# Basil McCrea
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{{Short description|British politician (born 1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Basil McCrea
| image = File:Basil McCrea - NI21.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| office = [Leader of NI21](/source/NI21)
| term_start = 6 June 2013
| term_end = 3 November 2016
| leader =
| deputy = [John McCallister](/source/John_McCallister)
Johnny McCarthy
''Vacant''
| predecessor = ''Position established''
| successor = ''Position abolished''
| office2 = [Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Member_of_the_Northern_Ireland_Assembly)
for [Lagan Valley](/source/Lagan_Valley_(Assembly_constituency))
| assembly2 =
| majority2 =
| term_start2 = 7 March 2007
| term_end2 = 5 May 2016
| predecessor2 = [Billy Bell](/source/Billy_Bell_(politician))
| successor2 = [Robbie Butler](/source/Robbie_Butler)
| office3 = Member of
[Lisburn City Council](/source/Lisburn_City_Council)
| constituency3 = [Downshire](/source/Downshire_(District_Electoral_Area))
| term_start3 = 5 May 2005
| term_end3 = 5 May 2011
| predecessor3 = William Falloon
| successor3 = Paul Stewart
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|11|13|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [Omagh](/source/Omagh), [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland)[{{cite web |last1=McRea |first1=Basil |title=I was born in Omagh.... |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2008-03-04.6.15 |website=TheyWorkForYou |access-date=23 October 2021 |language=en}}]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [NI21](/source/NI21) (2013–2016)
[Independent](/source/Independent_Unionist) (2013)
[Ulster Unionist](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) (before 2013)
| spouse =
| alma_mater = [University of Birmingham](/source/University_of_Birmingham)
[University of Ulster](/source/University_of_Ulster)
| occupation =
| profession = Chemical engineer
}}
'''Basil McCrea''' (born 13 November 1959) is a former[{{Cite news|title=Return to career in commerce beckons for Basil McCrea|language=en-GB|work=Belfast Telegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/return-to-career-in-commerce-beckons-for-basil-mccrea-34540278.html|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0307-1235}}] [Northern Irish](/source/People_of_Northern_Ireland) [politician](/source/politician). He was the party leader of [NI21](/source/NI21) from 2013 until it disbanded in 2016.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-35809427|title=Basil McCrea 'to quit politics'|date=2016-03-15|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-02-11|language=en-GB}}] He was also a [Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Member_of_the_Northern_Ireland_Assembly) (MLA) for [Lagan Valley](/source/Lagan_Valley_(Assembly_constituency)) from 2007 to 2016.[{{Cite web|title='˜Disillusioned' Basil McCrea says he is quitting politics|url=https://www.lisburntoday.co.uk/news/disillusioned-basil-mccrea-says-he-quitting-politics-2170385|access-date=2020-10-26|website=lisburntoday.co.uk|date=15 March 2016 |language=en}}]
==Political career==
McCrea unsuccessfully contested the [2005 general election](/source/2005_United_Kingdom_general_election) in [Lagan Valley](/source/Lagan_Valley_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) for the [Ulster Unionist Party](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) (UUP).[{{Cite news|date=2010-05-27|title=UUP chair David Campbell aims broadside at Basil McCrea|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10173257|access-date=2020-10-26}}] He was elected in 2007 to the [Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Northern_Ireland_Assembly) as a UUP member for [Lagan Valley](/source/Lagan_Valley_(Assembly_constituency)). He has been a UUP Councillor on [Lisburn City Council](/source/Lisburn_City_Council) and was, until his election to the Assembly, a Party officer and spokesman for the Northern Ireland Manufacturers' Focus Group.[[http://www.nimfg.co.uk/contact_us NIMFG – Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530110526/http://www.nimfg.co.uk/contact_us |date=30 May 2008}}] He has served as a member of the [Northern Ireland Policing Board](/source/Northern_Ireland_Policing_Board) and UUP spokesman on Education. He was formerly a member of the Assembly Committee for the [Department for Employment and Learning](/source/Department_for_Employment_and_Learning).
