Hope for the Union as poll shows increased support for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK

In February 2019, 36% of people polled on behalf of press agency PA said they would prefer Northern Ireland to stay in the UK, while their most recent poll – commissioned to coincide with the anniversary of the peace deal – saw 40% say they would prefer it to stay part of the UK.

DUP MP Jim Shannon said: "It shows in my opinion a reduction in the appetite for those who are against the Union. It seems to indicate that there are larger numbers than there had been in the past who feel the Union is important.

"I would be encouraged by the figures that show people want to stay together.”

Another recent poll by the National Centre for Social Research found that those in Britain who support Irish unification has fallen from 52% at the time of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 to 41% now.

In contrast, 49% believe now that Northern Ireland should be part of the UK, compared with 26% in 1998.

TUV candidate in Lagan River Sammy Morrison: “I welcome the rise in support for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK, and the growing recognition across the UK that we are better together.

"It is yet another nail in the coffin of the SNP – this growing realisation that the ties that bind the United Kingdom together are something to be valued and cherished.

"It gives the lie to the claims of some people that the union is on borrowed time.

"That said we do need to recognise the constitutional threat. The prime minister needs to heed the wishes, not just of the people of Northern Ireland, but the whole of the UK who want to keep us together. It’s time to remove the Protocol and restore Northern Ireland’s full place as a member of the United Kingdom.”

The PA-commissioned poll also found that 41% of respondents said they think Northern Ireland will still be part of the UK in five years, while 14% think it will not.

Certainty around Northern Ireland’s place in the union decreased as the timeline lengthened – with 31% saying they think Northern Ireland will still be in the UK in 10 years, and 21% in 20 years.

The online survey by Ipsos of 2,166 adults aged 18 to 75 living in Great Britain between March 30 and April 2 sought to gain the views of English, Scottish and Welsh residents

A number of events are taking place across the Easter period to mark 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, including a visit by US president Joe Biden.

This morning a number of victims and survivors gathered on the beach at Killough in Co Down to mark the anniversary.

One of them was Louie Johnston whose father David, a reserve constable in the RUC, was murdered by the IRA nine months before the deal was signed.

He said: "The Troubles very directly came to my house. But I also remember that post the agreement I was able to grow up in relative peace, that is something that is very important, something that should be celebrated."

A key player in brokering the deal was the late David Trimble. His wife Daphne told the News Letter: “Any time he went out to Tesco, or wherever, strangers would come up to him and say ‘thank you’. He knew he had done the right thing.”

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