Dawn Purvis
| Dawn Purvis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East |
|
|
In office 7 March 2007 – May 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | David Ervine |
| Succeeded by | Judith Cochrane (Alliance) |
| Leader of the Progressive Unionist Party |
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In office 23 January 2007 – 2 June 2010 |
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| Preceded by | David Ervine |
| Succeeded by | John Kyle (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 October 1966 Donegall Pass, Belfast |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
PUP (till 2010) |
| Website | Official website |
Dawn Purvis (born 1967) is a former Independent Unionist member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. She was previously the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) until she resigned in 2010. She lost her seat in the Assembly in the 2011 election.
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 only 271 votes. She is now the 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.
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%).
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:
...
Wikipedia