Personal and political history in East Londonderry

The Democratic Unionist Party’s Alan Robinson, who replaces his father George, will be signing the members’ register on Monday – his 50th birthday.

He had been working in his father’s Limavady constituency office for 17 years while a local councillor, but insisted he was ready to meet the challenges of politics at a higher level.

He said: “Politics has been steeped in the Robinson family for the last 40 years, but I don’t underestimate the jump from local government to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

“I’m very much a grassroots politician and it’s clear that thousands of people came out to vote to put their trust in me.”

Mr Robinson was duly elected with 11.6% of first preference votes, paying tribute to his father in his victory speech.

But he also had a serious message for his party and for unionism.

“Unionism has to fix itself,” he said, as he promised to reach out to the broad spectrum of unionism.

“Let that be the message today from this hall.”

But while Mr Robinson had made personal history, Independent unionist Claire Sugden had made political history.

Never before has an independent candidate won three successive elections in the constituency, until Ms Sugden was deemed elected on the 10th count.

“I have made history,” she said.

“I am the first independent to be elected three times.

“This is fantastic for women and the more women in Northern Irish politics the better.”

The constituency also elected Caoimhe Archibald from Sinn Fein and, to the relief of the SDLP, young MLA Cara Hunter.

For all the long hours of waiting, the result actually mirrored exactly the share of seats from 2017.