Naomi Long not 'a republican in sheep’s clothing'

Naomi Long has also defended Alliance running a candidate who is living in Washington DC

The Alliance leader Naomi Long has denied she is "a republican in sheep's clothing."

Mrs Long was speaking in an interview on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.

She was responding to an allegation that on the constitutional question she was “running with the hare and hunting with the hounds” and that in the general election her party was mainly targeting unionist votes.

"The people who criticise me on that basis are also the people who tell me that I’m a republican in sheep’s clothing and that doesn’t add up,” she said.

Candidate in Washington

She also defended Alliance running a candidate in West Belfast who is currently on a placement in Washington DC.

Eóin Millar is taking part in the Washington Ireland Programme for young leaders and will not be living in Northern Ireland during the election campaign.

But the East Belfast MLA said she believed the local association had "made the right call."

"He had committed to that and when the election was called the association in west Belfast had a choice to make," she added.

"They could either run with the candidate who had done all of the groundwork for the last number of years or they could choose to select someone else.

"They chose to run with the candidate who had put the work in for the last number of years and who felt he was best able to represent the people."

She cited the example of former Alliance MLA Patrick Brown who was elected to as a councillor in 2014 while living in England doing his final university exams.

He was subsequently elected as an MLA but stood down recently due to "personal reasons".

The BBC revealed he is now the subject of an investigation by the Assembly's standards commissioner.

Naomi Long told Talkback that Assembly rules mean she is unable to discuss the issue and that he was now a private citizen.