UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government pushed back Saturday against US President Donald Trump's comments backing Irish unification, saying there was insufficient public support in Northern Ireland to trigger a referendum on the territory's constitutional status.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Burnham continued to believe the conditions required under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for holding a referendum on Northern Ireland's constitutional future had not been met, according to The Guardian.
The response came after Trump said he would "love" to see a united Ireland and suggested that unification "may as well happen now" during a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin.
"I don't want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified," Trump said.
"I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it's going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now."
Trump described Irish unification as "fantastic," adding that although the UK would have a say, he believed it would be a positive development.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum on Northern Ireland's constitutional status can be called if it appears likely that a majority would vote for the territory to leave the UK and become part of a united Ireland.
