ANDY Burnham has been accused of showing the “exact same anti-democratic arrogance” as his predecessors after he said a referendum on Irish unity was “off the table”.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister visited both Wales and Northern Ireland, and during his visit to Belfast ruled out putting an Irish border poll to the public.
Burnham said he was there “to listen” but added that “rifts” arising from referendums “take a long time to heal”, referring both to Brexit and the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
Under the terms of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can decide to hold a border poll, and also places a duty on the office holder to call one if it appears likely a majority would vote for Irish unification.
The people of the Republic of Ireland must also vote in favour to effect constitutional change.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant has previously said that an Irish border poll is “not top of my list of priorities”.
Speaking to reporters in Belfast on Thursday, the Prime Minister said: “I will take a collaborative approach but some issues will be off the table, and that is one issue that will be off the table.”
He added: “I think we’ve got to focus on bringing people together as best we can, and I think we’ve lived through a decade where there’s been a referendum on Brexit, we had Scottish independence just before it.
“What we find is the rifts that come from those situations take a long time to heal, and it sets you right back and you can’t focus on what’s right in front of us here and now, the cost-of-living pressures that are hurting people in Northern Ireland, the need to get that budget set so that public services can function as they should.
“These are the things right in front of us and sometimes politicians go to things that they want to see, as opposed to getting the solutions that the public need."
Following the meeting, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill 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."
During a flying visit to Glasgow last month, Burnham told First Minister John Swinney that a second Scottish independence referendum is “off limits”.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman – the party’s chief whip at Westminster – said: “In his first visit to Scotland Andy Burnham told the Scottish people that independence was 'off limits' – now he flies into Ireland and tells people that Irish unity is 'off the table'.
"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.”
Blackman went on: “The people of Scotland elected a record number of pro-independence MSPs in May and today we have yet another poll showing that people are fed up with the failed Westminster system which does not work for Scotland.
“A growing majority want independence and Andy Burnham doesn't get to block or veto the democratic rights of our people.
"There are now first ministers in every corner of these islands who reject Westminster and support independence. Instead of lecturing people about what they can and can't democratically decide, it's time Andy Burnham woke up to the reality that the failed UK status quo is coming to an end."
In May, the pro-independence Plaid Cymru entered government in Wales, removing Labour from office for the first time since devolution in 1999. It means that the governments of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are all led by pro-independence politicians.
On Thursday, a Survation poll found that Scots would vote for independence by 52 to 48 if there were to be a second referendum tomorrow.
