Clare Daly

Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, affiliated to The Left in the European Parliament.

In the 1980s, Daly was a member of the Labour Party as a teenager, but was later expelled alongside other members after they were accused of being Trotskyists infiltrating the party using the tactic of entryism. She went on to be a founding member of "Militant Labour", later renamed the Socialist Party. In 1999 she was elected to Fingal County Council, a position she held for 12 years. Daly was elected as a Socialist Party TD for the Dublin North constituency at the 2011 general election.

Since 2012, Daly has had a close political association with Mick Wallace. After the Socialist Party condemned Wallace for tax evasion, Daly left the party in August 2012 and formed United Left.

After becoming an MEP, Daly gained international attention for her foreign policy positions, particularly on Russia. Describing herself as an opponent of "EU militarism", her views have been the subject of controversy and criticism in Europe, but have been promoted by state-controlled media in Russia, China, Iran, Syria, and other authoritarian states. Daly lost her seat in the 2024 European Parliament election. She was a candidate in Dublin Central in the 2024 general election but was eliminated on the 4th count.