The Alliance and trade unionists are fighting for the hearts and minds of Down

Five years later, the same two men are running for the position again, only for Mr. Easton as an independent trade unionist.

However, retired Col. Tim Collins – known for a rousing pre-battle speech he delivered while serving in Iraq in 2003 – running for the UUP could significantly disrupt expectations.

The race proved to be one of the most hotly contested yet, with tensions running high between the three leading candidates and Easton claiming he was the target of “dirty tricks” such as fake social media accounts and “attack ads.”

The other candidates denied these claims.

North Down has a history of doing its own thing and electing representatives from smaller parties or independents, from barrister Robert McCartney to Lady Sylvia Hermon.

The electoral district stretches along the so-called the golden coast of Co Down, from Donaghadee to Holywood, covering some of the richest areas of Northern Ireland.

However, it also includes several socially deprived areas, loyalist strongholds and one of the region’s newest cities – Bangor.

Following boundary changes, North Down now includes parts of the former East Belfast, such as Garnerville.

North Down is particularly important to the Alliance as the only green bench seat it won in 2019.

People want to move away from the orange and green policy. They see the breakthrough the Alliance has made in Northern Ireland in recent years and want to see it continue

There were only four candidates running then, and in the current elections this number increased to six.

Both the DUP and TUV have backed down on the move, which is likely to strengthen Easton, but Collins claims he can regain unionist votes “lost” to Farry.

In 2019, Farry benefited from the withdrawal of other central parties, but the Green Party is running in this election, as well as the SDLP and independent Chris Carter.

Sinn Fein has chosen not to stand in what is traditionally one of its worst-performing constituencies, while the Conservative Party also misses its best performance in Northern Ireland at the last general election.

Farry says voters have seen the Alliance grow across Northern Ireland to become the third largest party and want it to continue to do so.

“People want to move away from the orange and green policy,” he said.

“They see the breakthrough the Alliance has made in Northern Ireland in recent years and want to see it continue.”

Farry said he would urge all progressives to support him.

We have a bad reputation among UK MPs – they are fed up with us and our negative attitude. I want to go there and be positive. I want to renew relationships and regain our place in the UK

“I think people understand that either I or one of the two union members will be in the final two,” he said.

“Fundamentally, people who may support other parties that may also be progressive in their views have a choice whether to vote for the Alliance and try to ensure that this seat remains in the hands of a progressive, cross-community politician, or whether they ultimately split the vote and risk that a trade unionist will emerge with potentially very tough views.

He added: “I think I have values ​​that suit my electorate. North Down is a changing place, much more diverse and progressive than it might have seemed many decades ago. I have experience gained over the years of holding office.

“I think I have the right skills and qualifications. I’m also local. I think I tick all the boxes.”

Easton said he was “quietly optimistic” ahead of the election, but stressed that he “doesn’t take the electorate for granted.”

“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and I believe it will be a positive result in the end,” he said.

Although Easton was top in the polls at the last Assembly election, he failed to win the Westminster seat in three consecutive elections in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

However, during this election he steadily increased his vote total from 8,487 in 2015 to 14,940 in 2017 to 15,390 in 2019, just behind Farry who got 18,358.

Easton expressed confidence that adding the SDLP and Green Party to the race in this election would benefit him.

“This time we have the SDLP and the Green Party, I think it’s beneficial and I’m certainly not complaining,” he said.

“I am a politician who can be seen on the ground and a person who works hard for everyone.”

He vowed to work to remove barriers to Irish Sea trade, as well as fighting for more social housing, more funding for the health service and more police officers.

Easton also stated that he too is a progressive and has received a positive response from all areas of the constituency.

“I have always been a person who works for everyone, regardless of color, creed or religion, and I believe that hard work is appreciated and I intend to continue to do so no matter what happens,” he said.

“I am progressive, I care about many issues, including animal welfare and the environment.

“I believe I am a major unionist and I can best win a mandate for unionists, but I am here to represent everyone and I have a clear track record to prove it.”

Meanwhile, Collins insists he can win.

He said: “I think we will win because there has been a big change since 2019 – a lot of the traditional unionist votes that would have gone to Lady Hermon went to the Alliance Party and I think the Alliance Party let them down in a lot of ways and I think that vote will return to unionism, to me.

“We have a bad reputation among UK MPs – they are fed up with us and our negative attitude. I want to go there and be positive. I want to re-establish relationships and regain our place in the UK.”

During the campaign, Mr Collins made headlines several times, including over an anecdote about the cost of car insurance in Northern Ireland compared with insuring a Rolls Royce in England.

He described being “clumsy and clumsy” in the comments and said they “missed the point every time.”

He added: “It’s hard for me to be someone I’m not, and the truth is I grew up in a home where we got free school meals. Education was my path out of the estate. I went to university, joined the army, almost got killed a few times, and then started a company.

“I have brought prosperity to many people and it is good to give them a chance. As a result, I looked around and thought I’ve had enough, I can give something back and I’m ready to serve here in Northern Ireland again.”

The other candidates running in North Down are Chris Carter (Independent), Barry McKee (Greens) and Deirdre Vaughan (SDLP).