John Finucane stands for election in North Belfast

Pat Finucane was a high-profile solicitor who lived and worked in Belfast. The 39-year-old Catholic was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989.

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said tonight that he will be nominating Belfast solicitor John Finucane to stand as the party’s candidate in the Westminster election for North Belfast. The DUP’s Nigel Dodds previously held the seat.

Mr Kelly said: “I am proud to be nominating John Finucane to carry the torch for Sinn Fein in next month’s Westminster election on June 8th. John will be seconded by my colleague Carál Ní Chuilín MLA.

“This election is a contest between those who want the north to remain in Europe, who stand for equality for rights and for Irish unity and the DUP who support a hard Brexit, support Tory cuts and who have set their face against equality and rights.

“Sinn Féin is the only party which can take this seat from the DUP, which can send a clear message to Theresa May that she has no mandate to take the north out of the EU, that she has no mandate for Tory cuts and she has no mandate to continue to deny equality and rights for all.

“I am confident that in John Finucane we can return a nationalist MP for the first time in the history of North Belfast and between now and June 8th we will be pulling out all the stops to make this possible.”

Mr Finucane acknowledged the news on Twitter.

“I’m very proud to have been nominated to go forward for selection as the North Belfast Sinn Féin candidate for upcoming Westminster election,” he said.