{{Short description|Northern Ireland politician (born 1974)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Use Irish English|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Paul Frew | honorific_suffix = MLA | image = Paul Frew, MLA 2024.jpg | alt = | caption = Frew in 2024 | office = Minister for the Economy | first_minister = | term_start = 14 June 2021 | term_end = 6 July 2021 | predecessor = The Lady Dodds of Duncairn | successor = Gordon Lyons | constituency_AM1 = North Antrim | assembly1 = Northern Ireland | majority1 = | term_start1 = 21 June 2010 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = Ian Paisley, Jr | successor1 = | office2 = Ballymena Borough Councillor <br/> for Braid | term_start2 = 5 May 2005 | term_end2 = 22 May 2014 | predecessor2 = David Clyde | successor2 = ''Council abolished'' | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|9|20|df=yes}} | birth_place = Kells, Northern Ireland | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | party = DUP | spouse = }}
'''Paul Frew''' (born 20 September 1974) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who served as Minister for the Economy from June to July 2021. He has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim since 2010. Frew is the DUP's Tourism and Hospitality Spokesperson.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Frew MLA |url=https://mydup.com/our-team/paul-frew |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=DUP |language=en}}</ref>
Frew was previously a Ballymena Borough Councillor for the Braid DEA from 2005 to 2014.
==Background== A native of Kells, he is an electrician by trade and did not go to third-level education, commenting in one interview "my university was the building sites of Belfast".<ref name="belfasttelegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/dups-paul-frew-i-didnt-fall-out-with-my-dad-when-he-owned-up-to-selling-illegal-cigarettes-but-i-wasnt-happy-crime-is-crime-and-what-he-did-was-wrong-36587113.html|title = DUP's Paul Frew: 'I didn't fall out with my dad when he owned up to selling illegal cigarettes but I wasn't happy. Crime is crime, and what he did was wrong'|newspaper = Belfasttelegraph}}</ref>
He served in the Royal Irish Regiment.<ref>[http://www.stratagem-ni.com/politician_specific.aspx?dataid=480134 "Paul Frew"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130203024705/http://www.stratagem-ni.com/politician_specific.aspx?dataid=480134 |date=3 February 2013 }} ''Stratagem-NI.com''</ref>
==Political career== Frew joined the DUP in 2000, and was elected at the 2005 local elections to Ballymena Borough Council, representing the Braid District. ===Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly=== In 2010, he replaced Ian Paisley, Jr as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Antrim.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Frew MLA |url=https://mydup.com/our-team/paul-frew |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=DUP |language=en}}</ref>
In June 2021, Frew was appointed Minister for the Economy, succeeding party colleague Diane Dodds.<ref>{{cite news|title = Paul Frew: The libertarian electrician now charged with sparking the north's economic recovery|url = https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/06/09/news/paul-frew-the-libertarian-electrician-now-charged-with-sparking-the-north-s-economic-recovery-2349062/|work = Irish News|date = 9 June 2021| access-date = 9 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Let’s build our economy back stronger than ever – Frew|url = https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/news/lets-build-our-economy-back-stronger-ever-frew|website = Department for the Economy|date = 14 June 2021|access-date = 9 November 2025}}</ref> A month later, he was replaced by Gordon Lyons.<ref>{{cite news|title = DUP: Gordon Lyons replaces Paul Frew as NI economy minister|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-57730303|work = BBC News|date = 6 July 2021|access-date = 9 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title = Frew replaced as NI Economy Minister in DUP reshuffle| url = https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2021/0706/1233352-dup-northern-ireland/|work = RTE| date = 6 July 2021|access-date = 9 November 2025}}</ref> ==Personal life== He plays the spoons.<ref name="belfasttelegraph"/>
==References== <references />
{{s-start}} {{s-par|ni/ass}} {{s-bef|before=Ian Paisley, Jr}} {{s-ttl|title=MLA for North Antrim|years=2010–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{Democratic Unionist Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frew, Paul}} Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:People from Broughshane Category:Democratic Unionist Party MLAs Category:Members of Ballymena Borough Council Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022