Andy Allen (politician)

Andrew "Andy" Allen MBE MLA (born 2 November 1988) is an Ulster Unionist Party politician in Northern Ireland and a former soldier in the British Army. He served in the War in Afghanistan in 2008. He is one of the more liberal members of the party, consistently voting in favour of same-sex marriage and abortion.

Andy Allen

MBE MLA
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Belfast East
Assumed office
15 September 2015
Preceded byMichael Copeland
Personal details
Born (1988-11-02) 2 November 1988
Belfast, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
Spouse(s)Natalie Allen
Children3
ResidenceBelfast
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionSoldier
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service2006-2012
RankRanger
UnitRoyal Irish Regiment
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

Biography

Since September 2015, Allen has sat in the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East. He was co-opted to replace Michael Copeland, who had resigned his seat due to health reasons.[1] He has subsequently been re-elected twice, firstly in May 2016, then March 2017

He is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and was left a double above knee amputee and partially blind as a result of an attack by the Taliban in Helmand using improvised explosive device.[2]

He featured in the BAFTA winning documentary, "Wounded." The documentary followed his journey from being injured in Afghanistan, which was caught on camera by one of his colleagues to his admission to Sellyoak Hospital in Birmingham, and his overall recovery. He is the founder of AA Veterans Support a charity setup to provide support to service personnel, veterans and their families in Northern Ireland.

He was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Years Honour list for Service to Veterans and their families in Northern Ireland.

References
  1. Andy Allen is co-opted as Ulster Unionist MLA for East Belfast, BBC News, 15 September 2015
  2. Afghanistan veteran Andy Allen co-opted into the Ulster Unionist Party's seat in East Belfast, BelfastLive.co.uk, accessed 16 September 2015.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by
Michael Copeland		 MLA for Belfast East
2015–present		 Incumbent


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