Nigel Alexander Dodds, OBE, PC, MP (born 20 August 1958) is a Northern Irish barrister and Unionist politician. He is Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast North, and deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. He has been Lord Mayor of Belfast twice, and from 1993 has been General Secretary of the DUP.Since June 2008 he has also been Deputy Leader of the DUP.Dodds became North Belfast's MP in the 2001 UK general elections.