William James Russell Watton (born 1954), known as Russell Watton, is a Northern Irish

Ulster loyalist Ulster loyalism is a strand of Unionism in Ireland, Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland (and formerly all of I ...

, politician and community activist, serving as leader of the

Progressive Unionist Party The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is a minor unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979. Linked to the Ulster Volunte ...

(PUP) since 2023, and a

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is a local authority in Northern Ireland that was established on 1 April 2015. It covers most of the northern coast of Northern Ireland and replaced Ballymoney Borough Council, Coleraine Borough Council, ...

lor for the Coleraine DEA since

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. He was also PUP deputy leader between 2022 and 2023.

Background

Ulster Volunteer Force

Watton joined the

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from North ...

(UVF) in the 1970s, and was believed to be the commander of the UVF unit in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

. He was involved in the bombing of the Salmon Leap Restaurant, which caused the deaths of several of Watton's UVF comrades. He received three life sentences in 1977, and was imprisoned until his release in 1989.

Political career

At the 2005 local elections, Watton ran as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate, for the Central District, in the Coleraine Authority. While out campaigning in the predominantly

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

Somerset Drive area, Watton and his campaign team were threatened by a group of activists after putting up posters. On the incident, Watton said: “One of them had a knife in his hand and he confronted me with it. I was forced to use a piece of wood which these scumbags had thrown and I was able to disarm the man to defend myself and he ran off."In total, he polled 380 first-preference votes, and was eliminated on the sixth count. Watton stood again in the district at the 2011 local elections, taking 342 first-preferences.

Causeway Coast and Glens Councillor

By the 2014 local elections, Watton was a member of the

(PUP), standing for them in the successor Causeway Coast and Glens Authority. He topped the poll in the Coleraine District, and received 11.8% of first-preferences. Watton stood in the East Londonderry constituency at the

2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election The 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016. It was the fifth election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998. 1,281,595 individuals were registered to vote in the election (representing ...

, where he took 1,356 first-preference votes (3.9%).At the 2017 Assembly election, Watton was eliminated on the third stage of counting, having polled 879 first-preferences (2.1%). At the May 2019 Council election, Watton was once again the first candidate to be elected in Coleraine, with an increased total of 1,325 first-preferences. While campaigning for the 2022 Assembly election, Watton highlighted intimidation being directed to him from 'known drug dealers'. In the election, he took 933 first-preference votes (2.1%), and was eliminated on the third count. Watton was the second candidate to be returned in the district at the May 2023 local elections, taking a decreased first-preference share of 13.7%. Notably, he became the only elected representative for the PUP, following the defeat of their leader,

Billy Hutchinson Billy "Hutchie" Hutchinson (born December 1955) is a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician and activist who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2011 to 2023, now serving as party president. He was a Belfast Cit ...

, in Belfast.

Leader of the Progressive Unionist Party

Following the local election results, Hutchinson stood down as leader, with Watton being announced as his successor on 14 June 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watton, Russell 1954 births Living people Leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland Ulster Volunteer Force members Ulster loyalists imprisoned on terrorism charges