Taoiseach says criteria for Northern Ireland border poll need to be discussed

Micheál Martin says the Good Friday Agreement’s principle of consent remains central as he prepares to meet the UK prime minister

Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin speaking to the media during Fianna Fail's annual think-in at Tullamore Court Hotel in Tullamore, Co Offaly. Picture date: Monday September 7, 2026.

The criteria for calling a border poll in Northern Ireland are an “issue that has to be discussed”, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin said the criteria were possibly left “deliberately vague” at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, as he is due to meet UK prime minister Andy Burnham later this month.

It comes after Mr Burnham faced significant criticism for saying a border poll was off the table, with accusations from nationalists that he was defying the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Burnham later clarified his remarks and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the Good Friday Agreement.

Asked about the remarks on Monday, Mr Martin said Mr Burnham had not said anything different from previous British prime ministers.

“In our view, we’ve got to continue to build on reconciliation, continue to build on increasing that connectivity, practical connectivity in north and south,” Mr Martin said, speaking at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Tullamore.

Mr Martin said the Good Friday Agreement came about through the British and Irish governments acting as “anchors” to it and working with all political traditions.

“In our view, the future has to be determined in that spirit and in that approach,” Mr Martin said.

“Prime minister Burnham has been very clear in subsequent comments that he’s fully committed to the Good Friday Agreement and all aspects of it, and particularly the principle of consent.”

Criteria for a border poll

As part of the Good Friday Agreement, the prerogative to call a border poll falls to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with a requirement to do so if they believe evidence suggests a majority would back unification.

Questioned about whether the British Government should then set out the criteria by which a border poll would be called, Mr Martin said he did not want to “pre-empt” his meeting with Mr Burnham.

“Clearly at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, that issue was left perhaps deliberately vague at the time.

“That’s an issue that, at some stage, needs to be discussed.” 

Pressed further about the timeline for criteria, Mr Martin said: “I do think that’s an issue that has to be discussed and dealt with.” 

However, Mr Martin said he believed the more important aspect was to deal with divergences which have taken place across the century since partition, citing the different systems held north and south of the border in areas such as education and healthcare.

The Taoiseach said his own position favoured unity, but that people needed to be careful not to be “sucked in” to campaigns and soundbites.

“We’re not going to be browbeaten in by various motions or calls for this or a call for that,” the Taoiseach said.

“I’ve been through the Good Friday Agreement, and probably one of the few people in Leinster House that was actually in the Government that signed off in the Good Friday Agreement.

“I do have an understanding of how political agreements come about, and they don’t come about by saying it’s our way or the highway or no-one’s way. So that’s that’s what informs my approach.”