Trump backs Irish unification as UK says referendum lacks support
The US president’s remarks in Dublin drew a firm response that any constitutional change must be decided by Northern Ireland’s people.
US President Donald Trump has described a united Ireland as “fantastic” and said he would “love to see it” during a visit to Dublin.
Speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Trump said unification would eventually happen, while acknowledging that the United Kingdom would have a role in any constitutional change. Martin did not respond to reporters’ questions about the remarks.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK government’s position was unchanged. Burnham has said there is not majority public support for another referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom and that one would not be held until that changed.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement allows a referendum on Northern Ireland’s constitutional status at the discretion of the British government. The agreement brought an end to three decades of violence involving nationalist and unionist paramilitaries and British forces.
Gavin Robinson, leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, said the territory’s constitutional future should be decided by its people rather than by commentary from London, Dublin or Washington. Polling cited in the source indicates a majority still favours remaining in the UK, although the gap has narrowed.
