Claire Hanna

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.

Claire Hanna
MP
Official portrait, 2019
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
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
Connemara, County Galway, Republic of Ireland
Political partySDLP (2008 – February 2019; November 2019 – present)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (February 2019 – November 2019)
Spouse
Donal Lyons
​
(m. 2011)​
Children3
ParentCarmel Hanna (mother)
Alma materOpen University
Queen's University Belfast

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 Bachelors of Science (BSc) with honours 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]

References
  1. "No. 8218". The Belfast Gazette. 23 December 2019. p. 1002.
  2. "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. "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.
  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.
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