The head of the Royal College of Nursing has stepped down to run for Sinn Féin in the UK general election.

Pat Cullen is seeking the Irish republican party’s nomination to stand as their candidate for the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency.

She has been general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) since 2021 and led the trade union into nationwide strike action.

Ms Cullen said she had informed the RCN her name will go forward to a Sinn Féin selection convention in the constituency this week.

“After much consideration, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step forward into the political arena to champion the issues and opportunities for the community I love, and that is what I am fully determined to do,” she said.

She added that the election on 4 July was an opportunity to support better funding for public services and “reject years of cruel Tory cuts”.

Ms Cullen grew up in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland and qualified as a registered nurse in 1985.

She has held senior roles within nursing, including director of nursing at the Public Health Agency.

Ms Cullen joined the RCN in 2016 and became its Northern Ireland director in 2019 before being appointed as general secretary and chief executive in 2021.

Her name and profile were removed from the RCN website on Wednesday morning following her announcement.

Last week, Sinn Féin confirmed sitting MP Michelle Gildernew would not be standing again in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency.

She is currently seeking election to the European Parliament in the Midlands-North-West constituency in the Republic of Ireland.

In the last Westminster election in 2019, Ms Gildernew retained the marginal seat with just 57 votes between her and Ulster Unionist Party candidate Tom Elliott.

Fermanagh and South Tyrone is the most marginal seat in the UK, as of the 2019 general election results.

The deadline for candidates to submit nomination forms in Northern Ireland to stand in the general election is Friday 7 June.

Just like the summer election announcement, Pat Cullen seeking to become a Sinn Féin MP has caught many by surprise.

The head of a nursing union with “royal” in its name joining an Irish republican party is eye-catching in itself.

But as the face of nationwide strike action in recent years, she is also a high-profile addition to this race.

Last time, Sinn Féin won the Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat by just 57 votes.

With so few ballots making the difference, the party may want all the candidate name recognition it can get.