Claire Hanna

Claire Aisling Hanna[1] (born 19 June 1980) is a Social Democratic and Labour Party politician from Northern Ireland. In December 2019, she was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South in the House of Commons. Previously, she was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2015 until her election to Parliament in 2019.

Claire Hanna

MP
Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byEmma Little-Pengelly
Majority15,401 (32.5%)
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast South
In office
29 June 2015 – 12 December 2019
Preceded byAlasdair McDonnell
Succeeded byMatthew O'Toole
Personal details
Born (1980-06-19) 19 June 1980
Connemara, County Galway, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partySocial Democratic and Labour Party
Spouse(s)Donal Lyons
Children3
Alma materOpen University
Queen's University Belfast

Early life and education

Born in Connemara, County Galway, Hanna has lived in South Belfast since the age of three. She attended St Bride's Primary and Rathmore Grammar School. She has an honours degree in International Relations from the Open University and a master's degree in Law from Queen's University Belfast. Her professional background is in international development, latterly in a policy and education role, and included work in Bangladesh, Haiti and Zambia.

She is married to Belfast SDLP Councillor Donal Lyons; the couple have three children.[2]

Political career

Hanna was elected to Belfast City Council, representing the Balmoral ward, from 2011 until her appointment as MLA, winning re-election in 2014.[3] During her time in council, she sat on the Strategic Policy & Resources and Town Planning committees as well as the Historic Centenaries Working group.

She secured all-party agreement to award the Freedom of Belfast to poet Michael Longley.[4] She initiated a campaign to name the new Greenway bridge after playwright and trade unionist Sam Thompson.[5] In the Assembly, she serves on the Regional Development Committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the Environment Committee. She established and chairs the Assembly All Party Groups on International Development and the Arts. To provide a dedicated advocacy forum for the Arts, which provide colour, jobs and completely shared spaces.[6]

Hanna was the first member of the SDLP to express concern about the decision of SDLP Newry councillors to vote to name a play park after IRA hunger striker Raymond McCreesh.[7]

During the same period, Hanna was chair of the East Belfast Policing Board and Community Partnership. Her home was attacked in the midst of the flag protests.[8]

In February 2019, Hanna resigned the party whip in protest after the SDLP agreed to form an electoral alliance with Fianna Fáil, stating that she would "never become a Fianna Fáil MLA".[9] Hanna had herself been more closely associated with the Irish Labour Party and had canvassed in support of them in the past.[10] At the same time she also quit as the SDLP's Brexit spokesperson, but chose to remain with the party.

Election to Parliament

At the 2019 General Election she became MP for Belfast South, capturing the seat from the incumbent Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP. However, she caused controversy when she affirmed allegiance to the Queen and then lodged a "respectful protest" against her pledge the following day.[11]

References
  1. "No. 8218". The Belfast Gazette. 23 December 2019. p. 1002.
  2. "About Claire". Claire Hanna. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  3. "Claire Hanna MLA – SDLP". Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  4. "Michael Longley: Poet honoured with Freedom of Belfast". BBC News. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  5. "Sam bridges the gap in east Belfast as public tweets its approval". Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  6. "The Northern Ireland Assembly". Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  7. "Unionist backing for SDLP councillor". M.newsletter.co.uk. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  8. "SDLP councillor Claire Hanna's home attacked". BBC News. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47164390
  10. https://twitter.com/ClaireHanna/status/1226057327595356162
  11. "SDLP's Claire Hanna lodges 'respectful protest' over pledge to Queen in Commons". Belfast Telegraph. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Emma Little-Pengelly		 Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
2019–present		 Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by
Alasdair McDonnell		 MLA for Belfast South
2015–2020		 Succeeded by
Matthew O'Toole
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