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Naomi Long has appeared to perform poorly in recent polls partly because she has been “demonised” by unionist politicians, Alliance’s deputy leader has claimed.

Eoin Tennyson said that Mrs Long and the party’s MLA Andrew Muir, who serve as justice minister and agriculture minister respectively, had taken “difficult decisions” in the Northern Ireland Executive.

He said he expected Mrs Long to lead the party into the next election and said it was clear from her speech to the party’s annual conference on Saturday that she was “just getting started”.

Mrs Long became leader of the cross-community party in 2016, and led it to an all-time high of 17 Assembly seats in the 2022 election.

She has hit back at suggestions the party would struggle to replicate its 2022 success in next year’s elections.

Asked on the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme why she appeared to perform poorly in two recent polls, Mr Tennyson said Mrs Long “has been demonised by unionist politicians who see her as a threat, predominantly, but also because Naomi and Andrew have taken difficult decisions in the Executive”.

“This is not about a popularity contest. This is about delivery, and we will see the outcome of that delivery at the election.”

He added: “Can you imagine what the shape of Lough Neagh would be if we had a DUP minister sitting in the department for agriculture, environment and rural affairs?

“Andrew is not winning every battle, but I am glad that he is at that table fighting the good fight, looking at things like hefty fines for polluters, looking at things like tackling the wastewater pollution, looking at issues like ensuring that farming is more sustainable for the future.

“If Andrew wasn’t at that table, those fights wouldn’t be happening.”

He said there was “no succession planning happening” and that Mrs Long was the “strongest and most capable politician that we have”.

Asked about Mrs Long’s comments that the Alliance Party’s place in the Executive should “not be taken for granted”, Mr Tennyson said that he believed the balance was “still marginally in favour” of being in the Executive.

“We’ve been really clear, if that heel-dragging continues, then we will take a different course, and both the two governments and the two largest parties at Stormont need to be clear about where we stand in relation to this.”

Asked about the party’s chances in future elections, he said: “I’m used to being the underdog in elections, because in every election I’ve contested, I’ve been told that I wouldn’t win and yet, I won a council seat and the seat in the Assembly, breaking new ground for the party.”