from 2019 to 2021.