Irish border poll ‘off the table’, says Andy Burnham
Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out a border poll during his Belfast visit, emphasizing the need to address cost-of-living pressures and the unresolved Stormont budget.
- On Thursday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Belfast and ruled out an Irish border poll, declaring the prospect "off the table" during his first official visit to Northern Ireland.
- Burnham argued that constitutional debates distract from immediate priorities like cost-of-living pressures, noting past referendums including Brexit caused "rifts" that "take a long time to heal."
- During his first official visit to Northern Ireland, Burnham met with young people at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, then held talks with First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly.
- SNP MP Kirsty Blackman criticized the move, accusing the Prime Minister of "anti-democratic arrogance" and claiming he ignores democratic rights of voters across the UK.
- Burnham plans to convene leaders from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in October for a National Economic Council meeting aimed at boosting the UK economy.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Andy Burnham sparks fury over border poll comments
Andy Burnham has been heavily criticised after he insisted a united Ireland referendum is ‘off the table’. The newly installed UK Prime Minister said that a border poll in the north, which could potentially lead to a united Ireland, is not on the agenda during his first visit to Belfast as Prime Minister. Speaking on […]
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, in his first visit to Northern Ireland since taking office, that a referendum on the reunification of Ireland is "discussed from the agenda." The statement provoked a vehement reaction from Sinn Fein, who claims that the right to such a referendum is provided for in the Great Friday Agreement, announces Agerpres.
Burnham rules out referendum on Irish unification, drawing Sinn Fein anger
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Thursday a referendum on Irish unification was 'off the table,' drawing a sharp response from pro-unity party Sinn Fein during his first visit to Northern Ireland since taking office.
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