Who is Elisha McCallion? Star Sinn Fein figure quits over £30k covid fiasco

Full story here – FULL STATEMENT: Sinn Fein politician quits and leader apologises over Covid funding fiasco

But who is the 38-year-old erstwhile senator, whose stellar rise has seen her occupy four different elected posts in six years?

The ARK election archive shows she was elected to Derry City and Strabane District Council in 2014, just making it over the line to claim the last seat in the Ballyarnett area.

It is understood IRA convict-turned-politician Martina Anderson is her aunt.

She became mayor of the council in 2015/2016.

She stood for election in the Foyle constituency in March 2017 and topped the poll in terms of first-preference votes, but just three months later gave up that seat when she was elected as MP for the constituency – winning by the slender margin of 169 votes, just beating Mark Durkan of the SDLP.

During the talks about restoring Stormont in 2018 she was often pictured in the company of the party’s upper echelons including Mary Lou McDonald, Michelle O’Neill, and Conor Murphy.

But in the 2019 General Election, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood stood in Foyle and trounced Mrs McCallion – winning almost 27,000 votes against her roughly 10,000.

And then this year she was appointed to the Seanad in Dublin – a position she has just resigned.

In a statement on Thursday night she said: “Earlier this year a Small Business Grant was lodged into a joint account of which I am a named signature with my husband.

“I did not apply for nor solicit this money, nor did I receive any correspondence from the department in relation to it.

“I fully accept that as a named signature on the account that I should have taken extra steps to verify this situation, before it was brought to my attention on Tuesday. The money was repaid in full on Tuesday.

“I apologise unreservedly for the poor judgement I showed in relation to this and therefore, last night I spoke to the party leader and tendered my resignation as a member of Seanad Éireann with immediate effect.”

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