More troubles seem to be looming in the United Kingdom
following the outcome of Brexit and the recent triggering of Article 50 by the
Prime Minister as she vowed to respect the will of the British people.
Following the hard stance of the PM in delivery on her
Brexit plan for the British people, Scotland and Northern Ireland are
threatening to break out of the United Kingdom because they feel side-lined by
the Tories by not taking into consideration the majority of Scottish and Irish
people who voted to remain in the EU.
Accordingly, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has come out to
announce that he will not allow himself be a hindrance to Ireland if they also
opt for a referendum to leave the UK like the Scottish people are demanding.
Corbyn advised that if Northern Ireland decides to exit the
Uk, they “should be allowed” to make a decision on their future.
Mr Corbyn made his position known during a BBC programme
while being quizzed about the future of Northern Ireland's borders by Andrew
Neil.
He said: “I think we have to recognise that there is going
to be an enormous complication about the Northern Ireland border with the
Republic, after the exit from the European Union.
“Nobody wants a hard-border, everyone wants to support the
Belfast Agreement.
“The Belfast Agreement is built in to the whole European
Union arrangements so there is going to have to be an agreement on movement of
people, on goods across the border, between the Republic and the six counties.”
When asked by Neil whether Corbyn would welcome a referendum
on a United Ireland.
His reply was: “That’s up for the people of Northern Ireland
to decide. Whether they want a referendum or not.
“If the Ireland assembly wants to have one then they should
be allowed to but I do think the important thing is now is to reach an
agreement to ensure that the good relationship between the six counties and the
Republic continues and the border stays absolutely open, so people can freely
move across it.”
Similarly, Brexit Secretary David Davis has hitherto proposed
that Northern Ireland would be able to join the Republic of Ireland if voting
suggested a change in public support.
If that happens, Northern Ireland would be able to Remain as
part of the European Union without applying for membership, following on from
Eastern Germany when it united with Western Germany in 1990.
Conversely, while Northern Ireland voted to Remain in the EU
with 56 per cent in the referendum vote last June, surveying before Brexit
showed little support in the country for a reunified Ireland.
In a letter from Mr Davis to SDLP MP Mark Durkan, the Brexit
secretary revealed the Government would stand by the reunification rules in the
Good Friday agreement.
He wrote: “If a majority of the people of Northern Ireland
were ever to vote to become part of a united Ireland the UK government will
honour its commitment to enable that to happen.”
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