Diane Forsythe is a Democratic Unionist Party MLA representing South Down in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Elected in May 2022, she entered Stormont after an earlier Westminster campaign history and a professional background in accountancy. Her current work includes public finance, economic policy, childcare and community issues.
Her Assembly responsibilities expanded during 2026. She now serves as Deputy Chair of both the Committee for Finance and the Committee for the Economy, while continuing constituency work in South Down and involvement in cross-party groups concerned with domestic and sexual violence and the voluntary sector.
Quick Facts
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Diane Forsythe |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) |
| Constituency | South Down |
| Current role | Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly |
| First elected | May 2022 |
| Professional background | Accountancy |
| University | Queen’s University Belfast alumna |
| Finance role | Deputy Chair of the Committee for Finance |
| Economy role | Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Economy |
| Public work | Childcare, public finance, community-sector issues, and action against violence towards women |
How Diane Forsythe Entered South Down Politics
Forsythe had already contested a major election several years before entering the Northern Ireland Assembly. At the 2017 UK general election, she stood for the DUP in South Down and received 8,867 votes, equal to 17.4 per cent of the total. She finished third.
Her breakthrough came at the May 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. Forsythe received 6,497 first-preference votes in South Down and was elected on the sixth count. Contemporary reporting identified her victory as making her the first female unionist MLA to represent the constituency.
The Assembly’s administrative record lists 13 May 2022 as her first-elected date, while polling itself took place on 5 May. Describing her as elected in the May 2022 Assembly election therefore gives the clearest chronology.
She later returned to a Westminster contest at the 4 July 2024 general election. Standing again for the DUP in South Down, she received 7,349 votes, or 16.2 per cent, and finished third behind Chris Hazzard and Colin McGrath.
Her Professional Background Before Stormont
Before becoming an MLA, Forsythe worked in accountancy. Her DUP biography describes her as a law graduate and Chartered Accountant, while reputable reporting has also identified accountancy as her profession.
Queen’s University Belfast confirmed in February 2026 that she is one of its alumni serving in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Irish Times reported in 2022 that Forsythe had spent roughly two years working as a finance manager with Women’s Aid before entering Stormont. In an interview with the newspaper, she referred directly to that experience when discussing violence against women and girls.
That background is relevant to two areas that later became prominent in her public work: financial scrutiny and policy concerning violence against women.
Her Role on the Assembly Finance Committee
Forsythe became Deputy Chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Finance on 6 February 2024. Assembly records continued to list her in that role during 2026.
Her Finance Committee work has been accompanied by wider scrutiny of public-finance issues, while her more recent Assembly questions have also touched on financial oversight.
Her accountancy background provides clear professional context for this part of her political work, although her committee responsibilities are broader than her previous employment.
Forsythe also previously served in other scrutiny roles. She was Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee from February 2024 until February 2026 and Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee from March 2024 until June 2026.
Those earlier appointments are no longer current. Her principal senior committee positions are now in Finance and Economy.
Expanding Responsibilities in Economic Policy
Forsythe’s responsibilities widened on 24 February 2026, when she became Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Economy. Assembly minutes from the following day formally recorded her arrival in the position.
She has also been a member of the concurrent Economy and Education Committee since February 2026. That work has placed her within discussions spanning economic policy, education and skills.
Official committee records from June 2026 continued to identify her as Deputy Chair of both the Finance and Economy Committees. They also recorded her participation in joint committee activity involving the relationship between education and the economy.
Her Public Accounts role ended in February 2026, while her Audit Committee role ended in June 2026.
Childcare and Early Learning Work
Childcare has become another substantial part of Forsythe’s Assembly activity.
Official records show that she declared a role as Assembly Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education during development of Northern Ireland’s Early Learning and Childcare Strategy.
In January 2025, she was among the MLAs associated with an Assembly motion concerning financial support for childcare providers.
She has also made public statements supporting the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme and arguing for greater attention to the financial pressures facing childcare providers.
Her work in this area has therefore covered both household affordability and the ability of providers to continue operating. It also connects with her participation in later committee work involving education and economic policy.
Work on Violence Against Women and Online Abuse
Forsythe has chaired the Northern Ireland Assembly’s All-Party Group on Domestic and Sexual Violence since June 2023.
Her involvement in this area also has a direct personal dimension. During the 2022 Assembly campaign, defamatory material about her circulated online. She denied it, and the PSNI confirmed that it had received a report and launched an investigation.
Speaking to The Irish Times later that year, Forsythe described the impact of the episode and said she had been particularly concerned about protecting her three primary-school-aged children from it. She also said the experience made her more determined to continue with the election campaign rather than withdraw.
In the same interview, she argued that legal protections against online harassment were not keeping pace with modern communication and that stronger safeguards were needed.
Her concern later widened beyond her own case. In a March 2023 UTV interview, Forsythe said that women faced a different form of online treatment and expressed concern that misogynistic abuse could discourage women from entering politics.
She subsequently became involved in formal Assembly activity on the same broader issue. In March 2026, Forsythe was one of the cross-party sponsors of an International Women’s Day motion supporting action against abuse of women and girls and backing the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
Community and Voluntary-Sector Roles
Forsythe’s Assembly work extends beyond statutory committees. She has chaired the All-Party Group on the Voluntary and Community Sector since June 2023.
Her Assembly Register of Interests also records several unpaid community positions. These include Chair of the Board of Governors of Kilkeel Nursery School and Chair of the Kilkeel Branch of the Royal British Legion Women’s Section.
The same register records her as Secretary of Mourne’s First Woman’s Loyal Orange Lodge Number 52, a role that began in January 2025.
These entries establish her involvement with local education and community organisations alongside her elected responsibilities. They are registered affiliations and do not, by themselves, provide a complete picture of her private beliefs.
Current Work for South Down
Forsythe’s recent Assembly activity continues to combine committee work with constituency matters.
On 3 July 2026, she tabled questions concerning the long-term future of the Mourne Mountains, an issue with direct relevance to South Down.
She also raised questions relating to hospital admissions associated with dental illness and matters involving public-finance oversight. Assembly records show that answers to some of those questions were issued later in July.
Questions concerning the future of the Mourne Mountains sit alongside her work on public services, economic policy and public-finance oversight.
Diane Forsythe’s Position in South Down Today
Diane Forsythe’s public record extends from her 2017 Westminster candidacy to her election as a South Down MLA in 2022 and subsequent committee responsibilities at Stormont.
Her documented work now spans finance, economic policy, childcare, community-sector issues, violence against women and constituency matters in South Down.
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