Latest news with #FleurAnderson
Belfast Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
NIO officials say minister was wrong to suggest opinion polls will trigger a border poll – who is correct?
Northern Ireland under-secretary of state Fleur Anderson said publicly that opinion polls will determine when a border poll is calledShe previously said that a referendum was 'not a priority' for the UK governmentIt's unclear what would need to happen to trigger a border poll Did Fleur Anderson just let the cat out of the bag? The Northern Ireland under-secretary of state said publicly that opinion polls will determine if and when a referendum on Irish unity is called.
Irish Independent
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
DUP slams ‘disgraceful' comments by UK minister who hinted Irish unity decision would be ‘based on opinion polls'
Michelle McIlveen was speaking after Labour MP Fleur Anderson – who is under secretary in the Northern Ireland Office – indicated that the criteria for when a vote would be triggered would be 'based on opinion polls'. Ms McIlveen, the DUP's deputy leader, said that a border poll would be 'divisive' and that 'most people living here just want to make Northern Ireland work'. She said Ms Anderson's comments were 'ill-considered'. Under the Good Friday Agreement, the power to call a Border poll on Irish unity rests with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. However, they have consistently refused to outline what exactly would be required. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has appeared to distance itself from Ms Anderson's comments, saying 'responsibility for a referendum sits solely with the Secretary of State'. 'This is clearly set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which gives effect to the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent,' a spokesperson said. 'This has been — and remains — the only condition. The Secretary of State has been clear that there is no evidence that this condition has been met.' It came after a weekend in Sinn Féin renewed calls for a border poll by 2030. Ms McIlveen said support for nationalist, pro-border poll parties had remained static since 1998. 'The combined support for the SDLP and Sinn Fein in 1998 was 39.6pc and in 2022 was 38.1pc,' she added. 'The suggestion by Minister Fleur Anderson that opinion polls could dictate the timing of a Border poll is ill-judged. 'The sgreement makes clear that such a decision rests with the Secretary of State, based on clear evidence of a likely majority for constitutional change, not some haphazard opinion poll. 'That a minister in His Majesty's Government seems ambivalent and so uncertain about maintaining the Union is quite disgraceful. 'Last Friday, it was the Secretary of State who shared his irrelevant musings that we are ignorant of the law and how Northern Ireland is governed. Today, it's the Minister of State. Collectively, the NIO ministers need better counsel. They must do better.' The NIO has been contacted for comment on Ms McIlveen's remarks. The legislation states the Secretary of State should call a referendum on Irish unity 'if it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the UK and form part of united Ireland'. Earlier this year, a LucidTalk poll published by the Belfast Telegraph showed that 48pc of Northern Ireland voters want to stay in the UK, while 41pc are in favour of constitutional change. In last year's Westminster election, the total unionist vote was just over 43pc while the nationalist vote was slightly over 40pc. In a survey last year there was a 10-point gap between the two sides; with 49pc supporting staying in the UK, while 39pc wanted Irish unity. In our most recent survey, 10pc of people said they were unsure how they'd vote, while 1pc would abstain or spoil their ballot.
The National
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Northern Ireland shows the only way out of UK Union
While it's customary for everyone to avoid mixing politics between Scotland and Northern Ireland, Brexit and the ongoing constitutional question have brought the question of consent to the fore in both places. Specifically, on how, if a majority of people in both Scotland and Northern Ireland wish to leave the UK, those wishes will be given democratic effect. I've written before about how the 1998 Good Friday Agreement establishes some fundamental principles on Northern Ireland's constitutional future. READ MORE: How sectarianism made its mark in this key Scottish by-election Firstly, in terms of how it recognises in law and international treaty that it is for the people of Ireland alone to exercise their right of self-determination on the basis of consent. And secondly, on how the agreement commits the UK Government to organise a referendum if at any time it appears likely that a majority of those voting in Northern Ireland would express a wish that it should cease to be part of the United Kingdom. Most Scots regard our place in the Union as being similarly based on consent. But while we have the precedents of two devolution votes and one independence referendum to go on, as well as our deeply cherished outlook that the people are sovereign, as things stand, it is only Northern Ireland which has this right and pathway explicitly set out in law. No doubt there are some out there who would describe calling for a similar set of ground rules for Scotland to be in some way 'bending the knee', representing a sell-out of their rather singular view of what Scottish sovereignty can mean in practice. However, the fact remains that the only way out of the Union is through consent, and Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where that process is currently codified. Obviously, there are a few gaps in that commitment, such as the lack of detail about how and when a UK Government might assess that a likely majority for a united Ireland had emerged. Naturally, all attempts to get an answer to that from ministers up until now have led to much the same kind of evasive, diversionary waffle as you get when asking the same sort of question about Scotland. You might – if you were being kind – refer to the UK Government's reluctance to answer those questions clearly as being an act of deliberate 'strategic ambiguity'. In Northern Ireland's case, though, there's not much left for any UK Government to be strategically ambiguous about, since the agreement also makes clear that a simple majority of those voting would be sufficient to decide the outcome. So, after a week when one Scottish