Andy Allen (politician)
Andy Allen | |
---|---|
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East | |
Assumed office 15 September 2015 | |
Preceded by | Michael Copeland |
Personal details | |
Born | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 2 November 1988
Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
Spouse(s) | Natalie Allen |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Belfast |
Occupation | Politician |
Profession | Soldier |
Website | Official website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | British Army |
Years of service | 2006–2012 |
Rank | Ranger |
Unit | Royal Irish Regiment |
Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
Andrew Allen MBE MLA (born 2 November 1988) is an Ulster Unionist Party politician in Northern Ireland and a former soldier in the British Army. He served in the War in Afghanistan in 2008. He is one of the more liberal members of the party, consistently voting in favour of same-sex marriage and abortion.
Allen is the UUP spokesperson for Communities[1]
Biography[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Andy_Allen_constituency_office.jpg/220px-Andy_Allen_constituency_office.jpg)
Since September 2015, Allen has sat in the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East. He was co-opted to replace Michael Copeland, who had resigned his seat due to health reasons.[2] He has subsequently been re-elected twice, firstly in May 2016, then March 2017
He is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and was left a double above knee amputee and partially blind as a result of an attack by the Taliban in Helmand using an improvised explosive device.[3]
He featured in the BAFTA winning documentary, "Wounded." The documentary followed his journey from being injured in Afghanistan, which was caught on camera by one of his colleagues to his admission to Sellyoak Hospital in Birmingham, and his overall recovery. He is the founder of AA Veterans Support a charity setup to provide support to service personnel, veterans and their families in Northern Ireland.[4]
He was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Years Honour list for Service to Veterans and their families in Northern Ireland.
References[]
- ^ "UUP, Our People : Andy Allen".
- ^ Andy Allen is co-opted as Ulster Unionist MLA for East Belfast, BBC News, 15 September 2015
- ^ Afghanistan veteran Andy Allen co-opted into the Ulster Unionist Party's seat in East Belfast, BelfastLive.co.uk, accessed 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Double amputee MLA Andy Allen 'humbled and proud' to win national award for helping other veterans". Belfast Telegraph. 24 April 2018.
External links[]
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Politicians from Belfast
- Ulster Unionist Party MLAs
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017
- Northern Ireland MLAs 2017–2022
- British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Royal Irish Regiment (1992) soldiers
- British amputees
- Irish amputees
- British politicians with physical disabilities
- Northern Ireland politician stubs