LAST UPDATE | 8 Jul
KEIR STARMER HAS said he is committed to the principles of the Good Friday Agreement when considering the possibility of a referendum on Irish unity.
His remarks came as Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald repeated her prediction that there would be a border poll by 2030, adding the issue of Irish reunification has “has never been more alive”.
The new UK prime minister met with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly this morning at Stormont.
Starmer pledged to “hit the ground running” once he became PM, and vowed to visit the four Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in his first few days in Number 10 Downing Street.
He said he was seeking an “immediate reset” of the relationship between the Westminster Government and devolved nations as he announced his UK tour.
Sinn Féin emerged from last week’s UK General Election with the hattrick of becoming the Northern Ireland party with the largest representation at Westminster, in addition to already being the largest party in the Stormont Assembly and at local government.
Starmer arrived in the North last night having spent the day in Scotland where he met with Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John McSwinney.
Starmer is due to conclude his quick tour of the UK with a visit to Wales later today.
The new UK PM began his first full week in office with an early morning visit to Stormont, ahead of a trip to Washington tomorrow for a Nato summit.
O’Neill and Little-Pengelly greeted Starmer and new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn before they held a meeting inside.
After half an hour with Stormont’s leaders, the new Prime Minister then moved on to Parliament Buildings, where he was greeted at the foot of the landmark steps by Assembly Speaker and DUP MLA Edwin Poots.
Starmer also hald talks with representatives from the main political parties.
McDonald said she used her meeting to urge Starmer not to “bury his head in the sand” on the question of Irish unity.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement sets out that the current Northern Ireland Secretary can call a border poll when he or she believes a majority of people in the region support a change to the constitutional status.
Starmer has previously stated that the issue of a united Ireland is not on his horizon and at the weekend the new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he believed the prospect of a vote on Irish unity is “off into the distance”.
Our Sinn Féin delegation held a productive meeting with the new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) July 8, 2024
There are opportunities ahead for us to usher in a change in British-Irish relations to better the lives of all our people and communities.
We made a strong case for fair… pic.twitter.com/LZa1gnR9rw
Asked about the potential of a border poll when he spoke to the media, Starmer said: “This is provided for by the Good Friday Agreement, the framework is set out and I am absolutely committed to the Good Friday Agreement.
“Today is a recommitment to that and to the approach and the role of the UK Government in that as the honest broker.
“But to reaffirm the importance of the principles of the Good Friday Agreement is part and parcel of why I am here today.”
McDonald said last week’s UK General Election result reflected again that “all is changed here and changing”.
She said: “We have reiterated our view to the Prime Minister that it is foolhardy to bury your head in the sand on this question.
“We have reminded him that the provision for referendums is at the very heart of the Good Friday Agreement.
“Yes, we need to see progress on this, yes we need if people talk about conditions for a referendum, let’s have clarity on what is meant by that.”
Asked if she was still aiming for a unity referendum to be held by 2030, the Sinn Féin president said: “Yes, yes it is.”
However, DUP leader Gavin Robinson laughed when the 2030 date was put to him.
He said: “We have heard plenty like that before and we’re still waiting.”
Robinson added: “Starmer is a unionist and somebody who has indicated a border poll is not on the horizon.
“Anybody who studies the outcome of the election on Thursday will see that the combined unionist vote still outstrips the combined nationalist vote.
“There is no mood for constitutional change, but more than that, there is no mood for engaging in this neverending, repetitive psychodrama when it is not where the people are.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris will meet with Starmer in Downing Street on 17 July.
Meanwhile, new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn was in Belfast and while he insisted that Casement Park would be re-built “one way or another”, he acknowledged it may not be completed in time for Euro 2028.
Benn said Casement Park was “probably the most urgent issue” on his desk and added that the project is “very important for him”.
However, he said cost is an issue and added that he will get current estimated costs today.
-With additional reporting from Press Association
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