British opposition leader Keir Starmer has played down any suggestion of a referendum on a united Ireland being held in Northern Ireland if he is the next prime minister.
Speaking ahead of the UK Labour party conference this weekend, Mr Starmer said questions about any referendum on a united Ireland were “absolutely hypothetical” at present.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere near that kind of question … It’s not even on the horizon”, Mr Starmer told BBC Northern Ireland on Thursday.
The Labour Party leader, who current polls suggest is likely to lead the next British government, had previously said he would “make the case for the United Kingdom” during any future referendum on a united Ireland, before adding a poll on the question was “not in sight”.
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Recent comments from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar where he said he believed there will be a united Ireland in his lifetime were criticised as “unhelpful” by Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
Labour has enjoyed a consistent lead in the polls amid recent turmoil in the Conservative Party, with a general election possibly taking place next year, or in January 2025 at the latest.
The new comments from Mr Starmer drew criticism from pro-unity groups and academics in Northern Ireland.
Ireland’s Future, a civic organisation that is pushing for a united Ireland, described the comments as an example of the “arrogance of Westminster” and added they were contrary to the spirit of the Belfast Agreement.
“When the time for a border poll comes, English attempts to block democracy in Ireland will fail,” the group said.
Colin Harvey, professor of human rights law in Queen’s University Belfast, said the principle of consent in Northern Ireland meant that no British government could “definitively rule out” a border poll being held.
Mr Starmer also reiterated his support to roll back the controversial Troubles Legacy Bill, which will offer immunity to former paramilitaries and members of the security forces who co-operate with new inquiries into Troubles-era killings.
The legislation, which has been passed by the House of Commons, is opposed by human rights groups and both nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland.
Mr Starmer said he was concerned the British government had “moved away” from the role of honest broker in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland executive in Stormont has been suspended since the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) brought down the powersharing agreement at the start of last year, over objections to post-Brexit trading arrangements.
“The wrong thing to do is to simply say there are issues that need resolving. The right thing to do is to get in the room and resolve,” Mr Starmer said.
“I am interested in resolving some of the outstanding issues. That will mean making progress on things like the Windsor agreement - the protocol - because that was a step in the right direction, which is why we said we would support it,” he told the BBC.
Separately, Mr Varadkar met with British prime minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday at the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in Spain.
The pair discussed concerns about the continued absence of the NI Executive, a spokesman for Downing Street said. The two leaders also discussed “their respective positions on the issue of legacy”, the spokesman said.
