Carla Lockhart

Carla Rebecca Lockhart (born 28 February 1985) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper Bann since the 2019 general election. She currently serves as the DUP spokesperson for environment, food and rural affairs. She was previously a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann from 2016 to 2019.

Early life and career
Lockhart was born to Kenneth and Valerie Lockhart in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, as part of a working-class family. She attended Aughnacloy High School, before attending Armagh Tech (now part of Southern Regional College) and then obtaining a business degree from the University of Ulster. Interested in politics from a young age, she was a member of the DUP's Young Democrats in her youth.

Political career
Lockhart was elected to Craigavon Borough Council in 2007, representing the Lurgan area. She was Mayor of Craigavon from 2012 to 2013, and stepped down in 2016 to run for the Assembly elections. Lockhart was President of the Local Government Association of Northern Ireland from 2015 to 2016.

She worked full-time in the Lurgan DUP Advice Centre under Stephen Moutray, whilst working as a councillor. Lockhart was elected as an MLA for Upper Bann in 2016.

On 8 November 2019, Lockhart announced her candidacy for the Upper Bann Westminster constituency at the 2019 general election. On 13 December, Lockhart won the seat in Westminster, succeeding the retiring MP David Simpson, and stepped down from her seat as MLA for Upper Bann.

Lockhart is a governor at Lurgan Junior High School and Magheralin Primary School.

Despite previously stating during a 2017 interview that having no functioning Northern Ireland Executive was one of the biggest problems facing the citizens of Northern Ireland, in November 2022 Lockhart defended the DUP's collapse of the same institutions by claiming the party had a democratic mandate to do so.

In December 2022, Lockhart, Miriam Cates and Rosie Duffield signed a cross-party letter asking the British Government to block the Scottish Government's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Personal life
Lockhart is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. She is married to Rodney Condell, a quantity surveyor.