Emma Little-Pengelly

Emma Little-Pengelly is a Northern Irish politician serving as the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland since February 2024. A member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), she has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley since 2022. Previously, she held the position of Member of Parliament for Belfast South from 2017 to 2019 and served as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Executive Office. A qualified barrister, she began her political career as a special advisor to First Ministers Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson. Her tenure has been marked by her role in the reestablishment of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, becoming the first unionist to hold the office of Deputy First Minister.