Emma Little-Pengelly | |
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![]() Little-Pengelly in 2024 | |
Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland | |
Assumed office 3 February 2024 Serving with Michelle O'Neill | |
Preceded by | Michelle O'Neill |
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley | |
Assumed office 12 May 2022 | |
Preceded by | Paul Rankin |
Member of Parliament for Belfast South | |
In office 8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019 | |
Preceded by | Alasdair McDonnell |
Succeeded by | Claire Hanna |
Junior Minister Assisting the First Minister | |
In office 28 October 2015 – 25 May 2016 Serving with Jennifer McCann | |
First Minister | Peter Robinson |
Preceded by | Michelle McIlveen |
Succeeded by | Alastair Ross |
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South | |
In office 28 September 2015 – 25 January 2017 | |
Preceded by | Jimmy Spratt |
Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Emma Little 31 December 1979 Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Democratic Unionist |
Spouse |
Richard Pengelly (m. 2014) |
Children | 3 stepchildren |
Residence(s) | Belfast, County Antrim |
Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
Profession | Barrister[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 then-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.