Deputy Speaker & Finance Spokesperson

Steve Aiken OBE MLA

Steve was elected to the Assembly in 2016 and has been a committed champion for all constituents in South Antrim ever since. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker and is the UUP spokesperson for Finance and the Windsor Framework, sitting on both corresponding committees.

He chairs the All-Party Groups on STEM and Aerospace & Space, and serves as Vice‑Chair of both the APG on Ethnic Minorities and the APG on Climate Action. Steve is also a Steering Committee member of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly and an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He previously led the Ulster Unionist Party from 2019 to 2021.

A proud father of four daughters, grandfather, and Royal Navy veteran, where he served as a submarine commander, Steve brings extensive real-world experience to public life. A former pupil of Belfast High School, he holds an MPhil and PhD in International Relations from Queens’ College, Cambridge, with further qualifications from the Open University and King’s College London.