‘No chance of uniting Ireland in my lifetime’, says Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris
There will not be referendum on a united island of Ireland for decades, Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has told GB News.
Mr Heaton-Harris, who helped deliver the post-Brexit Windsor Framework agreement, said that he was not expecting a so-called border poll to unite Northern Ireland with Ireland “in his lifetime”.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement says that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland should call a referendum if it “appears likely” a majority would back unity.
The Irish government must also call a border poll, and both must be won. This means the timing of when one is called is in the hands of politicians.
Last September Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s then-Prime Minister, predicted for the first time that the island would unite in his lifetime.
However, when asked the same question on GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast, Mr Heaton-Harris, 56, said he did not expect a poll to be held in his lifetime.
He said: “What triggers that is a whole host of factors. But essentially whoever is Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is constantly weighing up whether there’ll be a majority of support for a united Ireland.
“What triggers that is a whole host of factors. But essentially whoever is Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is constantly weighing up whether there’ll be a majority of support for a united Ireland.
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“The Northern Ireland Office is constantly polling. There’s other people polling, but there’s societal factors.
“You’re constantly talking to politicians and civil society – genuinely, a whole host of things. And to be quite frank, I can’t see it in my lifetime.”
Pressed by presenter Christopher Hope how long that might be, Mr Heaton-Harris added: “I think the conditions are good for there not to be a border poll for a very, very long time.
“If you look at the latest polling in the Republic of Ireland about this, and actually people both vote with their hearts and their heads in these matters. I think we are a long way off that.”
Mr Heaton-Harris was speaking on Wednesday this week, hours before Rishi Sunak called the July 4 general election. He has already announced he is standing down as a MP at the general election.
Listen to Chris Heaton-Harris’s interview with Christopher Hope on Chopper’s Political Podcast on youtube, GB News website or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.