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Claire Hanna

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Claire Hanna
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 October 2024
Preceded byColum Eastwood
Member of Parliament
for Belfast South and Mid Down
Belfast South (2019–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byEmma Little-Pengelly
Majority12,506 (28.8%)
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast South
In office
29 June 2015 – 12 December 2019
Preceded byAlasdair McDonnell
Succeeded byMatthew O'Toole
Member of Belfast City Council
In office
5 May 2011 – 29 June 2015
Preceded byCarmel Hanna
Succeeded byDonal Lyons
ConstituencyBalmoral
Personal details
Born (1980-06-19) 19 June 1980 (age 44)
Galway, Republic of Ireland
Political partySDLP (2008 – February 2019; November 2019 – present)
Spouse
Donal Lyons
​
(m. 2011)​
Children3
Parent
Alma mater

Claire Aisling Hanna (born 19 June 1980) is an Irish politician who has served as Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) since 5 October 2024 following her successful candidacy in the 2024 leadership election.[1] She has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South and Mid Down (formerly Belfast South) since 2019. Hanna previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2015 until her election to Westminster in 2019.

Early life and education

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Claire Aisling Hanna[2] was born on 19 June 1980 in Galway, Ireland, to parents Carmel Hanna and Eamon Hanna,[3] with two sisters and a brother.[4] Eamon Hanna is a former general secretary of the SDLP.[5]

Hanna has lived in south Belfast since the age of three. She attended St Bride's Primary and Rathmore Grammar School, both in Belfast.[3] 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 the 1998 Assembly election, her mother Carmel became a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the SDLP, representing Belfast South until 2010.[4]

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.[3]

Political career

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Belfast City Council

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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.[6]

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.[7] She initiated a campaign to name the new Greenway bridge after playwright and trade unionist Sam Thompson.[8]

She was replaced by her husband Donal Lyons on Belfast City Council.[9]

Northern Ireland Assembly

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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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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".[13] Hanna had herself been more closely associated with the Irish Labour Party and Fine Gael, and had canvassed in support of them in the past.[14]

House of Commons

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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.[15]

Personal life

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She married Belfast SDLP councillor Donal Lyons in 2011; the couple have three daughters.[16] Hanna lists her recreations as "theatre, reading, running, listening to music, art".[3] She has spoken of the importance of the arts as "facilitating human connection and our understanding of ourselves" and how, in Northern Ireland, the arts and arts venues are important shared spaces.

References

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  1. ^ "Claire Hanna: SDLP leadership contest has no other candidates". BBC News. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  2. ^ "No. 8218". The Belfast Gazette. 23 December 2019. p. 1002.
  3. ^ a b c d "Hanna, Claire". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2023. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U284954. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b "Hanna, Carmel". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U18925. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ Gordon, Gareth (1 September 2024). "Claire Hanna seeks to become SDLP leader". BBC News. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Claire Hanna MLA – SDLP". Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "The Northern Ireland Assembly". Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Unionist backing for SDLP councillor". M.newsletter.co.uk. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "SDLP councillor Claire Hanna's home attacked". BBC News. 6 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "SDLP's Claire Hanna canvasses for Fine Gael and Labour in Irish election". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 4 February 2020. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "About Claire". Claire Hanna. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claire Hanna.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
2019–2024 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Belfast South and Mid Down
2024–present 		Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South
2015–2020 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the SDLP
2024 to present 		Incumbent
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