Britain rejects Trump's calls for Irish reunification

Britain's government has rejected US President Trump's calls for a reunified Ireland. A referendum on whether Northern Ireland should remain in the United Kingdom is still not under discussion, Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office said. Trump had previously said about the country's future during a visit to Ireland: "I would love to see it reunited." And further: "That would be fantastic." The agreement, Trump said, would be "a cool thing."

A few weeks ago, Burnham said that a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom was "off the table." He renewed this position following Trump's recent comments.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Northern Ireland's withdrawal from the United Kingdom can only be held at the discretion of the British government. At the time, the agreement ended three decades of violence between Irish nationalists who wanted a united Ireland and unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. While polls show that a comfortable majority in Northern Ireland is in favor of remaining in the United Kingdom, the gap has narrowed slightly since Brexit.

“The Northern Irish people will decide the future of Northern Ireland”

Trump's comments, made during a visit to Dublin, also sparked significant criticism from pro-British Unionists in Northern Ireland. Gavin Robinson, leader of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, the Democratic Unionist Party, said reunification would lead to the "destruction of our country." “The constitutional future of Northern Ireland will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not comments from London, Dublin or Washington,” wrote Robinson, who had publicly supported Trump in the past, on X.

Previous US presidents, including those with Irish family history such as Joe Biden, have always remained neutral on Irish reunification. The US government played a key role in negotiating the 1998 peace agreement.