‘No majority’ to hold border poll

» Taoiseach cool on unity referendum plan » Decline in unionist support ‘not a one-off’

STORMONT parties supporting a united Ireland do not have a majority, the Taoiseach said.

Leo Varadkar added the election of more nationalist than unionist MPS in this month’s Westminster poll was not a one-off.

The result was unprecedented amid Brexit-fuelled calls in some quarters for a referendum on unity.

Sinn Fein’s John Finucane, the son of a lawyer murdered by loyalists, triumphed over the DUP’S Nigel Dodds in North Belfast in one of the republican party’s stand-out successes.

However, Mr Varadkar said parties that supported a united Ireland did not have a majority, at around 40%, adding that was why he was opposed to holding a referendum now.

He added: “I don’t think a border poll is a good idea. I don’t see that we would gain from that sort of scenario.”

Mr Varadkar said recent elections had shown a change in political sentiment amongst the electorate.

He added: “If you look at the results of the recent Westminster elections and you take them with European elections, local elections, the Assembly elections, then you do see that there has been a change.

“For the first time since the foundation of Northern Ireland, unionist parties do not have a majority. They definitely don’t, it was not a one-off, it is four elections now of different sorts.”

Negotiators are bidding to restore devolution by next month. Mr Varadkar said: “When we have the institutions running properly then there is time to have a long look at the institutional arrangements and the constitutional arrangements. “We have to learn from our history and we have to understand there are a million people on this island who are British and are unionists so we need to respect that and make sure that they are part of the future and they feel part of it.”