Emma Little-Pengelly

Emma Little-Pengelly is a Democratic Unionist Party politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South since 2022. She previously served as the Member of Parliament for Belfast South from 2017 to 2022. Her political career has been closely associated with the Democratic Unionist Party's role in Westminster and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Early life and education

Emma Little-Pengelly was born in Belfast and is the daughter of former Democratic Unionist Party councillor and Special Adviser Noel Little. She attended Bloomfield Collegiate School in East Belfast before pursuing higher education. She studied law at Queen's University Belfast, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree. She later completed a Master of Laws in human rights law at the University of Ulster. Her academic background in law and human rights has informed her subsequent work in politics and policy.

Political career

Little-Pengelly began her political career as a Special Adviser within the Northern Ireland Executive, serving under First Minister Peter Robinson and later Arlene Foster in the Department of Justice and the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. She was elected as the MP for Belfast South in the 2017 United Kingdom general election, defeating the incumbent Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Alasdair McDonnell. During her tenure in the House of Commons, she served on the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee and was an active voice on issues related to the Belfast Agreement and Brexit. Following the death of Democratic Unionist Party MLA Christopher Stalford, she was co-opted to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2022 to represent Belfast South. In the Northern Ireland Executive, she was appointed as a Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister in February 2024, serving alongside First Minister Michelle O'Neill.

Personal life

Emma Little-Pengelly is married to Mark Pengelly, a barrister. The couple have two children. Her father, Noel Little, was a prominent figure in the Democratic Unionist Party and a close associate of the late Rev. Ian Paisley. In 2019, she publicly discussed being a survivor of a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack on her family home in 1988. She is a member of the Church of Ireland.

Electoral history

In the 2017 United Kingdom general election, she contested the Belfast South constituency, winning with 15,443 votes and a majority over the Social Democratic and Labour Party. She defended the seat in the 2019 United Kingdom general election but was defeated by Claire Hanna of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, she was elected as an MLA for Belfast South, topping the poll in her constituency with 6,225 first-preference votes.

Category:Democratic Unionist Party politicians Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland) for Belfast South Category:Members of Parliament for Belfast South Category:People educated at Bloomfield Collegiate School Category:Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Category:Alumni of the University of Ulster