Claire Hanna

Last updated

Donal Lyons
​
(m. 2011)​
Claire Hanna
MP
Official portrait of Claire Hanna MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Children3
Parent Carmel Hanna (mother)
Alma mater Open University
Queen's University Belfast

Claire Aisling Hanna (born 19 June 1980) is an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician from Northern Ireland. [1] [2] In December 2019, she was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South in the House of Commons. Previously, she had been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2015 until her election to parliament in 2019.

Contents

Early life and education

Hanna was born in Connemara, County Galway, to parents Carmel Hanna and Eamon Hanna. She had two sisters and a brother. [3] Hanna has lived in South Belfast since the age of three. She attended St Bride's Primary and Rathmore Grammar School, both in Belfast. [2] Hanna holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) honours degree in International Relations from the Open University and a master's degree in law (LLM) from Queen's University Belfast. In 1998, her mother Carmel became a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the SDLP, representing Belfast South until 2010. [3]

Hanna's professional background is in international development, latterly in a policy and education role, and included work in Bangladesh, Haiti and Zambia. She was a campaigns officer for Concern Worldwide from 2005 to 2015. [2]

Political career

Belfast City Council

Hanna was elected to Belfast City Council in 2011, representing the Balmoral ward, winning re-election in 2014. She remained in this role until becoming an MLA in June 2015. [4]

She successfully brought forward a motion to make Belfast City Council the first Living Wage local authority on the island, as well as securing all-party support for her proposal to award the Freedom of Belfast to poet Michael Longley. [5] She initiated a campaign to name the new Greenway bridge after playwright and trade unionist Sam Thompson. [6]

She was replaced by her husband Donal Lyons on Belfast City Council. [7]

Northern Ireland Assembly

Hanna was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in June 2015, representing Belfast South, the same constituency in which her mother had previously been elected. She served as vice chair of the Finance Committee, as well as on the Public Accounts Committee and the Environment Committees and chaired the Assembly All Party Groups on International Development and the Arts. Hanna's private member's bill on breastfeeding fell when the Assembly collapsed in early 2017. [8]

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. [9] During the same period, Hanna was chair of the East Belfast Policing Board and Community Partnership. Her home was attacked in the midst of flag protests in the area. [10]

In February 2019, Hanna resigned the SDLP party whip in protest after the party agreed to form an electoral alliance with Fianna Fáil, stating that she would "never become a Fianna Fáil MLA". [11] Hanna had herself been more closely associated with the Irish Labour Party, and had canvassed in support of them in the past. [12]

House of Commons

At the 2019 general election, she became the MP for Belfast South, capturing the seat from the incumbent, Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP. However, Hanna caused controversy when she affirmed allegiance to the Queen, and then lodged a "respectful protest" against her pledge the following day. [13]

Personal life

She married Belfast SDLP councillor Donal Lyons in 2011; the couple have three daughters. [14] Hanna lists her recreations as "theatre, reading, running, listening to music, art". [2]

Related Research Articles

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has seven members in the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs) and two members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Assembly</span> Legislature of Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Assembly, often referred to by the metonym Stormont, is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918 and since 1922

Belfast South is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Claire Hanna of the SDLP.

Carmel Hanna MLA is an Irish politician. She is a member of the SDLP and was MLA for South Belfast from 1998 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick</span> Irish politician (born 1958)

Margaret Mary Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick, is an Irish politician who was the Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2010 to 2011. She was previously a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down from 2003 to 2012, and was the Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2007 to 2010. Ritchie was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down from 2010 to 2017. She became a life peer in 2019 initially as a non-affiliated member, and then from October 2021 as a Labour member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolores Kelly</span>

Mary Dolores Kelly is a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann from 2003 until 2016, and again from 2017 until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martina Anderson</span> Irish politician from Northern Ireland

Martina Anderson is an Irish former politician from Northern Ireland who served as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Foyle from 2020 to 2021, and previously from 2007 to 2012. A member of Sinn Féin, she served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Maskey</span> Irish politician

Paul John Maskey is an Irish republican politician in Northern Ireland who is a member of Sinn Féin. He served as a Sinn Féin member (MLA) of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast West from 2007 to 2012. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Westminster constituency of Belfast West since 2011, but in line with Sinn Féin's policy of abstentionism he has not taken his seat in the House of Commons.

