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Michelle O'Neill is a Northern Irish politician who serves as First Minister of Northern Ireland, Vice President of Sinn Féin and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Mid Ulster.
O'Neill was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for Mid Ulster in 2007. She later served as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 to 2016 and as Minister of Health from 2016 until the collapse of the devolved institutions in 2017.
She became Vice President of Sinn Féin in February 2018 and, following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2020, served as deputy First Minister alongside First Minister Arlene Foster and subsequently Paul Givan.
Following the restoration of devolved government in February 2024, O'Neill was appointed First Minister, becoming the first Irish nationalist politician to hold the position. Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing arrangements, the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister are jointly exercised and carry equal authority.
O'Neill continues to represent Mid Ulster in the Assembly and, as First Minister, shares responsibility for leading the Northern Ireland Executive and coordinating its Programme for Government.
Andy Burnham has declared an Irish unity referendum 'off the table' during his first visit to Northern Ireland as Prime Minister, prompting a sharp challenge from Sinn Féin over the Good Friday Agreement.