Arlene Isabel Foster MLA PC (; born 17 July 1970) is a Northern Irish politician. She has been the First Minister of Northern Ireland since 2020, having also served this role from 2016 to 2017. She has been leader of the largest Northern Irish political party, the Democratic Unionist Party, since December 2015. She is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, representing Fermanagh and South Tyrone. She strongly supports Northern Ireland staying in the United Kingdom and is a member of the Protestant Church of Ireland.