Conall McDevitt is an Irish nationalist, and former member of the SDLP. He also served as the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) spokesman on Health, Social Services and Public safety and Policing, and was appointed to the Policing Board in May 2011.

The fourth Northern Ireland Assembly was the unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland following the 2011 assembly election on 5 May 2011. This iteration of the elected Assembly convened for the first time on 12 May 2011 in Parliament Buildings in Stormont, and ran for a full term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hazzard</span> Northern Irish politician from Sinn Féin

Christopher John Hazzard is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Down since the 2017 United Kingdom general election, when he defeated incumbent Margaret Ritchie of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. Due to Sinn Féin's policy of abstentionism with regard to the Westminster Parliament, Hazzard has not taken his seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 2 March 2017. The election was held to elect members (MLAs) following the resignation of deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. McGuinness' position was not filled, and thus by law his resignation triggered an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Little-Pengelly</span> Northern Irish barrister and politician

Emma Little-Pengelly is a Northern Irish barrister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician serving as the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland since February 2024. She has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley since May 2022, when she was co-opted (appointed) to replace DUP party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who declined to take up his seat following the 2022 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Bradshaw</span> Politician from Northern Ireland

Paula Jane Bradshaw is an Alliance Party of Northern Ireland politician. She has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Belfast since the 2016 election and in 2024 was appointed Alliance Party Chief Whip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Lockhart</span> Politician from Northern Ireland

Carla Rebecca Lockhart is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper Bann since the 2019 general election, currently serving as the DUP Spokesperson for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. She was previously a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann, elected at the 2016 election, until 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span> Election held in Northern Ireland

The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months after the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed due to the resignation of the First Minister, Paul Givan of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisha McCallion</span> Irish former politician (born 1982)

Elisha McCallion is an Irish former Sinn Féin politician who served as a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from April 2020 until October 2020. She previously served as Mayor of Derry from 2015 to 2016, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Foyle from 2017 to 2019, and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Foyle from March 2017 to June 2017.

Pat Catney is an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician and former publican, serving as a Lisburn and Castlereagh City Councillor for the Lisburn North DEA since 2023. Catney previously served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley from 2017 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Northern Ireland local elections</span> Local elections

Local elections were held in Northern Ireland on Thursday 2 May 2019. The last elections were held in 2014. 819 candidates contested 462 seats across Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts. 1,305,384 people aged 18 and over were eligible to vote, and 52.7% of the electorate turned out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aontú</span> Irish political party

Aontú is an all-Ireland political party that was formally launched in January 2019, and operates in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ideologically, Aontú is opposed to abortion and combines elements of social conservatism with advocacy for a united Ireland and centre-left economics. It has been led by Peadar Tóibín since its foundation.

References

  1. ↑ "No. 8218". The Belfast Gazette . 23 December 2019. p. 1002.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Hanna, Claire, (born 19 June 1980), MP (SDLP) Belfast South, since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u284954. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Hanna, Carmel, (born 26 April 1946), Member (SDLP) South Belfast, Northern Ireland Assembly, 1998–2010". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u18925. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Claire Hanna MLA – SDLP". Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Michael Longley: Poet honoured with Freedom of Belfast". BBC News. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Sam bridges the gap in east Belfast as public tweets its approval". Belfasttelegraph. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  7. ↑ McAdam, Noel (19 August 2015). "SDLP's Claire Hanna: Why I didn't mention my replacement on council was my husband". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Northern Ireland Assembly". Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Unionist backing for SDLP councillor". M.newsletter.co.uk. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "SDLP councillor Claire Hanna's home attacked". BBC News. 6 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "I'd never be a Fianna Fáil MLA says Hanna". BBC News. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  12. ↑ Claire Hanna [@ClaireHanna] (8 February 2020). "Good luck #GE2020ers. My political home is @labour but been v happy too to support excellent @FineGael & @fiannafailparty friends & admire candidates beyond. PR voting encourages thought beyond political silo! For sure we need TDs in all parties who know challenge & dynamic of NI" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "SDLP's Claire Hanna lodges 'respectful protest' over pledge to Queen in Commons". Belfast Telegraph. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "About Claire". Claire Hanna. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
2019–present		Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Belfast South
2015–2020		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.