ANDY Burnham has “no right” to deny the people of Ireland a referendum on reunification, the leader of Sinn Fein has said.
Mary Lou McDonald accused the UK Prime Minister of “burying his head in the sand” after he on Thursday said that a referendum on Irish unity was “off the table”.
The Good Friday Agreement – the 1998 peace deal that ended the worst of the Troubles – contains a clause that says the UK Northern Ireland Secretary has a duty to call a unification referendum if it appears likely that the “majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland”.
Speaking after Burnham ruled out any such referendum, Sinn Fein leader McDonald said: “We have made it very clear to the British Prime Minister that the right to referendum, the right for Irish people to decide our future is one that is contained within the Good Friday Agreement, and Andy Burnham as Prime Minister or otherwise has no authority and no right to set that aside.
The future of Ireland is for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone. It is not in the right of any British Prime Minister to deny our people’s right to self-determination. pic.twitter.com/psgZpMbyxm
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) August 27, 2026
“Burying his head in the sand is not a plan, is not a strategy, is not wise, and is not acceptable to us.
“The Good Friday Agreement and all of its provisions will be honoured, and the referendum for reunification is the heartbeat of the agreement.”
Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland – the first Sinn Fein politician ever to hold the position – said: “The future of Ireland is for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone.
“It is not the right of any British Prime Minister to deny our people’s right to self-determination.
“Today I met with Andy Burnham and directly challenged his anti-democratic comments on a referendum on Irish unity, which are completely at odds with the Good Friday Agreement.
“The right to a referendum on Irish unity was guaranteed by the Good Friday Agreement, and that agreement must be honoured.
“I have full belief and confidence in the ability of all the people of our island to take full control of our own future and to build a new and united Ireland.”
The SNP also hit out at the “anti-democratic” statement from the Prime Minister, drawing a link to him telling Scottish First Minister John Swinney that a second independence referendum is “off limits”.
"For all his early 'vibes' about supposedly doing politics differently, he is doing a very good job at displaying the exact same anti-democratic arrogance of every single Westminster Prime Minister who came before him,” SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said.
