Skip to content

Gerry Kelly will not contest next Stormont election

Eimear FlanaganBBC News NI
News imageBBC Gerry Kelly, a man with short, grey hair and glasses, stands on a residential street looking at the camera. He is wearing a checked shirt and a blue tweed-type blazer. There are parked cars and red bricked houses in the background. BBC
Gerry Kelly has been an MLA since 1998

Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly has announced he will not contest the next Stormont election.

He has served in the Northern Ireland Assembly since it was set up in 1998, representing the Belfast North constituency.

In a party statement, Sinn Féin said: "His commitment and leadership are, and will always be, immensely valued by republicans across Ireland."

Kelly also served as junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister from 2007 to 2011.

During the Troubles he was jailed after being convicted of explosions charges related to the 1973 Old Bailey court bombing in London by the Provisional IRA.

A decade later he was one of 38 IRA prisoners who escaped from the Maze prison near Lisburn.

News imageLiam McBurney/PA Wire Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald TD (centre), with First Minister Michelle O'Neill (left) and Gerry Kelly MLA (right), speaking to the media outside the Sinn Fein offices in Belfast in September 2025Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Sinn Féin said Gerry Kelly has been "at the heart" of the party's leadership for decades

After leaving prison Kelly became a prominent member of Sinn Féin.

He was a member of the party's negotiating team during talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

"Gerry has been at the heart of the republican struggle and Sinn Féin leadership for decades," a Sinn Féin spokesperson said.

"We look forward to Gerry continuing to play an important role during these times of historic change as we continue to work toward a new and united Ireland."