British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been met with criticism after he said in Belfast on Thursday that an Irish border poll is "off the table."
When asked if he would be the British Prime Minister to "push the button" on a border poll, Burnham told the BBC: "Well, obviously I'm here ... to listen, and I will take a collaborative approach, but some issues will be off the table, and that [a referendum] is one issue that will be off the table.
Many, including leading Irish politicians, were quick to point out that as per the Good Friday Agreement, it is the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - not the Prime Minister - who has the power to call a border poll.
Further, the poll should be called "if at any time it appears likely to [the Secretary] 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," the 1998 treaty says.
Chris Bryant, who was appointed as Northern Ireland's new Secretary of State during Burnham's Cabinet shuffle last month, has previously said a border poll in Northern Ireland may "come at some point," but more recently said it is "not top of my list of priorities" as the new Secretary of State.
Recent polling commissioned by European Movement Ireland found that 59% of respondents in Ireland and 63% of respondents in Northern Ireland would vote in favor of a united Ireland in the EU if a referendum were held tomorrow.
On Thursday night, the British Prime Minister's Office published a release regarding Burnham's visit and engagements in Belfast, which noted: "The Prime Minister said as we approached the 30th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, his commitment to every part of it, including the principle of consent, remained unwavering."
The confirmation of Burnham's "commitment" to the principle of consent did not come in time to prevent the blowback he received from politicians on both sides of the border.
Responding to Burnham's headline-grabbing comment, Michelle O'Neill, the First Minister of North Ireland and Vice President of Sinn Féin, said on social media on Thursday: "The future of Ireland is for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone.
"It is not the right of any British Prime Minister to deny our people’s right to self-determination."
O'Neill said that when she met with Burnham on Thursday, she "directly challenged his anti-democratic comments on a referendum on Irish unity, which are completely at odds with the Good Friday Agreement."
She added: "The right to a referendum on Irish unity was guaranteed by the Good Friday Agreement, and that Agreement must be honoured.
"I have full belief and confidence in the ability of all the people of our island to take full control of our own future and to build a new and united Ireland."
The future of Ireland is for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone.
It is not the right of any British Prime Minister to deny our people’s right to self-determination.
Today I met with Andy Burnham and directly challenged his…
— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) August 27, 2026
Echoing O'Neill's comments, TD Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Féin, slammed Burnham's comments as "divisive and ill-informed," adding that they "fly in the face of the Good Friday Agreement."
She said in a statement on Thursday: “The right to a referendum on Irish Unity is a key part of the Good Friday Agreement. It was agreed in referendums and is enshrined in international law. It is not a concession in the gift of any British politician. It cannot be casually cast aside or taken off the table, and suggesting that it can send a very dangerous message to those within unionism who are attempting to recreate a past based on division and supremacy."
She continued: “In the period ahead, the people of Ireland, north and south, will have the opportunity to determine our future in a unity referendum. That is what people voted for.
"If the British Prime Minister really wants to learn the lessons from their disastrous Brexit referendum, then the responsible thing to do is to prepare for the possibility of constitutional change in Ireland so that change, when it comes, is planned, orderly and inclusive.
“Sticking his head in the sand is not a strategy. Refusing to prepare will not stop change from coming. It is as reckless as what happened with Brexit.”
The future of Ireland is for the people of this island to decide, and for the people of this island alone.
It is not in the right of any British Prime Minister to deny our people’s right to self-determination. pic.twitter.com/psgZpMbyxm
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) August 27, 2026
Claire Hanna, the head of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic & Labour Party (SDLP), acknowledged that the UK Prime Minister "probably isn't going to rock up and talk about the break up of the Union. He's got politics to manage."
"We are very clear, we stick by the Good Friday Agreement and the UK Government must as well," she continued.
"We're building a new Ireland, but we're building a better Northern Ireland along the way, and we share an aim with him to deliver for people right now."
We’re doing the work to build a new Ireland & the Agreement is clear - when the time comes the UK Gov must stand by it.
After meeting the PM I spoke about building consensus for a New Ireland, while building a better Northern Ireland along the way. pic.twitter.com/2yShn1P9Yi
— Claire Hanna (@ClaireHanna) August 28, 2026
In Ireland, Aontú leader TD Peadar Tóibín said Burnham's comments were "a significant breach of the Good Friday Agreement."
This is a significant breech of the Good Friday Agreement.
A foundation stone of the GFA is that the people of the north would decide.
The GFA is an international treaty & should be defended by our government.
Dont hold your breath...https://t.co/XS6A06MPiX
— Peadar Tóibín TD (@Toibin1) August 27, 2026
Irish Senator Patricia Stephenson, Foreign Affairs spokesperson for the Social Democrats, said Burnham's language about an Irish border poll being 'off the table' was "incredibly unhelpful and lacks even a basic understanding of the Good Friday Agreement."
She said: "Telling the world that Irish unity is off the table shows a colossal level of ignorance towards the North and its people."
She added: “The basis for Irish unity is set out in the Good Friday Agreement, something I’d expect the Prime Minister to know. Self-determination is not within his gift to ‘offer’.
“These comments were reckless, divisive, and, to some, grossly offensive. The Prime Minister must withdraw his comments – he must acknowledge that a border poll is a feature enshrined in international law, not a political decision.”
Meanwhile, Ireland's Future, a group that promotes planning for constitutional change on the island of Ireland, wrote to Secretary Bryant to express its dismay over Burnham's comments and request a meeting.
🚨Ireland’s Future has requested a meeting with @RhonddaBryant
🚨The British must face the reality that there is now a unionist minority in the north
🚨Not planning for a referendum or using terms like ‘off the table’ does not constitute enough in the changed society of 2026 pic.twitter.com/MFsGCQu8wb
— Ireland's Future - Todhchaí na hÉireann (@IrelandsFuture) August 28, 2026
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