Emma Little-Pengelly

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Emma Little-Pengelly
MLA
Official portrait, 2017
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
Assumed office
3 February 2024
Serving with Michelle O'Neill
Preceded byMichelle O'Neill
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Lagan Valley
Assumed office
12 May 2022
Preceded byPaul Rankin
Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byAlasdair McDonnell
Succeeded byClaire Hanna
Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
In office
28 October 2015 – 25 May 2016
Serving with Jennifer McCann
Preceded byMichelle McIlveen
Succeeded byAlastair Ross
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast South
In office
28 September 2015 – 25 January 2017
Preceded byJimmy Spratt
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
Emma Little

(1979-12-31) 31 December 1979 (age 44)
Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyDemocratic Unionist Party
Spouse
Richard Pengelly
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3 stepchildren
Residence(s)Belfast, County Antrim
Alma materQueen's University Belfast
ProfessionBarrister[1]

Emma Little-Pengelly (née Little; born 31 December 1979)[2] is a Northern Irish barrister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician[3] 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.[4][5]

She previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Belfast South constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 2017 until 2019, when she lost her seat to Claire Hanna of the SDLP,[6] and as an MLA for the Belfast South constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Early life[edit]

Little-Pengelly is the daughter of Maureen Elizabeth Little and Noel Little[7] (also known as John Little).[8] Her father was a leader of the loyalist paramilitary group Ulster Resistance[8] and a former Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier.[9] He was absent from her childhood for two years, following his arrest in Paris in April 1989. Along with two other paramilitaries, Little was convicted of terrorism-related conspiracy, for trying to trade stolen British missile plans to the South African government in return for weapons. He was fined and sentenced to time served.[10] Noel Little was also alleged to have been involved in the smuggling of weapons to loyalists in 1987.[11]

Little-Pengelly was educated at Markethill High School, Portadown College and Queen's University Belfast.[7] She qualified as a barrister in 2003.[12]

Political career[edit]

Little-Pengelly began her political career in 2007 as Special Advisor (Spad) to the Reverend Ian Paisley, while he was in the office of First Minister, where she worked as part of the DUP talks team with victims of the Troubles.[13] Little-Pengelly remained in the position of Special Advisor when Peter Robinson assumed the office of First Minister in 2008 until 2015 after over eight years in the position.[14]

In 2015, Little-Pengelly was chosen by the DUP to replace Jimmy Spratt as MLA for Belfast South in the Northern Ireland Assembly, following his retirement due to ill health.[15] On 28 October 2015, Little-Pengelly was appointed as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Executive Office.[1] Little-Pengelly ran in the 2016 Assembly Election in the South Belfast constituency and was elected.[16] She lost her seat at the 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election, as the total number of seats in Belfast South was reduced from 6 to 5, trailing her running mate Christopher Stalford by 15 votes at the time of her elimination.[17]

At the 2017 UK general election, Little-Pengelly was elected MP for Belfast South, gaining the seat from the SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell.[18] The former Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson was the chief strategist behind Little-Pengelly's campaign.[19] She later lost the seat to the SDLP's Claire Hanna at the 2019 general election.[20]

On 12 May 2022, one week after the Northern Ireland Assembly election, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson refused to take his seat in Stormont due to his opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Little-Pengelly was appointed by the DUP to replace him.[21] She said "I have agreed to fill [Donaldson's] seat in Lagan Valley at this time both to support this work and to ensure a continued high level of support and service to the constituents of Lagan Valley. It is a privilege to be asked to fulfil this role at this important time for unionism and for Northern Ireland. While Sir Jeffrey focuses on that immediate task, I look forward to serving the people of Lagan Valley with passion and commitment."[22]

Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland[edit]

On 3 February 2024, Little-Pengelly became deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland following the reestablishment of the Northern Ireland Executive.[23] Her appointment marked the first time a unionist occupied the office of deputy First Minister.[16]

Personal life[edit]

Little-Pengelly is married to Richard Pengelly CB,[24] who is the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland.[24][25][26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MLA Details: Mrs Emma Little Pengelly". Northern Ireland Assembly. 4 March 2017.
  2. ^ Staff writer (28 September 2015). "DUP appoint Emma Pengelly to succeed Jimmy Spratt as South Belfast MLA". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. ^ "The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland - EONI". www.eoni.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Emma Little-Pengelly to take Donaldson's MLA seat". BBC News. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Emma Little Pengelly". parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Little-Pengelly, Emma". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. ^ a b "Terrorist father of DUP's newest MLA Emma Pengelly works as steward at St Anne's Cathedral". Belfast Telegraph. 8 October 2015. ISSN 0307-1235.
  8. ^ Little, Ivan (1 October 2015). "Ivan Little: Day I quizzed Emma Pengelly's gunrunner dad at loyalist blockade". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  9. ^ Cobain, Ian (27 June 2017). "Troubled past: the paramilitary connection that still haunts the DUP". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Adair says Ulster Resistance weapons a 'Godsend' for loyalists". The Irish Times. 6 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Emma Little-Pengelly: Who is the new deputy first minister?". The Irish News. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ^ Brankin, Una (29 September 2015). "DUP's new face at Assembly: A minister in the making?". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  13. ^ Hughes, Brendan (9 October 2015). "DUP's Emma Pengelly set for Spad 'golden handshake'". The Irish News. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Emma Pengelly is new DUP MLA for south Belfast". BBC News. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Who is Emma-Little Pengelly, NI's new deputy first minister?". BBC News. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  16. ^ Bell, Jonny (6 March 2017). "NI Election: Little Pengelly blames DUP leaflet confusion for losing seat". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  17. ^ Grattan, Gary (9 June 2017). "Video: DUP's Emma Pengelly vows to 'represent all the people of South Belfast' after taking Alasdair McDonnell's seat". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  18. ^ Grattan, Gary (9 June 2017). "Video: Former DUP leader Peter Robinson on Emma Little Pengelly's South Belfast win". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  19. ^ Harte, Lauren (13 December 2019). "South Belfast: SDLP's Claire Hanna in crushing victory over DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  20. ^ Harte, Lauren (12 May 2022). "Former DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly named as new MLA for Lagan Valley". BelfastLive. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  21. ^ Breen, Suzanne (13 May 2022). "DUP leader accused of treating voters with 'contempt' as Emma Little-Pengelly returns to fill Donaldson's seat at Stormont". Retrieved 13 May 2022 – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
  22. ^ Cunningham, Paul (3 February 2024). "Return of power-sharing a 'special day' for Northern Ireland". RTE. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  23. ^ a b Black, Rebecca; McCambridge, Jonathan; Ward, James (31 December 2021). "New Year Honours: NI health staff among those recognised in annual honours". BelfastLive.
  24. ^ Manley, John (23 September 2014). "Concerns over DUP adviser role as company director". The Irish News. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  25. ^ Hargan, Garret (9 March 2022). "NI Civil Service reshuffle will see Richard Pengelly move from the Department of Health". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. Retrieved 17 May 2022.

External links[edit]

Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Belfast South
2015–2017 		Seat abolished
Preceded by MLA for Lagan Valley
2022–present 		Incumbent
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Belfast South
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Junior Minister
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Michelle O'Neill 		Deputy First Minister
2024–present 		Incumbent
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