Begley increases vote with landslide majority

AN EMPHATIC victory saw Sinn Féin’s Orfhlaith Begley decisively increase her majority in West Tyrone with a polling tally that swept aside all other opposition.

This is the third time that the Carrickmore native has won the seat, and the manner of her success, once again, left absolutely no doubts.

In 2019, she polled 16,544 votes, but that figure soared this year to 22,711.

It ensured a disappointing election for the DUP, SDLP and Alliance. Their hopes of potentially closing the gap on the MP completely evaporated.

Speaking following her success, Ms Begley said they had knocked on as many doors as possible, and that the electorate had endorsed ‘in their thousands’ the Sinn Féin policy.

“I was surprised in a way at how the majority increased, but it was a nice surprise,” she beamed.

“It’s good to see the trust and endorsement that people have in me and that they voted for me with confidence that I will represent them to the best of my ability.

“That’s something which I intend to do.”

The A5 will be a priority for the MP, she added. Last week’s announcement by the Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, that he intends to recommend approval for the scheme has been viewed as a welcome step forward.

But the task of ensuring that work begins on the new dual-carriageway through West Tyrone is one that Órfhlaith Begley is anxious to see completed.

“Already, too many lives have been lost and communities left utterly devastated.

“It’s vitally-important that we we progress on the road without any further unnecessary delays,” she added.

Whether or not the new Sinn Féin MPs will eventually take their seats at Westminster has been a source of debate during recent weeks.

However, the new West Tyrone MP doesn’t see a change in the party’s policy.

“People in West Tyrone know what I stand for in terms of advocating for them here in Ireland, and not taking an oath of allegiance to a British crown,” she said. “That is what thousands of people came out to endorse on Thursday.”