At a special gathering of 190 party members in Belfast, the 26-year-old defeated South Belfast MLA Kate Nicholl to take the position alongside leader Naomi Long.

Following his loss of his North Down Westminster seat in the general election, former deputy leader Stephen Farry announced his retirement from the position last month.

Mr. Tennyson was elected to the Armagh, Banbridge, and Craigavon Borough Council in 2019 and has been an MLA for Upper Bann since 2022.

In his own words, he sought to "connect with communities beyond our traditional heartlands" before the next election.

He also gave Mr. Farry and Ms. Nicholl his due. "Working with Naomi Long as deputy leader is an important role which I will give my all and I can't wait to get started," he stated.

"It's not a direction shift that brought me to this position—it's a gear change.

Building on the momentum that Stephen started, I'm excited to collaborate with Naomi and the rest of our dynamic leadership group to further develop and expand our party.