Media under fire over treatment of Stormont ministers running for Westminster

Alliance leader Ms Long has confirmed that she will be on the campaign trail as the party’s candidate for East Belfast when the country goes to the polls on July 4.

She will be going head to head with the DUP’s Gavin Robinson who is seeking a third term on the green benches – having taken the seat from Ms Long in 2015.

Mr Robinson was re-elected in 2019 with a majority of 1,819 over his Alliance rival in second place.

Ms Long’s decision to remain in post during the election campaign is in contrast to Robin Swann standing down as health minister to contest the South Antrim seat.

Although the Ulster Unionist MLA had initially suggested he could simultaneously “do both roles well,” he later conceded that it would be “rational” for his party colleague, Mike Nesbitt, to take over as health minister.

Responding to Ms Long’s confirmation that she will stand in East Belfast, the TUV said the Alliance leader has not come under pressure to choose in the same way Mr Swann did.

“The reaction of the BBC and their 'commentators' to the decision of Naomi Long to run for Westminster while remaining in the Executive is very telling,” a TUV spokesperson said.

Robin Swann during an appearance on BBC Sunday Politics. BBC

"She has been able to do so without coming in for the sort of criticism directed at Robin Swann, something unionists will draw obvious conclusions from."

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has claimed that his party colleague Mr Swann was “hounded” for suggesting he could remain as an NI Executive minister during a Westminster election campaign.

In a social media message, Mr Beattie said: “I shall wait to hear all the comments about this minister standing for #GE24 in the same way @uuponline was hounded.

"Let’s hear the media, the commentators, the social media influencers!!!”

Ms Long said it “wasn’t a straightforward decision” to stand, but one that she has “given a lot of thought to”.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, she said she remains focused on her role as justice minister.

“I have fought many elections while a minister and it has never distracted me from what I’m doing,” she said.

"In terms of stepping aside, I believe it would be more disruptive to the department if I were to stand down for a temporary period of six weeks."

Alliance is hoping its sole current MP, Stephen Farry, will be able to defend his North Down seat, and the party is also aiming for gains in other constituencies, including Lagan Valley, where former DUP leader and outgoing MP Donaldson has been the long standing Westminster representative.

DUP Upper Bann MLA Jonathan Buckley is running as the party's candidate in Lagan Valley.

Ms Long said: "Both in East Belfast, and across Northern Ireland, we have an opportunity to choose a brighter, more positive politics, focused on growing a dynamic, sustainable economy, delivering fair funding for public services through the block grant, and ending political instability by reforming our institutions to remove vetoes."

On Monday, Mr Allister also reiterated his willingness for the TUV to step aside in the Fermanagh South Tyrone constituency to facilitate a non-party unionist candidate running in an effort to take the seat from Sinn Fein.

DUP interim leader Mr Robinson has also backed this approach in the UK's most westerly constituency.

"We believe in co-operation across the unionist family and maximising the pro-union vote," Mr Robinson said on Sunday.

"We've been speaking to all shades of unionism about more than one seat.

"The DUP would step aside in Fermanagh and South Tyrone if there was a non-party pro-Union candidate."

However, Mr Allister said the strategy would only work if the UUP also stood aside in favour of a non-party unionist.

"Fermanagh and South Tyrone has a particularly unique history in terms of a single candidate and the suggestion that a non-party unionist could bind together all unionist voters is a good idea and it's one that I am prepared to endorse," he said.

"But it's one which can only fly if all unionist parties endorse it."