Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaks to the media following a meeting with British prime minister Andy Burnham at the Culloden Hotel, Belfast, during his first visit to Northern Ireland since coming to office. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
British prime minister Andy Burnham has been accused of burying his head in the sand after declaring that a border poll is "off the table".
Mr Burnham made the remarks during a visit to Belfast yesterday, where he said he was "here to listen" but cautioned that "rifts" created by referendums can take years to heal, citing Brexit and Scotland's 2014 independence vote.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the power to call a border poll rests with the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, who is required to do so if it appears likely that a majority in the North would support Irish unity.
Any move towards Irish reunification would also require a referendum in the Republic.
Mr Burnham said he planned to take a “collaborative approach” but that the prospect of a border poll is “off the table”.
“I think we’ve got to focus on bringing people together as best we can, and I think we’ve lived through a decade where there’s been a referendum on Brexit, we had Scottish independence just before it,” Mr Burnham said.
“What we find is the rifts that come from those situations take a long time to heal, and it sets you right back and you can’t focus on what’s right in front of us here and now; the cost-of-living pressures that are hurting people in Northern Ireland, the need to get that budget set so that public services can function as they should.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised Mr Burnham’s comments, saying a prime minister does not have the right dismiss a commitment made within the Good Friday Agreement.
“We’ve put it to him very, very strongly that burying his head in the sand is not a plan, is not a strategy, is not wise, and is not acceptable to us,” Ms McDonald said.
“We have made very clear that the process of political change is under way in Ireland now, that the direction of travel is unmissable, and that there is absolutely a need for responsible, managed preparation for these referendums, so that we ensure that we do not have a repeat of the chaos that we saw in the course of the Brexit process.”
Ms McDonald was speaking after what she called a "very frank and very forthright” meeting with Mr Burnham.
She said he had reiterated his “full commitment” to the Good Friday Agreement during their meeting.
“We are all duty bound to protect the progress that we have made, and that means that we need to be collectively sure-footed.
“We also need to be honest and very, very clear with people that the Good Friday Agreement and all of its provisions will be honoured, and the referendum for reunification is the heartbeat of the agreement.”
