We are putting our faith in Boris Johnson to ensure there is no Irish Sea border, say unionists who turned up to celebrate Brexit at Stormont

The News Letter asked people present at Stormont if they were in fact waving Union Flags to mark a movement to Irish unity.

Most of those who spoke dismissed the notion but many did admit concerns.

Adrian Huston, a tax expert and Tory Party supporter, said: “There is no way it is a move towards Irish unity.”

What about the proposed economic all-Ireland?

“That will be sorted, but this is not a start to a united Ireland. We will stay British.”

Sandra Smyth, from West Circular Road in what she calls ‘Protestant west Belfast’, said she had been 13 when the UK joined Europe and opposed it then, and still did aged 60.

“I am Christian and I believe the EU is very secular,” she said, “but in my house everybody voted out but we all had different reasons.” Her friend Jean Kinner said: “It is a good day, we’re out.”

Asked about the view that the Boris Johnson Withdrawal Agreement is bad for Northern Ireland unionists, she replied: “The deal is not done yet, who knows what is down the line?”

A family from Waringstown were celebrating because, says Alyson Johns, “we felt that there was a lot of negative atmosphere in the last few days about leaving the EU and we felt that it was a new beginning and that it was something that we should celebrate”.

Ms Johns said that the most important thing was that “we avoided a hard border”.

A hard land border? “Yes.”

But why that more than an Irish Sea border? “Well, nobody wants to go back to that.”

Her father, George Strong, aged 81, said his own father, who would have turned 110 on Brexit Day, came from a family burnt out of Co Kildare. “If he was still alive, and he would have said, George, it is time we got our 26 counties back.”

Europe, said Mr Strong, evolved significantly after 1975 but “we didn’t get an opportunity to vote on it”.

Ms Johns dismissed fears that the Brexit deal would lead to Irish unity as “exaggerated”.

Also in the crowd were two friends from Lisburn, Harry, 21, and Scott, 20, who did not want to give their surnames.

Scott said: “I am here to celebrate my nation’s independence, the United Kingdom becoming free of the EU.”

What about the fact that NI will be in the same economic structure as Ireland?

“We worry about that. But quite frankly we stand here to show that we are British no matter what any deals says.

“I wouldn’t count the Irish Sea border as a border in any shape or form, it may be a step towards federation in the UK, not a step towards Irish unity.”

Harry also dismissed such fears and said: “I just think it is great that we have got control, to have power in every decision we make over here, it isn’t going to be made in Brussels.”

The loyalist Jamie Bryson was present on Friday. He said: “We celebrate the breaking the back of EU harmonisation but all our energy must now be on frustrating, with every legal tool at our disposal, an economic united Ireland.”

The DUP MLA Jim Wells said his first vote had been in 1975 to back Leave.

“Those who marked this important event here at Stormont did so with mixed emotions – delight that the UK was at last leaving the EU but concern that this decision could lead to a border between NI and the rest of the UK. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove say this will not happen but Dublin and Brussels are sending out a very different message.”

Raymond Stewart of Newtownabbey said he was depending on the prime minister “to be a man of his word on Brexit. If this means No Deal is better for the Union then go for it”.