The major mainland UK political entities maintain a nominal presence in the country and local parties campaign to represent Northern Irish issues.

The devolved government in Northern Ireland was suspended in October 2002 after an alleged Provisional IRA spy ring was uncovered at Stormont.

Policing in Northern Ireland was a sensitive topic for nationalists, who associated the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the unionist community for their actions during the Troubles.

[6] At the start of 2004 Lagan Valley MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, along with assembly members Norah Beare and Arlene Foster announced that they had left the UUP and joined the DUP.

Stormontgate, along with the Northern Bank robbery in December 2004 and murder of Robert McCartney the following month, reaffirmed to unionists that the IRA were still active and, by association, planted further distrust in Sinn Féin.

[8] Towards the end of January, veteran UUP MP Martin Smyth announced that he would not be contesting his South Belfast seat in order to spend more time with his ailing wife.

Having stepped down from his assembly post towards the end of 2000, Hume resigned the party leadership due to ill health less than a year later and was replaced by his former Foyle MLA colleague, Mark Durkan.

[8] Sinn Féin maintained its policy of abstentionism at Westminster in 2005; refusing to recognise the legitimacy of British government in Ireland.

[14] The DUP won the most out of the 2005 parliamentary elections, taking four seats from the UUP to become the largest Northern Irish political party at Westminster.

Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams successfully defended his seat in West Belfast, as did Martin McGuinness in Mid Ulster.