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Claire Hanna: SDLP’s likely new leader is party’s ‘only hope’ against Sinn Féin dominance

Galway-born MP for South Belfast is in pole position to take over as leader of the nationalist party

SDLP's Claire Hanna after retaining her seat for Belfast South and Mid Down at Westminster in the UK general election in July. Photo: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press
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Seanín Graham
Mon Sept 02 2024 - 18:15

In her first comments since confirming her intention to become the next leader of the SDLP in Northern Ireland, Claire Hanna admitted that taking on the role will be daunting.

The Belfast South and Mid Down MP was equally frank in an interview with the BBC about the shortcomings in a party that once commanded the majority nationalist vote in the North’s Assembly but is now relegated to fifth place, with no place at the Executive table.

The 44-year-old Galway-born politician is one of the SDLP’s most capable representatives and its prize electoral asset; she secured a second landslide win to retain her Westminster seat two months ago, a remarkable victory amid the party’s electoral decline and one that party leader Colum Eastwood failed to match when he retained his Foyle seat in July’s UK general election.

In his resignation speech last Thursday, Eastwood formally endorsed Hanna as his successor while SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole – the only other likely runner for the post – has also backed her.

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Parallels are often drawn between Eastwood and Hanna – the two are close and have MP offices next to each other in London – in terms of their more modern and progressive approach, particularly on social issues.

But party insiders point to what sets her apart from Eastwood in that they believe she has an ability to “reach outside the SDLP”.

“Colum’s argument was that the SDLP is a broad nationalist church but he actually came across as quite nationalist a lot of time,” one said.

“So while it might have played well in Derry, it wasn’t playing well anywhere else. I think people are more willing to listen to someone like Claire talk about a united Ireland.”

Hanna’s organisational skills and strong personal vote have also been singled out in the wake of her election campaign.

“If you look at her canvass teams, she had over 100 volunteers. She had so many that they only had to go out one night a week because she had such a rota of people. They were even able to export people to other constituencies,” another member said.

But are Hanna’s strengths enough to win back the votes lost to Sinn Féin and the centrist Alliance Party over the past five years?

“It is a poisoned chalice,” said a party veteran, “but she is their only hope”.

Hanna herself acknowledged on Monday that the party has “shrunk”, leading to a lot of people “not getting a knock on the door from the SDLP for a while” – a trend she said she wants to reverse.

There has also been criticism around the lack of visibility of Eastwood in Sinn Féin constituencies that were once SDLP strongholds.

If, as expected, Hanna is ratified as SDLP leader at the party conference next month – the nominations process closes this Friday – she must motivate and energise her teams in those key constituencies.

As one election strategist put it: “If you want to tell the Shinners, we’re going nowhere, the places that you leave a footprint in are West Tyrone, South Armagh and West Belfast.

“You make a statement that you’re not going away.”