Richard James Shannon (born 25 March 1955) is a Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Strangford since 2010.

[5] He subsequently served over eleven years in the Royal Artillery Territorial Army (TA) and achieved the rank of Lance Bombardier,[6][7] until he was expelled in May 1989.

[10][9] The expulsions followed the theft of Blowpipe man-portable surface-to-air missile components from the TA base in Newtownards by the loyalist paramilitary group Ulster Resistance.

[12] A colleague stationed at the Newtownards base, Sergeant Samuel Quinn, had been arrested at the Hilton Hotel, Paris in April 1989 attempting to exchange missile technology for guns from South Africa.

[26] He appeared on BBC Radio 4 saying that he is hoping for a deal from the Labour government that "will free Northern Ireland from the shackles of Europe" on 14 July 2024.

[27] Following the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024, he asked the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer to outline exactly what his "10-year plan" will be for Northern Ireland.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority found breaches of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses by his constituency workers for claiming mileage and said £13,925 must be repaid by the MP.