Belfast West: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Paul Maskey (Sinn Féin) is the MP for Belfast West, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. Paul Maskey took the seat for Sinn Féin in July 2024 with 21,009 votes (52.9%), ahead of Gerry Carrol (People Before Profit Alliance) on 5,048. 39,743 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,346, 52.7% of those registered. The majority was 15,961.
Key figures
What the figures show
The business register lists 2,715 local units for March 2026.
5,771 children in Belfast West were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 25.4% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 23.9% in 2021/22 to 25.1% in 2024/25.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 3,010 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 4.7%. September 2025 had 3,285.
MP
Paul Maskey, Sinn Féin
- MP for Belfast West since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 9 June 2011
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Paul Maskey on this site
In Parliament
No spoken contribution by Paul Maskey was found in Hansard since 4 July 2024 when this page was built (26 October 2026). Search Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Maskey | Sinn Féin | 21,009 | 52.9% | +4.4 |
| Gerry Carrol | People Before Profit Alliance | 5,048 | 12.7% | −1.4 |
| Paul Doherty | Social Democratic & Labour Party | 4,318 | 10.9% | +3.4 |
| Frank McCoubrey | Democratic Unionist Party | 4,304 | 10.8% | −7.3 |
| Ann McClure | Traditional Unionist Voice | 2,010 | 5.1% | |
| Eóin Millar | Alliance | 1,077 | 2.7% | −4.4 |
| Gerard Herdman | Aontú | 904 | 2.3% | −1.5 |
| Ben Sharkey | Ulster Unionist Party | 461 | 1.2% | +0.3 |
| Ash Jones | Green Party Northern Ireland | 451 | 1.1% | |
| Tony Mallon | Independent | 161 | 0.4% |
Result summary as published: SF hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Sinn Féin 52.9% | People Before Profit Alliance 12.7% | 15,961 | 52.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Sinn Féin 48.5% | Democratic Unionist Party 18.2% | 12,997 | 59.7% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Belfast West covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Belfast N09000003
- Lisburn and Castlereagh N09000007
Who has power over Belfast West
Every body that makes decisions for Belfast West, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive makes law for Northern Ireland on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- Belfast West this page: Paul Maskey (Sinn Féin) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Belfast West?
Paul Maskey (Sinn Féin), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Belfast West?
The House of Commons Library records 21,009 votes for Paul Maskey of Sinn Féin and a majority of 15,961; 52.7% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Belfast West?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 3,010, 4.7% of the 16 to 64 population.
How many children in Belfast West live in low income families?
5,771 children under 16, 25.4%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.