THE DUP FARMER who famously asked megastar Rihanna to “cover up” when she was shooting a music video in his field in Northern Ireland has been elected as a local DUP councillor. 

Alan Graham reclaimed his seat in Ards and North Down, after losing out in 2019. 

Graham had words with Rihanna when she was shooting scenes for the ‘We found Love in a Hopeless Place’ video in his grain field back in 2011. 

The interaction seemed relatively friendly, however, as Graham explained at the time that he hoped she understood where he was coming from, and that they even shook hands after speaking. 

Graham further explained that he doesn’t “believe young ladies should have to take their clothes off to entertain”.

But he added that he had not halted the filming, adding that Rihanna had been “very gracious and respectful” when they spoke, and they had “parted company on good terms”.

The farmer’s direct approach made global headlines, alongside Rihanna’s trip to a chipper in Belfast.

Graham was elected in Holywood and Clandeboye. In 2019 the DEA elected two Alliance Councillors, one Green, one DUP and one UUP, with Alliance gaining from the DUP. 

Alliance held the gain this year, but Graham ensured that the DUP held onto its seat in the area. 

At large, the DUP appears to be holding its seats in this year’s election, but it isn’t making gains. 

Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is having an exceptional election with 27 seats gained giving the party a total of 128, and setting it on a sure track to become the biggest player at local Government level in Northern Ireland for the first time. 

The count is still ongoing. The other big story of the election so far is that the Alliance party has emerged as the region’s third biggest, with 52 seats so far, and 11 gained, putting it in front of both the UUP and the SDLP, which have both had double figure losses already. 

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said that, while he is pleased to see the DUP holding their vote, unionism now needs to address “splitting” its vote. 

“When the unionist vote is split and splintered, it does mean unionists losing seats,” he told UTV news last night. 

Ian Paisley Jr, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday in Ballymena said that unionism needs to stop “self-harming” by splitting its vote. 

“We are salami slicing and having all sorts of brands, but all we are doing is diminishing the strength that unionism has, I mean this town is over 60% unionist, but on a small turnout of 45%, less than 60% of that is coming back as unionist candidates. 

“There has to be an umbrella movement within unionism,” he added.