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Duncan Shipley Dalton is an English barrister, former Conservative Party activist and former unionist politician in Northern Ireland, who was an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for South Antrim from 1998 to 2003.

From 1993–1994, he worked for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Then, from 1994–98, he served in the Royal Irish Regiment.

Early life and education

Shipley Dalton was born and brought up on the Isle of Wight. He studied law at the University of Essex. While serving in the Army he took his Bar examination at Queen's University Belfast and was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1996, specialising in human rights and criminal defence. Later he completed a master's degree in human rights law at Queen's University Belfast. He also completed a further master's degree at Harvard University. In October 2019 he was called to the Bar of England and Wales.

Political career

In May 1996 Shipley Dalton was an unsuccessful candidate for the Conservative Party in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Strangford, gaining 380 votes or 0.9%. He subsequently joined the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). After the completion of the Stormont talks in 1998 Shipley Dalton was a supporter of the Belfast Agreement. At the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he was elected in South Antrim. He initially aimed to be selected as candidate for the UUP in the South Antrim by-election in 2000, but later withdrew, claiming that the party leadership preferred David Campbell to be their candidate. He endorsed David Campbell, but announced his retirement from Assembly politics at the forthcoming 2003 election.

After standing down, Shipley Dalton moved to the United States, where he was a supporter of the Democratic Party. In 2007 he returned to Southampton and became a Labour Party member before being expelled.

In 2023, Shipley Dalton joined the Green Party of England and Wales.

References

1. McDonald, Henry (17 October 1999). "The man who will not be silenced". The Guardian.
2. ^ Biography – Duncan Shipley Dalton Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Northern Ireland Assembly
3. ^ "Biography". Duncan Shipley Dalton. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
4. "Deferred Trinity Call 2019". The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
5. Northern Ireland elections
6. ^ "Unionist quits poll contest", BBC News
7. "The answer is yeth Archived 8 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine", Slugger O'Toole
8. https://twitter.com/BaronVonDuncs/status/1678540936731586560?t=9fCT96E3QVZf5Pb0u7gLXg&s=19

• 1970 births
• Living people
• Northern Ireland MLAs 1998–2003
• Ulster Unionist Party MLAs
• Labour Party (UK) people
• Alumni of the University of Essex
• Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
• Harvard University alumni
• Members of the Bar of Northern Ireland
• Royal Irish Regiment (1992) officers
• People from Newport, Isle of Wight