Despite being returned easily in the DUP heartland of North Antrim, Ian Paisley has seen his majority nearly halved.

Ahead of making his speech, Mr Paisley sang a few bars of the hymn Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.

Speaking about the campaign, he said: “It wasn’t about negativity, it wasn’t about cutting lumps out of each other."

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He then turned his focus to the ongoing health crisis, and the need to restore Stormont.

"As the father of a nurse, I know what it is to see nurses overworked and underpaid," he said.

"I think that those messages about our health workers really have struck home to every single public representative.

"You would have to have a heart of stone if that did not strike home to you."