Claire Hanna hails pro-Remain voting arrangements after thumping SDLP South Belfast win

The SDLP’s Claire Hanna delivered a thumping win over the DUP incumbent Emma Little-Pengelly, winning by over 15,000 votes.

Ms Hanna topped the poll with 27,079 votes ahead of Ms Little-Pengelly with 11,678 votes.

Both Sinn Fein and the Green Party took the decision not to run candidates in South Belfast, instead backing Ms Hanna on a pro-Remain platform.

Ms Hanna paid tribute to Ms Little-Pengelly, saying her hard work and dedication to the constituency “had never been in doubt”.

She also paid tribute to Green Party leader Clare Bailey for her decision to back her, saying the pro Remain arrangements “was clearly a move that had borne fruit across Northern Ireland in the seats that have been gained”.

“We know there is no good form of Brexit, we have many, many challenges ahead of us but we do know that the relationships that we have to protect within Northern Ireland and on an east west basis and north south basis have to be nurtured,” she said.

“We’ll have to do that at Westminster and hopefully we can do it in a restored executive.”

She said her party was committed to restoring powersharing at Stormont when negotiations resume next week.

“People just want this over, they know we need devolution to protect us and I hope that’s a message that will be heard loudly and clearly in the talks.”

Ms Little-Pengelly showed good grace in defeat and congratulated Ms Hanna on she described as a “phenomenal result”.

The former Stormont junior minister and spad – who counted former DUP leader Peter Robinson among her canvassing team – went on to thanking her team and added: “We knew things were going to be very challenging for us in South Belfast in a constituency with 33,000 people voted remain at a time when Brexit has not been resolved one way or another.

“It was always going to be a difficult battle, with Sinn Fein and the Green Party not standing that battle became even more difficult”.