Several in Alliance Party could be new leader says David Ford

David Ford said there were several in the Alliance Party who could succeed him as leader.

David Ford has said there are several people within the Alliance Party who could succeed him as leader.

Addressing the annual party conference in Belfast on Saturday, he praised the work of his deputy, Naomi Long.

He also highlighted the important roles played by Judith Cochrane, Anna Lo and Kieran McCarthy who will not run in the May elections.

Mr Ford will not put his name forward to be justice minister after the Assembly elections in May.

Mr Ford said Naomi Long had made a difference

The Alliance Party leader had held the post since policing and justice powers were devolved to Stormont in 2010.

He intends to run for re-election as an MLA.

In his address to the party on Saturday, he thanked Ms Long for all her work as the party's "lone voice in the House of Commons" .

She may no longer be MP for east Belfast, but she had made a difference, he said, and he hoped she would join him at Stormont.

"After the flag protests, the insults, the threats, the violence, Naomi added 4,000 votes to what we were told was the high water mark of 2010," he said.

"Only a cynical five-party pact between parties which have been tearing lumps off each other ever since polling day, managed to scrabble together enough votes to unseat Naomi - and even then they couldn't manage to get 50% in a supposedly unionist seat like East Belfast."

Mr Ford said it was time for other parties at Stormont to end what he called their "delay, fudge and waffle" and to move faster towards building a united community.

He said Alliance was not a "split the difference" party, but he divided his criticism evenly, calling Sinn Féin "economic illiterates" and accusing the DUP of engaging in subterfuge over the issue of abortion.

He said Alliance was "the only party working for everyone" and that it was "determined to build a united community and transform this society".