He stood for leader of the [Ulster Unionist Party](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) (UUP) against [Tom Elliott](/source/Tom_Elliott_(politician)) in the contest after the [UK 2010 General Election](/source/2010_United_Kingdom_general_election). He was widely seen as the candidate of the UUP's "liberal" wing, while Elliott was seen as the candidate of the "conservative" wing. He lost the election by 643 votes to 296. In 2012 McCrea attended a [Sinn Féin](/source/Sinn_F%C3%A9in) event on '[uniting Ireland](/source/uniting_Ireland)' and said unionism should not be afraid to put its case.[{{cite news |last=McAdam |first=Noel |title=Basil McCrea to put unionist case at Sinn Fein 'uniting Ireland' event|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/basil-mccrea-to-put-unionist-case-at-sinn-fein-uniting-ireland-event-16103574.html |work=[Belfast Telegraph](/source/Belfast_Telegraph)|accessdate=26 August 2012}}]
In October 2012, he was one of three unionist assembly members to vote in favour of [same-sex marriage](/source/Same-sex_marriage_in_Northern_Ireland) being introduced in Northern Ireland.[{{cite web |title=MLAs VOTE AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE |url=http://www.calebfoundation.org/ |accessdate=13 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307200052/http://www.calebfoundation.org/ |archive-date=7 March 2015 |url-status=dead }}]
In February 2013, having been subjected to a UUP disciplinary process for publicly opposing a proposal for a "unionist unity" candidate in an [impending Parliamentary by-election](/source/2013_Mid_Ulster_by-election), McCrea announced that he was resigning from the UUP, stating that he disagreed with the tactic of joint working with the rival [Democratic Unionist Party](/source/Democratic_Unionist_Party).[{{Cite news|date=2013-02-15|title=McCrea 'likely to form new party'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-21472784|access-date=2020-09-08}}]
===NI21===
On 6 June 2013 at the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast along with fellow ex-UUP member [John McCallister](/source/John_McCallister), McCrea launched [NI21](/source/NI21),[{{Cite news|date=2013-06-04|title=Basil McCrea and John McCallister's new party is NI21|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22773322|access-date=2020-10-26}}] with himself as leader and McCallister as deputy. The party aimed to be a more progressive, pro-European, moderate and "modern" unionist party[{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni21-basil-mccreas-launch-speech-in-full-29326435.html|title=NI21: Basil McCrea's launch speech in full|newspaper=Belfasttelegraph|via=www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk}}] The party aimed to form an official opposition in the assembly to the all-party consensus government.
The party initially chose to be [Designated Unionist](/source/Designated_Unionist) members in the [Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Northern_Ireland_Assembly). However, in May 2014, two days before European and local elections, they announced a decision to re-designate as [Designated Other](/source/Designated_Other). Deputy leader John McCallister criticised the announcement, which he labelled "crazy" and claiming he and other members had not been properly consulted and suggested the decision was evidence of how "dysfunctional" the party had become. McCrea responded by requesting an explanation for the public criticisms and referred McCallister to the party executive.
The following deputy leader and sole councillor of the party, Johnny McCarthy resigned in 2015[{{Cite news|title=NI21 councillor Johnny McCarthy quits party|language=en-GB|work=belfasttelegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni21-councillor-johnny-mccarthy-quits-party-34320885.html|access-date=2021-05-05|issn=0307-1235}}]
===Allegations of sexual misconduct===
In May 2014, up to nine women accused McCrea of sexual harassment.[{{Cite news|title=How the hopes and dreams of Basil McCrea's NI21 party ended in abject failure|language=en-GB|work=belfasttelegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/how-the-hopes-and-dreams-of-basil-mccreas-ni21-party-ended-in-abject-failure-34503241.html|access-date=2021-05-05|issn=0307-1235}}] Deputy leader John McCallister called on McCrea to step down until the investigation was completed. McCallister subsequently accused McCrea of interfering with the investigation and resigned from the deputy leadership and the party.[{{Cite news|date=2014-05-23|title=NI21 row: Call for McCrea to step aside after alleged sex victim goes public|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27551176|access-date=2021-05-05}}] In March 2016 the Assembly Standards Commissioner dismissed all complaints of misconduct brought against Basil McCrea.[{{Cite news|date=2016-03-03|title=NI21 row: Basil McCrea cleared of misconduct allegations but faces criticism for 'poor judgement'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-35712636|access-date=2021-05-05}}][{{Cite web|title=ITV Hub - The home of ITV|url=https://www.itv.com/|access-date=2021-05-05|website=ITV Hub|language=en}}][{{Cite web|date=2016-03-04|title=Basil McCrea cleared after Stormont standards probe|url=http://www.irishnews.com/news/politicalnews/2016/03/04/news/basil-mccrea-cleared-after-stormont-standards-probe-439021/|access-date=2021-05-05|website=The Irish News|language=en}}]
==Private life==
McCrea was born into an [Ulster Scots](/source/Ulster_Scots_people) family in [Omagh](/source/Omagh) but grew up in [Ramelton](/source/Ramelton) a small town in the north-east of [County Donegal](/source/County_Donegal) in the north of the Republic of Ireland, where he grew up in his very early years.[BBC Radio Ulster "Talkback with William Crawley" radio interview (published on Basil McCrea YouTube channel)] His father carried an Irish passport, although McCrea himself carries a British one.