{"id":525260,"date":"2026-04-11T13:57:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T13:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/525260\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T13:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T13:57:20","slug":"i-am-journeying-through-a-difficult-experience-mla-set-to-resign-due-to-mental-health-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/525260\/","title":{"rendered":"“I am journeying through a difficult experience”- MLA set to resign due to mental health challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUP MLA Gary Middleton is to step back from public life to deal with mental health<\/a> challenges. The Foyle<\/a> representative has said he will resign as an MLA on Friday.<\/p>\n

Party leader Gavin Robinson has paid tribute to Mr Middleton, stating he had been a \u201cdedicated and steadfast servant to people across the city of Londonderry<\/a> and surrounding areas\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Middleton has been an MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2015, having previously been elected as a councillor.<\/p>\n

In a statement released to the Press Association, Mr Middleton said: \u201cOver the last few months, I have been suffering from a bout of ill-health which has significantly limited my ability to represent my constituents in the way I always have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had hoped to be able to return to work and to recover, but I have come to the point of accepting that if I am to focus on getting back to full health, I cannot do this whilst remaining in public office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have been easier for me to withdraw from the political arena quietly and without explanation but I wanted my constituents and the wider community to understand that I am leaving public life because I am suffering significant mental health challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI am journeying through a difficult experience and have been for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am receiving treatment thanks to the wonderful services afforded to me by our National Health Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe support and encouragement from my family and friends, combined with the expert treatment I am receiving, has given me hope, and I can see a glimmer of light in what has been a very dark tunnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn making this statement, I want to give encouragement to those who may be on a similar journey by highlighting that help is available.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have learned in recent times that it\u2019s okay not to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement concluded: \u201cI want to thank all those who have supported me in Foyle over the years and who bestowed the privilege of electing me, first into local government and then to the Northern Ireland Assembly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, I want to thank all my colleagues in the DUP<\/a> for their support and friendship, to my staff for their loyalty and to my wife and family who have been my rock during this period.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always be grateful for all the support shown to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will resign as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly tomorrow (Friday).<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I depart the public stage, I want to wish all those who serve the public and with whom I have had the privilege to serve alongside, regardless of party affiliations, every best wish for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

DUP leader Gavin Robinson<\/a> said his party colleague had been a \u201cconsistent voice for unionism in Foyle\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cAs the sole unionist MLA in Foyle, Gary Middleton has been a dedicated and steadfast servant to people across the city of Londonderry and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince 2015, he has been a strong and consistent voice in the Northern Ireland Assembly<\/a> and was never afraid to stand up for what he believed was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cElected in May 2011 as a Councillor at just 20 years of age, Gary was often the youngest in the room but earned the respect of colleagues through his incredible ability to articulate the concerns of the people of Foyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn being such a clear and consistent voice for unionism in Foyle, Gary has at times faced threats from republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat pressure never silenced him nor deterred him, he continued to stand firm for his constituents and his principles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Robinson added: \u201cWhile we deeply regret that Gary is leaving public service, we will do all we can to support him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGary\u2019s focus must now be on his recovery, and he will have the support of colleagues, both inside and outside our ranks, on his journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party<\/a>, I want to sincerely thank Gary for his years of service and dedication.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people in the Foyle constituency have been positively impacted as a result of Gary\u2019s devotion to his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish him every blessing for the days ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Get political analysis and headlines from James McCarthy direct to your inbox<\/p>\n

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For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here<\/a> and sign up to our daily newsletter<\/a> here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DUP MLA Gary Middleton is to step back from public life to deal with mental health challenges. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525261,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[3017,13445,182370,102,1906,6623,229,10856,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-525260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-co-derry","tag-dup","tag-foyle-constituency","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-politics","tag-stormont","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}