Keir Starmer rules out referendum on a united Ireland

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Keir Starmer rules out referendum on a united Ireland as he scrambles to reassure voters he can hold the UK together – while frontbencher prepares to share a conference platform with Sinn Fein

  • Labour leader used a BBC interview to harden position on Northern Ireland 

Sir Keir Starmer has played down the chances of a referendum on a united Ireland if he takes power, saying a border poll is ‘not even on the horizon’.

The Labour leader used a BBC interview to harden the party’s position on Northern Ireland ahead of an election expected within a year.

The country is currently suffering from political paralysis, with the DUP refusing to restore the power-sharing executive at Stormont in protest at post-Brexit rules impacting the country. 

Asked by BBC News NI about a vote being held in Northern Ireland and the republic, Sir Keir said: ‘I don’t think we’re anywhere near that kind of question. ‘It’s absolutely hypothetical. It’s not even on the horizon.’

His comment was welcomed by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said it ‘reflects the reality that support for the Union remains strong’.

But it comes ahead of an appearance by the shadow Northern Ireland secretary at a Sinn Fein fringe event during the Labour conference in Liverpool.

Hilary Benn is due to line up next to the republicans’ NI leader Michelle O’Neill  to discuss 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement at an event being promoted on social media with a #time4unity hashtag.

The Labour leader used a BBC interview to harden the party’s position on Northern Ireland further away from the soft republicanism of Jeremy Corbyn ahead of an election expected within a year.

His comment was welcomed by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said it ‘reflects the reality that support for the Union remains strong’.

Sir Jeffrey tweeted: ‘ This is a welcome statement by Sir Keir Starmer. It reflects the reality that support for the Union remains strong and what we need to do is sort out the problems with the protocol, restore our place in the United Kingdom and its internal market and work together across the community to make this place the success it can be. 

The Stormont Assembly has been collapsed amid DUP protest action against internal UK trade barriers created by Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol.

The DUP has made clear it will not accept a return to devolution until the UK Government provides further assurances, by way of legislation, over Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market.

In March, Sinn Fein newspaper adverts in the US calling for a date for an Irish unity referendum were branded ‘unhelpful’ by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at what he described as a ‘sensitive moment’ in efforts to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

It comes ahead of an appearance by the shadow Northern Ireland secretary at a Sinn Fein fringe event during the Labour conference in Liverpool.

Hilary Benn is due to line up next to the republicans’ NI leader Michelle O’Neill to discuss 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement.

In June, Mr Varadkar said that Irish unification could fall off the agenda for a long time if a border poll was held and defeated.

Sir Keir also outlined a desire to renegotiate an improved trade deal with the EU, saying: ‘I’m not interested in a deal that puts the UK in a position of being a rule taker.

‘Our rules must be made in Westminster, according to the national interest of the UK as a whole.

‘I am interested in resolving some of the outstanding issues.

‘And obviously, that will mean making progress on things like the Windsor (Framework) agreement, the protocol, because that was a step in the right direction, which is why we said we would support it.

‘So it’s quite clear that there can be improvements and I think in Northern Ireland in particular, there will be a lot of interest in whether we cannot have some measures which take away some of these still remaining tensions that are very obviously there.’

He also outlined a desire for the Stormont institutions to be restored immediately, saying the UK Government should act as an ‘honest broker’.

Sir Keir’s comments on Thursday came as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks with Mr Varadkar at the European Political Community summit in Spain.

A No 10 spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister and Taoiseach shared their concerns about the continued absence of an executive in Northern Ireland and the democratic deficit this was causing.

‘The Prime Minister set out the steps the UK is taking to ensure a return to powersharing and the two agreed to stay in close contact in the coming weeks.

‘The two leaders also touched on their respective positions on the issue of legacy and agreed that teams should continue to stay in touch.

‘The leaders also discussed a wider set of issues, including support for Ukraine and bilateral cooperation on security and migration.

‘They also welcomed the recent UK-Ireland agreement on energy as a sign of the good working relationship between the two governments.

‘The leaders noted the progress of the UK and Ireland’s historic joint bid to host Euros 2028.

‘They talked about the potential of using the occasion to strengthen bilateral ties and leave a positive legacy in communities, including for grassroots football in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.’

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