Paul Givan
Paul Jonathan Givan (born 12 October 1981) is a Northern Irish unionist politician, serving as Minister of Education since February 2024. Givan served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from June 2021 to February 2022, the youngest person to hold that office. He has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley since 2010.
Paul Givan | |
|---|---|
Givan in 2012 | |
| Minister of Education | |
| Assumed office 3 February 2024 | |
| First Minister | Michelle O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Michelle McIlveen (2022) |
| First Minister of Northern Ireland | |
| In office 17 June 2021 – 4 February 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Arlene Foster |
| Succeeded by | Michelle O'Neill (in 2024) |
| Minister for Communities | |
| In office 25 May 2016 – 26 January 2017 | |
| First Minister | Arlene Foster |
| Preceded by | Lord Morrow |
| Succeeded by | Deirdre Hargey |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley | |
| Assumed office 14 June 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey Donaldson |
| Councillor for Lisburn City Council | |
| In office 2005–2013 | |
| Ward | Lisburn Town North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Jonathan Givan 12 October 1981 Lisburn, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Spouse | Emma Givan |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Ulster |
Givan has served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley since 2010. He served as the Minister for Communities in the Northern Ireland Executive under First Minister Arlene Foster from 2016 to 2017. In 2021, he succeeded Foster as First Minister but resigned in February 2022 as part of DUP protests against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Givan has been associated with socially conservative views and has been described as being on the right wing of the DUP.