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DUP politician Christopher Stalford has died suddenly at the age of 39, the party has said.
The South Belfast Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), a married father of four children aged below 10, died this weekend, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Sunday.
Mr Stalford was a rising star in Northern Ireland politics and was often sent out to talk to the media on behalf of the party.
Sir Jeffrey said: “I am deeply saddened to learn of Christopher’s sudden death. He was not just an elected representative or a colleague, he was a friend.
“On behalf of the party, I express my sympathies to (wife) Laura and the wider Stalford family on the loss of a husband, father, son and brother.
“I talked at length with Christopher on Friday night. He was passionate about Northern Ireland and wanted the best for his constituents.
“I was never to know how precious that conversation was to be.
“Most telling of all in that conversation was his pride in Laura and their children.
“He talked about his eldest child transferring to big school and the discussions that were ongoing in the home.
“Christopher was born to be a public representative. From his teenage years, he was a regular contributor to politics both in the print and broadcast media.”
DUP MLA Christopher Stalford has died aged 39
Earlier this year, Mr Stalford said he quit Twitter because it was “awful” and the constant abuse and hatred was unhealthy.
He was one of the first DUP MLAs to publicly declare his support for current DUP leader Edwin Poot’s leadership bid last year, despite being a close ally of former leader Arlene Foster, who was forced out of the top job. He said he hoped they could still be friends.
Ms Foster said she was “struggling to process” Mr Stalford’s death as she sent her thoughts and…
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Source : skynews
