SF bid to transfer NI EU seats to Republic '˜a political stunt'

It came after MEPs in Strasbourg debated how the UK’s European Parliament seats would be redistributed after its departure from the EU.

Earlier attempts by Sinn Fein to give extra seats to the Republic specifically for Northern Ireland residents were rejected at committee stage.

DUP MEP Diane Dodds branded the proposal a “political stunt” while Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson said such a move could “violate” the Belfast Agreement and the principle of consent.

Addressing MEPs in Strasbourg, Mrs Dodds said: “The democratic decision to leave the EU will be implemented in every region of the UK – including Northern Ireland.

“Despite all the grandstanding, Sinn Fein’s attempt to allocate three more seats to the Irish Republic to directly replace the seats lost when Northern Ireland leaves was rightly rejected.

“That people living in Northern Ireland have a right to Irish citizenship and therefore EU citizenship is effectively a statement of fact, but to infer that this confers voting rights is a political stunt, with no basis in law or reality.”

Mr Nicholson said having an EU passport “does not translate into having voting rights for European Parliament elections”.

He added: “As is the case with local elections, this is because eligibility to vote in European Parliament elections is based on residency rather than citizenship.

“Thankfully sensible MEPs can see through attempts by Sinn Fein and others to undermine the constitutional position of Northern Ireland.”