EDUCATION minister Peter Weir has been involved in politics for decades, first as a member of the Ulster Unionists, then as a DUP representative.
A trained barrister, the 52-year-old began his political career in the youth wing of the UUP and is a former chairman of the Young Unionists.
A member of the Orange Order and the Royal Black Preceptory, Mr Weir was one of several Ulster Unionists, along with DUP leader Arlene Foster and MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who left the party in the early 2000s.
Like Mrs Foster, whom he has known since they met as students at Queen's University Belfast, Mr Weir was opposed to the 1998 Good Friday agreement. He was part of a group within the UUP known as the 'baby barristers' who were heavily critical of then-leader David Trimble.
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After being elected to the assembly as an Ulster Unionist in 1998, he was selected as a UUP general election candidate for North Down in 2001 but was deselected a month before the election and replaced by Sylvia Hermon.
He was expelled from the party in the same year for refusing to back Mr Trimble's re-selection as First Minister. After a period as an independent Unionist, he joined the DUP in 2002.
Mr Weir was an MLA for North Down between 1998 and 2017 before winning a seat in Strangford after former MLA Jonathan Bell left the DUP.
He became education minister at the start of last year, following the restoration of Stormont.
But just a few months into his tenure, the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Since March, Mr Weir has been criticised by principals and parents for not acting swiftly or decisively enough over the cancellation of examinations and school closures.
Many teachers have also highlighted a lack of clarity over online learning and assessments.
