General election: Alliance Party are ‘underdogs’ says Naomi Long

The Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has said her party is the “underdog” in the General Election – even in seats it once held.

The party is a strong contender in Lagan Valley and also in North Down and East Belfast, where it has won in the past.

Speaking on The View on BBC NI, Mrs Long said: “We are essentially the underdog in those three seats.”

Mrs Long won the East Belfast seat in 2010 but lost it in 2015.

At the last election in 2019, her deputy leader Stephen Farry won in North Down.

Mrs Long said: “Even though Stephen (Farry) is the incumbent, there’s clearly a real push on to have him removed and I’ve been in that situation myself in 2015 and I know the pressure that entails.

“But the bottom line is that we’re there, we’re there to fight to win and we’re going to continue to put our best foot forward.”

She defended her decision to run in the July 4 election, while being Justice Minister in the Stormont executive.

She denied that her move was a snub to devolution.

She said: “I’m not turning my back on the Assembly. I would be going to Westminster for the precise reasons I set out – in order to try to bring stability to our finances which is the major challenge, to try to bring stability to our political institutions which is the other major challenge.”

She added: “Irrespective of where I sit, my commitment to devolution is unshaken.”

Alliance is running in all 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland.

A total of 136 candidates are standing, which is 34 more than at the last general election.

The voter registration deadline is 18 June.