The Sinn Fein leader has said the Good Friday Agreement should be revisted if there’s a no-deal Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald argued an Irish unity referendum should be held if the UK failed to secure an agreement in order to avoid the possibility of a hard border.

She told Andrew Marr on Sunday: ‘Put simply, if the border in Ireland cannot be mitigated, cannot be managed in the short term, well then you put the question democratically in the hands of the people and allow them to remove the border.

‘Bear in mind the people of Northern Ireland did not consent to Brexit.




‘The backstop is the bottom line.’

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Leader of Sein Fein Mary Lou McDonald being interviewed by host Andrew Marr (Picture: PA)

Ms McDonald said gambling with peace in Ireland was reckless and nothing should be allowed to cause disruption.

She added: ‘One of the biggest symbols of success of the peace process is that people can travel unimpeded over the border.

‘Any controls or checks or security checks, any question of British soldiers at the border – the Taoiseach (head of government) has been clear there will be no Irish soldiers on the border- no one will accept the hardening of the border on our island.’

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Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (C) talking to the media at a Sinn Fein Irish Unity event (Picture: Rex)

Ms McDonald also addressed why Sinn Fein MPs continued not take their seats in the House of Commons, despite repeated calls to do so during key Brexit votes.

She said: ‘Westminster, correctly, advances and protects what it regards to be British interests.

‘We have no business interfering in that, I am Irish, we have two parliaments and we advance Irish interests.’

MPs are expected to vote on a new deal from Theresa May around February 14.

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29.

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