Maolíosa McHugh stepping down as West Tyrone MLA

Maolíosa McHugh has announced he will be stepping down as MLA for West Tyrone from Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the Sinn Féin MLA said he would not be seeking re-election to Stormont in May 2027.

He said, as he was not seeking re-election, he had decided to step down on 1 September "prior to the commencement of the final term of the Assembly".

Paul Boggs, who is a councillor for the Sperrin area, has been selected to replace McHugh in the West Tyrone constituency.

McHugh has been a representative for the West Tyrone constituency at the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2019.

He was first elected in 2011 to Strabane District Council, representing the Derg ward.

He continued as a councillor when the local authorities were merged to form Derry City and Strabane District Council in 2015 and served a term as mayor in 2017-18.

During that time he defended refusing to meet the then Prince Charles.

McHugh lost his council seat in elections in 2019, but he was selected within days by Sinn Féin to take up a vacant assembly seat for West Tyrone.

He was subsequently elected to the assembly in 2022.

"It has been an honour to represent the people of West Tyrone as an MLA and before that as a Councillor in the Derg Ward in Derry City and Strabane Council over this past 15 years," he said.

"To my successor I say 'Ádh Mór' (good luck) in the immediate future and in the upcoming elections in May 2027."

Sinn Féin members have unanimously endorsed Boggs to represent West Tyrone in the Assembly.

Boggs said he was "delighted and honoured" to represent the constituency.

He said he was "committed" to continuing the work he has begun as a councillor into the Assembly.

"I will work every day to better the lives of the people in West Tyrone, and to strengthen public services.

"This includes in our rural communities, smaller towns and villages," Boggs said.