Naomi Long: Alliance Party leader rejects claims of aggressive verbal abuse in her party by ex-assembly candidate Jackie Coade

By Philip Bradfield

Published 5th Dec 2022, 12:09 BST

Updated 5th Dec 2022, 15:42 BST

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Alliance leader Naomi Long has said she cannot comment on claims from a former election candidate that she had to leave the party due to aggressive verbal abuse by a veteran member.

Former Alliance Assembly candidate Jackie Coade, 47, joined the party in 2016 and was its Newry and Armagh Candidate for the election this year.

However she claimed that in her time in the party, one member persistantly invited her to dinner, made sexual remarks to her, as well as adgressively verbally abusing her on several occasions.

After lodging a complaint she was told "there are issues which need to be addressed" but that it did not "meet the threshold" for a formal disciplinary process. As a result she resigned in October.

Pacemaker Press 17/10/22
Alliance Leader Naomi Long speaks to the media after a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.
The assembly must resume by 28 October to avoid a fresh election being called.
Under current rules, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris must set an election date if devolution is not restored by then.
Stormont has not functioned fully since February when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) pulled its first minster out of office in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
An election was held in May but the new assembly could not function because the DUP refused to vote for a new Speaker.
Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker — Pacemaker Press 17/10/22 Alliance Leader Naomi Long speaks to the media after a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. The assembly must resume by 28 October to avoid a fresh election being called. Under current rules, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris must set an election date if devolution is not restored by then. Stormont has not functioned fully since February when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) pulled its first minster out of office in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol. An election was held in May but the new assembly could not function because the DUP refused to vote for a new Speaker. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 17/10/22
Alliance Leader Naomi Long speaks to the media after a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Grand Central Hotel in Belfast.
The assembly must resume by 28 October to avoid a fresh election being called.
Under current rules, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris must set an election date if devolution is not restored by then.
Stormont has not functioned fully since February when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) pulled its first minster out of office in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
An election was held in May but the new assembly could not function because the DUP refused to vote for a new Speaker.
Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker — Pacemaker Press 17/10/22 Alliance Leader Naomi Long speaks to the media after a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Grand Central Hotel in Belfast. The assembly must resume by 28 October to avoid a fresh election being called. Under current rules, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris must set an election date if devolution is not restored by then. Stormont has not functioned fully since February when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) pulled its first minster out of office in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol. An election was held in May but the new assembly could not function because the DUP refused to vote for a new Speaker. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

"I find it galling listening to Naomi speak out on gender issues when the party she leads failed me so badly," she told the Belfast Telegraph.

However the party firmly have rejected her allegations.

It was put to Ms Long by BBC Good Morning Ulster (GMU) today that Ms Coade says she wasn't treated fairly by the party, that she feels appallingly let down, and that she was verbally abused by a veteran party member who

has stayed within the party.

Ms Coade said she feels like she cannot stay because this man was not dealt with, GMU said to Ms Long on air this morning.

Ms Long initially said she could not comment on the matter as legal advice had been engaged - but that her political track record on misogyny and harassment was clear.

"Well we have passed the telegraph story to our solicitor," she said. "We have engaged legal advice on this and so beyond the statement we have given to the Belfast Telegraph I won't be making any further comment.

"But I have to say that it is clear to anyone who has observed what I do in politics my commitment to dealing with misogny, to dealing with sexual abuse or sexual harrassment and I stand by my record."

Asked to elaborate further she added: "I said I am not making any further comment... it is in the hands of a solicitor so it would not be appropriate for me to make further comment.

"I am here this morning to talk about the issue of coercive control and the work that I have done on that as Justice Minister...".

Asked a few minutes later by GMU if she would come back after the legal process was finished to have a conversation about the story, she again said she had no comment to make.

"Our contemporaneous records show that the seriousness of the allegation that was made was treated appropriately through the disciplinary system, we have made that clear.

"All of my actions are documented and it is clear that I too acted in an appropriate way. I have no further comment to make on this story".

GMU then put it to her that Ms Coade feels let down by her as a friend and asked Ms Long how she feels about this?

Ms Long replied: "Well look, I am not going to get into personalities about this - Jackie - I am sorry she feels that way but I don't believe that she was and I don't think that the truth of the situation would bear out the fact that I let her down.

"And I would just point out that this happened during an election campaign when I was burying my father-in-law."

Ms Long's voice appeared to break up slightly as she recounted the impact of the family bereavement.

The Alliance Party offered the following statement on the matter:

“Alliance takes all allegations of harassment extremely seriously. We utterly refute any allegation to the contrary.

“Ms Coade's complaint was duly investigated in line with our disciplinary procedures, which our contemporaneous record of actions bears out.

“It is unfortunate Ms Coade decided to leave the party without taking up the offers of meetings to discuss her concerns further.

“Alliance has a proven record of promotion and protection of women within political life, and is a leader in the fight against abuse towards women.”