opinion pollster put independence support at 56%, let's all raise a glass to the unlikely figure of Northern Ireland minister Fleur Anderson. In an illuminating interview for agendaNi magazine, the minister has done us all a huge service by confirming that so far as the UK Government is concerned, the criteria for holding any future Irish border poll would 'be based on opinion polls.' Presumably, it won't be judged on the basis of just one opinion poll, or even the consistent polling from just one pollster. However, if a range of reputable pollsters are regularly returning data showing a clear majority for leaving the UK over an extended period, we now have it clarified that this is what the UK Government will regard as being a tipping point for holding any such poll. The late Labour leader John Smith used to describe Scottish devolution as being 'unfinished business', calling it the 'settled will' of the Scottish people. But while that was true back then, it's been clear for so long as there's been a Scottish Parliament that the new settled will of Scots is that the status of that Scottish Parliament itself remains unfinished business. So, how do we finish that business? Sadly, there's no magic button out there which can be pushed to 'dissolve the Union' or 'get indy done'. As I've said before in these pages, challenging the Westminster parties to concede the principle of consent in letting Scotland determine its own democratic future points the way. But for that to have any meaning, we also need to build support for independence so that we have sufficient numbers of Scottish voters consistently backing it. Polling suggests that independence-supporting parties will have a big majority at next year's Holyrood elections. While the only circumstance which has exerted enough pressure to date has been the 2011 single-party majority for the SNP (only achieved through a solid 'SNP one and two' showing), those pro-indy politicians who are elected will need to be mandated on the basis of upholding Scotland's right to choose, and on their willingness to work to increase and solidify current popular support for independence. In that, we might find ourselves being helped greatly by the choices that are being made by an alarming number of voters in England. The Faragists might be a joke of a party led by a joke of a politician, but as they rise in the polls, it's a joke no-one is laughing at any more. We can challenge the rise of the far-right within Scotland through political leadership. But if we want to be as free as we ever can be of the bad choices being made south of the Border, we need to be persuading more Scots to start actively choosing the independence path for themselves.
Belfast Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Drive for unity ‘growing every day' says Sinn Fein after MP says opinion poll will decide when there's referendum
Ireland 'in end days of partition', claimed leader McDonald on Easter Sunday Sinn Fein has said momentum towards a border poll is growing every day, after a Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Minister said any decision to call a referendum will be guided by opinion polls. While the NIO has distanced itself from the comments of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Fleur Anderson by insisting 'responsibility for a referendum sits solely with the Secretary of State', Stormont's largest party welcomed the insight into departmental decision making. 'The momentum towards constitutional change on this island is growing visibly day by day,' a Sinn Fein spokesperson said.
BBC News
29-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hammersmith Bridge: Demolition among proposals made by UK government
Plans to turn Hammersmith Bridge into an inaccessible "monument" or demolish it and replace it with a new crossing were two suggestions made by the government at a recent ideas - both rejected - were among six put forward by the Department for Transport (DfT) to resolve the structure's poor from a January meeting, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, revealed cars could be banned from the bridge forever as Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce members accepted it could lower restoration costs and bring environmental 138-year-old structure has been closed to vehicles since April 2019, when cracks appeared in its pedestals, which support the deck. Currently, only pedestrians and cyclists who dismount from their bikes are allowed to use it. The road in the middle of the bridge is still shut as it is being cost of a full repair and reopening has risen sharply since it closed, and was estimated last year at £250m. It is unclear how long a full repair programme would take, but Putney MP Fleur Anderson estimated it could take until taskforce includes DfT officials, council representatives, MPs from either side of the bridge, Transport for London and Sir Sadiq Khan's deputy mayor for transport, Seb meeting was chaired by local transport minister Simon group met at the DfT's Westminster headquarters, Great Minster House, for about 90 and Fulham Council owns the bridge but says it cannot afford to repair it on its own. Authority leader Stephen Cowan told the taskforce the council had already spent £45m on the structure in the last six plan, the so-called 'Foster-Cowi' proposal, and referred to as "option zero", would reopen the bridge for all users, including included: Bridge closure, rendering the structure as "a monument"Repair for pedestrians, bikes and two single-decker busesRepair and restoration for pedestrians and cyclists onlyA new bridge with a 44-tonne weight limitA replacement bridge, with the existing structure staying in place Options one, four and five were ruled out by attendees on cost the existing bridge could be problematic as the structure is Grade minutes confirmed permanently banning cars, and possibly buses, from the bridge has not been ruled Foster-Cowi "option zero" proposal was also not ruled taskforce's decision may ultimately be shaped by how much cash is allocated to the DfT in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' June spending keeping the bridge closed to private vehicles would frustrate some, it would be welcomed by others."We have the opportunity to create an iconic car-free crossing in our capital city, and the taskforce should seize it," said Izzy Romilly, of climate charity Possible.A DfT spokeswoman said: "The Government faces a difficult situation with Hammersmith Bridge, where decisions about its future have been ducked for many years."
