Sorcha Eastwood has ruled herself out as the next deputy leader of the Alliance Party.
In a post on X, she said: “Lots of speculation re nominations for Alliance Deputy Leader, my heart lies with the people of Lagan Valley who trusted me to be their MP.
“This is a very special job which I love & is a privilege to do. That’s my focus & I’ll continue to play my part as part of our Leadership team.”
Stephen Farry announced that he is stepping down as deputy leader earlier in September and is currently serving in an interim role until his successor is chosen.
Farry lost his North Down seat in the House of Commons earlier this year to independent unionist Alex Easton.
Alliance confirmed on Tuesday evening that the two candidates to be Naomi Long‘s deputy are Eóin Tennyson and Kate Nicholl.
Tennyson was first elected to the Assembly in 2022 and served on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council from 2019 until 2022.
At 26 years old, he is the youngest MLA serving in the Assembly. He also serves as Alliance’s finance spokesperson.
Nicholl was also elected to the Assembly in 2022, but notably served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 2021 until 2022, being a councillor from 2016.
She is a deputy whip and the party spokesperson on the Economy and Brexit.
The new deputy leader will be selected at a special meeting on 8 October.
