According to Burnham, political focus should be on cost-of-living pressures and ensuring the proper functioning of public services in Northern Ireland.

A Poor Reception Among Irish Nationalists

The Labour leader’s comments were received poorly both north and south of the Irish border, particularly among traditionally nationalist political parties.

Following her meeting with Burnham, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, said that Ireland’s future was “for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone”.

O’Neill claimed that the prime minister’s comments denied the people of Northern Ireland their right to self-determination, adding that she had challenged his “anti-democratic” comments regarding the referendum on Irish unity during their meeting on 27 August.

https://twitter.com/moneillsf/status/2093045453495611774

In her post on social media platform X, O’Neill wrote that Burnham’s comments were “completely at odds” with the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 framework that largely brought an end to decades of intense violence in Northern Ireland.

“The right to a referendum on Irish unity was guaranteed by the Good Friday Agreement, and that Agreement must be honoured”, O’Neill further wrote.

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), also known as the Belfast Agreement, the British secretary of state for Northern Ireland can decide to hold a border poll on the matter of a united Ireland.

The GFA also places an obligation on the secretary of state to call such a poll if it appears likely to the office holder that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland instead.

O’Neill’s comments were echoed by her party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, who also claimed that Burnham had no authority to set aside the GFA provision regarding the border poll.

“Burying his head in the sand is not a plan, is not a strategy, is not wise and is not acceptable to us”, McDonald told reporters yesterday in Belfast.

https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald/status/2093069634484240748

Aside from nationalist pushback on both sides of the border, Burnham met resistance to his comments within his own party.

“Andy Burnham should know better”, prominent Labour MP Diane Abbott said online. She added that a border poll is mandated in the GFA, which she described as a “multi-party agreement, endorsed by referenda *and* an international treaty lodged at the UN”.

https://twitter.com/HackneyAbbott/status/2093254135785156834

A United Ireland

A united Ireland remains a contentious topic in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK.

Earlier this summer, Fine Gael, one of the parties currently in government in the Republic, set out its plan to develop a new blueprint for a unified island. It is expected to unveil the blueprint at the party's Ard Fheis (national convention) in November.

The announcement was made by Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, who said that the initiative would "define what a unified Ireland could mean in practical terms, politically, economically and societally".

It is expected to examine practicalities such as the fiscal implications of a united Ireland, as well as the impact on public services and the economic opportunities that could arise from unity, including all-island infrastructure, labor mobility and EU market access.

In revealing the Fine Gael plan on 14 June, Harris appeared to anticipate comments such as those delivered by Burnham in recent days. 

“Some will suggest this is not the right time. I would strongly refute that. This conversation is an essential step in building a new and better Ireland”, he said.

While a majority in the Republic of Ireland believe that a border poll should be held, the suggestion remains more contentious in the North.

Despite that, the ARINS/Irish Times survey series, covering the years 2022–2024, has identified a narrowing of the gap between those who say they would vote for Irish unity and those who would vote to remain part of the UK, indicating a trend towards support for the proposition.

The most recent iteration (2024) showed consistent support for a referendum in the South and among Northern Catholics. Among Northern Protestants, it also found a shift in the balance of opinion, with 44% now in favor of a referendum – up from 39% in 2022 – while 37% were opposed, down from 47% in 2022.

However, the poll's central question regarding how people would vote in a referendum on Irish unity itself showed a clear victory for maintaining the status quo: 48% favored remaining part of the UK, compared with 34% who favored Irish unity.