1. Claire Sugden was born on 7 August 1986 and is a Northern Irish politician who was the Minister of Justice in the fourth Northern Ireland Executive from May 2016 to March 2017.
18 Facts About Claire Sugden
1. 2.
Claire Sugden is a Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Londonderry, having been co-opted to the position after the death of David McClarty in 2014, and won election to the seat in 2016,2017 and 2022.
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Claire Sugden is an Independent Unionist, and is considered to be one of the most socially liberal unionist MLAs in the Assembly.
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Claire Sugden was raised in the Greenmount area of Coleraine.
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Claire Sugden attended Killowen primary school and Coleraine High School before studying a bachelor's degree in politics at Queen's University Belfast and graduating in 2008.
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Claire Sugden has a master's degree in Irish politics from Queen's University Belfast and was studying part-time for a master's degree in political lobbying from the Ulster University when she was co-opted as an MLA.
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Claire Sugden then interned at the United States Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Washington Ireland Program.
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Claire Sugden was co-opted as a member of Coleraine Borough Council in 2013 after McClarty resigned his seat on the council.
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Claire Sugden was nominated to succeed him in his seat in February 2014 after he fell ill.
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Claire Sugden served as a member of the Committee for Employment and Learning from 12 May 2014 to 30 March 2016 and as chairperson of the All Party Group on Ageing and Older People from 29 October 2015 to 30 March 2016.
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Claire Sugden raised a matter of the day on the future of Northern Irish political institutions in September 2015.
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Claire Sugden was elected as the MLA for East Londonderry in the 2016 election.
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On 25 May 2016, it was announced that Claire Sugden would take on the role, saying that it was a "huge challenge" but that she was "up for it".
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On 19 December 2016, during the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal, which implicated the First Minister Arlene Foster, Claire Sugden voted against a vote of no confidence in Foster, calling it "premature".
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Claire Sugden said that she believed Foster should remain in office while any investigation took place.
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Claire Sugden formally remained in post as Minister of Justice until election day, despite the Executive Committee being unable to meet.
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In May 2021 Claire Sugden turned down an invitation from Doug Beattie to join the UUP, preferring to remain as an independent, but did not rule out a move to the party in the longer term.
18.
Claire Sugden married Andy Anderson at the end of June 2019.