Editorial: ​Andy Burnham has the wit to dampen nationalist hopes of constitutional referendums

​It is good that Andy Burnham has slapped down the core nationalist demand of constitutional referendums.​

It suggests he knows, as Keir Starmer did, that separatist grievances will persist almost whatever a UK government does but will positively thrive if there is a hint of weakness from London.

Sir Keir’s government also resisted the Alliance and Irish nationalist demand for further criteria on the circumstances in which a border poll shall be called (another issue on which Alliance side with Sinn Fein). As the outgoing Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said, the circumstances that require a referendum are clear in the 1998 agreement.

Mr Burnham is a man who, at times, has supported the Labour Party organising here, a development which would reflect NI moving towards becoming a normal part of the UK, although on a visit to the province this year he seemed to revert to thinking of the tribal SDLP as Labour’s sister party.

But while it is a relief to learn that Mr Burnham is not relaxed about the break-up of the UK (unionists really need to use that term instead of the pleasant-sounding ‘united Ireland’), there are other concerns about his view on regional politics. He gushes about devolution with no apparent sense of the way in which local parliaments have destabilised the union.

Also, his right-hand government minister, Louise Haigh, contradicted Sir Keir Starmer when he became Labour leader and surprised BBC NI by saying he would campaign for NI to stay in the UK in any referendum here.

In 2021 the editor of this newspaper wrote on Twitter about her removal from the shadow Northern Ireland role and wondered if it was connected to her saying she would not campaign for NI to stay in the UK in a border poll. She said London neutrality in such a poll had been a "25-year Labour policy".

Let’s hope Mr Burnham agrees with his predecessor.