Ben Lowry: Hilary Benn is right not just to say there is no justification for a border poll, but no need to issue new criteria about when one must be held
This newspaper, under my editorship, been critical of Labour’s handling of key Northern Ireland matters such as legacy.
Yesterday the secretary of state, Hilary Benn, wrote an essay about the government’s new plans for dealing with the past (Click here to read that article ‘Our Troubles Bill will include protections for veterans,’ December 5).
As it happens, I am not persuaded by Labour’s claims that their plans include significant protections for the security forces who prevented civil war against over investigation, but more on that again.
On one issue, Hilary Benn has been admirably resolute. As we report on page five, he has ruled out any prospect of a border poll under this current government. Just as significantly, he has also previously ruled out clarifying the exact criteria for the circumstances in which a border poll would be called.
This nationalist demand has been given support by other political voices, including Alliance and the former prime minister John Major.
It would be a blunder for the UK to clarify the criteria. As Mr Benn says, they are clear in the Belfast Agreement. In fact, one a big flaw of that deal is that the secretary of state’s discretion on when to call a poll is one of the UK’s few levers, with regard to the future of a major part of its territory. New criteria would box-in London and make NI’s secession even easier.
• Ben Lowry (@BenLowry2) is News Letter editor