Until 1 January 2011 he was an Ulster Unionist Party member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (1998–present) for East Londonderry and was the Ulster Unionist Party’s chief whip at the Assembly but since then, vowed to fight future elections as an independent.

[3] There was speculation that McClarty would rejoin the UUP after Mike Nesbitt was elected leader in March 2012.

Following Tom Elliott's departure and Nesbitt's subsequent election, McClarty said "I still have an interest in the wellbeing of the party.

[4] In early 2013, McClarty was in talks with John McCallister and Basil McCrea, who were both elected as MLAs for the UUP but left the party in February 2013.

He was a well known fixture for local theatre lovers with a long history of performing in various musicals for Ballywillan Drama Group.