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Steve Aiken

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Commander
Steve Aiken
OBE MLA
Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 February 2024
Preceded byPatsy McGlone
Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson for Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 May 2021
LeaderDoug Beattie
17th Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
In office
9 November 2019 – 27 May 2021
Preceded byRobin Swann
Succeeded byDoug Beattie
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for South Antrim[a]
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2016
Preceded byAdrian Cochrane-Watson
Personal details
BornBallyclare, Northern Ireland
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
Alma materBritannia Royal Naval College
King's College London
University of Cambridge
ProfessionRoyal Navy Commander, Submarine Warfare
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch/serviceRoyal Navy
Years of service1980–2011
RankCommander
UnitSubmarine Service
a. ^ Suspended on 13 and 14 May 2024

Stephen Ronald Aiken OBE MLA is a Northern Irish politician, serving as the Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2024.

A member of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), he was party leader from 2019 to 2021, having previously served as Chief Whip from 2017 to 2019.

Aiken has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for South Antrim since 2016, although he received a brief suspension in May 2024 after being sanctioned for breaching the "confidentiality" of the assembly complaints process.[1]

Early life and education

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Aiken was born in South Antrim, attended Thompson Primary School, Ballyrobert, and then was educated at Belfast High School. He joined the Sea Cadets in 1982 based at HMS Caroline (1914), which remains in its original dock as a Museum Ship. During his naval career he undertook further study and holds a PhD and MPhil in International Relations from the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Cambridge, with his thesis research on India and its growing military power. He also has a MA in Defence Studies from the Department of Defence Studies at King's College London.[2]

Military career

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Aiken served for 32 years in the Royal Navy as a submariner, ultimately in many senior operational roles, including commanding two nuclear-powered submarines, being Joint Plans Officer for operations in the Middle-East in 2002-04 (for which he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)).[3] At the end of his service in the Royal Navy, he became the founding CEO of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, a post he held for three years during which time he lived in Dublin with his family.[4][5]

Political career

[edit]

When Robin Swann MLA announced his sudden resignation as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party in 2019, Aiken stood for the leadership.[6][7] He was elected unopposed as leader in November 2019 and led the party through difficult periods addressing concerns about Brexit, the Protocol and pandemic.[8] He promptly opted for the UUP to take the Ministry of Health Department, when no other party would take it, and appointed Mr Swann MLA as Minister.[9] He announced his resignation as leader eighteen months later[10] because he held a firm position that the Chief Constable needed to resign in 2021.[11]

In October 2021 Aiken was reselected to be a UUP candidate for South Antrim in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election.[12] He was reelected in the May 2022 poll and, despite the lack of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly since February 2022, he continues to serve the people of South Antrim and remains the Party Spokesperson on the Northern Ireland Protocol and Finance, in addition to his private consulting business.[13]

In 2024, Aiken received a two-day suspension from the Assembly after being accused of breaching the "confidentiality" of the assembly complaints process. The standards committee recommended a sanction over Aiken disclosing a complaint he had made against another MLA. On 7 May 2024, MLAs backed a motion to suspend him from attending business on the 13th and 14th of May. Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw called on Aiken to consider his position as deputy speaker.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Steve Aiken suspended from assembly after vote". BBC News. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ "South Antrim". UUP Live. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Former submariner Steve Aiken surfaces at Stormont". 10 May 2016.
  4. ^ Aiken, Steve (31 January 2013). "Speech by Steve Aiken British Irish Chamber". issuu. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ Maguire, Patrick (25 November 2019). "Can Steve Aiken save the Ulster Unionist Party". The New Statesman. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Steve Aiken confirms he will stand for Ulster Unionist leadership".
  7. ^ "Steve Aiken: The ex-submariner set to lead the Ulster Unionists".
  8. ^ "Steve Aiken: From submariner to Stormont party leader".
  9. ^ "Steve Aiken takes over as new leader of Ulster Unionist Party". BBC News. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  10. ^ McCormack, Jayne (8 May 2021). "Steve Aiken resigns as Ulster Unionist leader". BBC News.
  11. ^ "Bobby Storey funeral: UUP calls for resignation of Simon Byrne". 1 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Stormont election: UUP candidates announced for South Antrim". Newtownabbey Times. 20 October 2021.
  13. ^ "UUP MLA Steve Aiken sets up new consultancy business during Stormont's collapse". 3 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Steve Aiken suspended from assembly after vote". BBC News. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
[edit]
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Legislative Assembly
for South Antrim
2016–present 		Incumbent


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