UUP chief challenges Michelle O’Neill to head-to-head debate on Irish unity

With the Sinn Fein vice president having accepted the challenge, Mr Burrows invited her to put forward her case, but insisted the case for the United Kingdom is more compelling.

US President Donald Trump put the debate into international headlines during his recent visit to the Irish Republic, when he said he would love to see the island of Ireland united.

Ms O’Neill then attracted unionist ire by travelling to Cardiff last week to sign a joint statement with SNP leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth that the UK government should “prepare” for constitutional change.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said a border poll was “off the table” at this time.

Mr Burrows contended that Ms O’Neill and Sinn Fein are “desperate” and have “run out of road” in terms of their promises to deliver a united Ireland.

He referred to the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain as having been “copper fastened” in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Under the terms of the 1998 accord, the Secretary of State may call a border poll if it appears likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification.

“Sinn Fein hasn’t delivered the project that they promised their people, that the Good Friday Agreement would lead to a united Ireland,” he said.

“In fact what it has done is copper fasten Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.

“Whenever Donald Trump comes on as the most powerful man in the world and says I want a united Ireland, what do you have the strongest critics of the Good Friday Agreement doing, on the unionist side, they cite the Belfast Agreement and say sorry the principle of consent is copper fastened.

“Sinn Fein have run out of road on their never ending border poll promise, and I say this to Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Fein, you want to create a whole new state? You can’t even fix a pothole, focus on doing your job.”

Mr Burrows said he does not believe the case for the United Kingdom has ever been made properly.

He added: “I think the case for the United Kingdom is compelling, it is compelling for our national security in this uncertain world, we are part of a country that has membership of Nato, that has a strong military, that has access to every police service in the United Kingdom at the drop of a hat if it needs it.

“The Irish Republic is defenceless – who protects the cables between Ireland and Britain, the Royal Navy and the UK Armed Forces. We’re stronger and safer in the UK.

“We’ve actually got cheaper grocery prices because we’re part of a 70 million domestic market instead of one that is less than a tenth of that size. We have economic resilience because of being a member of the United Kingdom, that’s why we lent the Irish Republic £3.25 billion (in 2010), not the other way round after the credit crunch.”