William James Russell Watton (born 28 March 1954), known as Russell Watton, is a Northern Irish Ulster loyalist, politician and community activist, serving as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) since 2023, and a Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Councillor for the Coleraine DEA since 2014. He was also PUP deputy leader between 2022 and 2023.^[3]

Watton joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in the 1970s, and was believed to be the commander of the UVF unit in Coleraine.^[4] He was involved in the bombing of the Salmon Leap Restaurant, which caused the deaths of several of Watton's UVF comrades.^[5]

He received three life sentences in 1977, and was imprisoned until his release in 1989.^[6]

At the 2005 local elections, Watton ran as an independent candidate, for the Central District, in the Coleraine Authority. ^[7] While out campaigning in the predominantly nationalist Somerset Drive area, Watton and his campaign team were threatened by a group of activists after putting up posters. ^[8]On the incident, Watton said: “One of them had a knife in his hand and he confronted me with it. I was forced to use a piece of wood which these scumbags had thrown and I was able to disarm the man to defend myself and he ran off."^[9]In total, he polled 380 first-preference votes, and was eliminated on the sixth count.^{[10] [11]}

Watton stood again in the district at the 2011 local elections, taking 342 first-preferences.^[12]

By the 2014 local elections, Watton was a member of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), standing for them in the successor Causeway Coast and Glens Authority.^[13] He topped the poll in the Coleraine District, and received 11.8% of first-preferences.^[14][15][16]

Watton stood in the East Londonderry constituency at the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election, where he took 1,356 first-preference votes (3.9%).^[17]At the 2017 Assembly election, Watton was eliminated on the third stage of counting, having polled 879 first-preferences (2.1%).^[18]

At the May 2019 Council election, Watton was once again the first candidate to be elected in Coleraine, with an increased total of 1,325 first-preferences.^{[19] [20][21]}Shortly after the election, he caused controversy when he told the Coleraine Chronicle that he had "no regrets" over his involvement with the UVF during the Troubles.^[22][23]

In March 2020, Watton voted against a Sinn Fein motion, which would have seen the council fly the Rainbow flag during Foyle Pride. He said: "If they get putting up an LGBT flag, then we will be putting up flags for Polish independence or homelessness. When do they stop?" ^[24] The motion was ultimately unsuccessful.^[25][26]

During the 2022 Assembly election, Watton reported intimidation by 'known drug dealers,' including the defacement of one of his election posters with an image of a balaclava.^[27] In the election, he took 933 first-preference votes (2.1%), and was eliminated on the third count.^[28][29][30]

Watton was the second candidate to be returned in the district at the May 2023 local elections, taking a decreased first-preference share of 13.7%.^[31][32] Notably, he became the only elected representative for the PUP, following the defeat of their leader, Billy Hutchinson, in Belfast.^[33][34]

Following the local election results, Hutchinson stood down as leader, with Watton being announced as his successor on 14 June 2023.^[35][36][37]