As a
Democratic Unionist Party politician, he was first elected to
North Down Borough Council in the
2001 local elections, and was re-elected to Council in the
2005 and
2011 elections. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the
2003 election, for the constituency of
North Down, and returned again in
2007,
2011,
2016 and again in
2017, when he topped the poll for North Down, having increased his vote each election. Easton stood in
North Down in the
2017 General Election and polled 14,940 votes, nearly unseating the sitting MP
Lady Sylvia Hermon. In the
2019 General Election, he stood once again in the constituency but was defeated by 2,968 votes. Easton is opposed to a border poll, and has said those politically backing a backstop through
Brexit could potentially lead to a border poll and is a threat to the Union, which must be opposed. Easton is also opposed to the
Northern Ireland protocol. He announced his resignation from the DUP on 1 July 2021, stating that he saw no "respect, discipline or decency" in the party's recent behaviour. He was re-elected as an independent candidate in the
2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, topping the poll in the constituency for the fifth consecutive time.
Member of Parliament He was elected as an independent in
North Down at the
2024 United Kingdom general election. On 24 May 2024 the DUP and
TUV announced that they were supporting his candidature and would not stand a candidate in the constituency. ==Personal life==