EDUCATION Minister Paul Givan has survived a no-confidence motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly following a heated debate over his recent visit to Israel, which critics claimed breached ministerial rules and politicised his department.
The motion, tabled by People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, called for Givan’s exclusion from ministerial office for 12 months.
It received the support of Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and the Alliance Party but failed to achieve the cross-community backing required under Assembly rules.
Of the 80 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) who voted, 47 were in favour and 33 opposed, which mirrored the nationalist–unionist divide.
The controversy stems from a six-day visit to Israel earlier this year, which Givan joined alongside other unionist representatives.
The trip was organised and funded by the Israeli government and included meetings with officials, a visit to a Jerusalem school and briefings from Israeli ministries.
The Department of Education issued a press release and shared images from the school visit on its official channels.
Opponents argued that this blurred the lines between Givan’s personal political activities and his ministerial duties and that a civil servant should have accompanied him.
Givan, a DUP minister, defended the trip and his department’s handling of it, insisting all procedures were followed and the material released was “entirely non-political”.
He said senior officials had reviewed the matter and found “no wrongdoing whatsoever”.
Monday’s debate was marked by strong exchanges across party lines.
Givan described the motion as “a toxic mix of antisemitism, anti-unionism, and hypocrisy”, accusing opponents of attempting to “drive a unionist minister from office simply for engaging with Israel”.
“This motion is not about principles,” he said, “but an ideological purge that sends a chilling message to the unionist community.”
Gerry Carroll, who proposed the motion, countered that Givan had “failed to uphold the ministerial code and used his office for a propaganda exercise.”
Sinn Féin’s Declan Kearney went further, accusing the minister of acting as “a prop for Israeli state-sponsored propaganda” and showing “not an ounce of compassion for the people of Gaza.”
Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson said the minister’s conduct had “shattered public confidence”, adding that Givan “could have apologised or referred himself to a standards investigation but instead lashed out and doubled down.”
SDLP leader and opposition head Matthew O’Toole supported the motion, arguing Givan had “misused his office” and undermined Civil Service impartiality.
Unionist representatives dismissed the no-confidence vote as “performative politics”.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson reaffirmed his party’s “full confidence” in Givan and the wider executive team, urging MLAs to “get back to focusing on the issues that matter.”
Ulster Unionist deputy leader Robbie Butler also condemned the motion as divisive.
“Few moments illustrate our dysfunction more clearly than this one,” he said, accusing nationalists of double standards compared with previous controversies.
Tensions spilt beyond the chamber when a protester in the public gallery shouted “shame on you” as Givan concluded his speech, prompting police to escort her out amid applause from some MLAs.
The SDLP has since tabled a separate proposal calling for reforms to strengthen oversight of ministers’ conduct.
After the vote, Givan remained defiant.
“Nothing here was wrong,” he said.
“This has been an exercise in political theatre, but I will continue to serve with integrity and defend our right to engage internationally.”
See More: Israel, No Confidence, Northern Ireland, Paul Givan
