The Ulster Unionist Party has selected Councillor Pete Wray as its candidate for North Down in next May's Assembly election.

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said:

“I am pleased to confirm Councillor Pete Wray as our Ulster Unionist Party candidate for North Down.

“Pete has served on Ards and North Down Borough Council since 2023, and has demonstrated a real ability to represent people from every part of the constituency. He connects just as effectively with those already engaged with our party as he does with those communities whose trust politicians must work harder to earn.

“Pete listens, understands people's concerns and gets on with finding solutions. That is how you build support, and it is how we renew and grow our party.

“Pete represents a new generation of Ulster Unionists coming forward, people who are ambitious for Northern Ireland and impatient to fulfil its potential. We are attracting candidates like him because there is real momentum behind our party and a clear sense of purpose.

“Pete will bring energy, determination and a genuine commitment to every part of North Down. He will help us build a stronger Union, a more successful North Down and a better Northern Ireland, and I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding MLA for the constituency."

Ulster Unionist Party candidate Councillor Pete Wray said:

“I am humbled to have been selected as the Ulster Unionist Party candidate for North Down, and grateful to our members for their unanimous backing.

“I have worked as a restorative practitioner and community worker in Bangor for twelve years. That work has taken me into every part of this constituency, and it has convinced me that North Down is not getting a fair deal from Stormont. Our roads are among the worst funded in Northern Ireland, and the crisis at NI Water is holding back housing and blocking local businesses from growing. I also want to support ambitious regeneration in Bangor city centre and ensure we fully exploit the potential of the Belfast Region City Deal.

“My priority is opportunity. A young person from Kilcooley should have the same chances in life as a young person from Crawfordsburn, and closing that gap means taking educational underachievement seriously. With my background in justice, I also want to see real progress on community safety and on tackling violence against women and girls, with proper funding for the community organisations already doing that work.

“The Ulster Unionist Party is focused on prosperity, on good government and on selling the Union positively, without being dragged into culture wars. That is the politics North Down deserves, and it is what I will work for.”