Enright quits Alliance party

Enright quits Alliance party

30 July 2025

DOWNPATRICK councillor Cadogan Enright has dramatically resigned from the Alliance party.

He informed Alliance leader Naomi Long of his decision yesterday afternoon but plans to remain on Newry, Mourne and Down Council as an Independent member.

The former Green Party councillor joined Alliance in the summer of 2022 but has this week delivered a withering assessment of its support for local representatives campaigning on bread and butter issues and long standing constituency campaigns.

Cllr Enright claims Alliance is “stuck in a Stormont bubble” and is not interested in retaining its South Down Assembly seat when voters go to the polls in two years’ time.

He insists he would be better able to represent his constituents and stand up for them on the issues that matter as an Independent councillor.

In a no-holds-barred statement, Cllr Enright alleges Alliance “views with suspicion” local representatives who champion key community issues and claims they have been left to fend for themselves.

Most significantly, he claims he was “chastised” by the party hierarchy for supporting the Downe Hospital and the return of key services, including 24-hour emergency provision.

“I have taken the difficult decision to resign from the Alliance Party,” he confirmed to the Down Recorder.

“I will return to serving the people of my area as an independent councillor as I previously did for 10 years before joining the Alliance Party in South Down. When I joined the party, I did so because I firmly believed that Alliance was finally doing what was needed to establish themselves in rural nationalist areas such as ours,” he said.

Three years ago, Cllr Enright was Alliance’s Assembly election campaign manager in South Down when Patrick Brown won a seat for the party for the first time.

Describing Mr Brown’s success as a “historic breakthrough,” Cllr Enright said more success followed one year later when the party secured five seats on Newry, Mourne and Down Council, including his own re-election.

But he said things changed after Mr Brown resigned last April with his departure blamed on personal reasons.

“After Patrick resigned, it became clear that the party leadership is stuck in a Stormont bubble. It seems to regard local representatives who authentically champion ‘bread and butter’ issues with suspicion,” he declared.

“As an Alliance councillor, I am restricted from saying anything remotely supportive about the Downe hospital campaign and have been chastised for calling for the restoration of health services in Downpatrick that had been agreed under the so-called health transformation process.

“It seems the party is more comfortable with the extreme concentration of hospital services in Belfast but I fear this demonstrates how out of touch the party is in the South and West of Northern Ireland, presumably where it hopes to elect MLA candidates one day.”

Over recent months, Cllr Enright and his Alliance colleagues have been particularly vociferous in leading a high profile campaign against proposals which would see Newry, Mourne and Down Council investing up to £80m in what he described as “wasteful, unnecessary projects”. 

He continued: “We have fought really hard against reckless SDLP and Sinn Fein plans to spend £50m on a Mournes Gondola and against a £30m second council HQ in Newry. 

“Alliance councillors in Newry, Mourne and Down have had to fend for ourselves in these campaigns – with no support from party HQ, despite sustained criticism from the bigger local parties.”

Cllr Enright has paid tribute to what he described as his “exceptional “Alliance council colleagues for their continued work and resilience in this regard. 

He also claimed that despite the hard work of several local councillors, representation from the central party “has largely disappeared and long-standing constituency campaigns have been abandoned”.

He added: “I am now convinced that the party is no longer interested in retaining our South Down Assembly seat in 2027. I therefore feel I will be better able to represent my constituents and stand up for them on the issues that matter, as an Independent councillor.”

An Alliance Party spokesperson said: "It is regrettable Cllr Enright did not take up the opportunity to discuss this decision with the party prior to this announcement.

“Alliance made history in the South Down constituency with our first-ever progressive, cross-community MLA, and returned a record number of councillors in the area in 2023.

“We are determined to build on that record and are committed to delivering for everyone across Newry, Mourne and Down with a focus on inclusion, integrity and progressive politics.”