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Burnham Rejects Trump's Call for Northern Ireland Referendum
(MENAFN) UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government on Saturday rebuffed comments from US President Donald Trump backing a united Ireland, arguing that public support in Northern Ireland falls short of what's needed to trigger a referendum on the territory's future.
A Downing Street spokesperson told The Guardian that Burnham still believes the threshold set out in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for holding such a vote has not been reached.
The pushback followed remarks Trump made alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during a joint press conference in Dublin, where he said he would "love" to see Ireland unified and suggested the moment for it "may as well happen now."
"I don't want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified," Trump said.
"I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now."
Trump called the prospect of Irish unification "fantastic," noting that while the UK would retain a say in the matter, he viewed the outcome as ultimately positive.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Northern Ireland's constitutional status can only be called if there are clear signs that a majority of voters would favor leaving the UK to join a united Ireland.
A Downing Street spokesperson told The Guardian that Burnham still believes the threshold set out in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for holding such a vote has not been reached.
The pushback followed remarks Trump made alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during a joint press conference in Dublin, where he said he would "love" to see Ireland unified and suggested the moment for it "may as well happen now."
"I don't want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified," Trump said.
"I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now."
Trump called the prospect of Irish unification "fantastic," noting that while the UK would retain a say in the matter, he viewed the outcome as ultimately positive.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Northern Ireland's constitutional status can only be called if there are clear signs that a majority of voters would favor leaving the UK to join a united Ireland.
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