Brexit: Northern Ireland and Scotland take opposing stances on EU

Political leaders in Northern Ireland and Scotland have taken opposing stances on the UK’s future in the EU, demonstrating the sharp regional divides the forthcoming referendum is likely to open up.

Arlene Foster, first minister of Northern Ireland, said on Saturday she was recommending a vote for the UK to leave the EU on June 23 because the deal struck by David Cameron, the UK prime minister, did not go far enough to secure fundamental reform of the bloc.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minster, said she wanted to see a “strong and positive case” for the UK to remain in the EU, but she criticised Mr Cameron for negotiating on “very narrow grounds”.

The position adopted by Ms Foster, who is also the leader of the Democratic Unionist party in Northern Ireland, is not a surprise. She said the DUP “has always been Eurosceptic in its outlook”.

In a statement, Ms Foster said: “At every stage in this European negotiation process we had hoped to see a fundamental change to our relationship with Europe. In our view, we see nothing in this deal that changes that outlook. Therefore we will on balance recommend a vote to leave the EU.”

That stance could prove divisive within the Northern Ireland executive, where the DUP shares power with Sinn Féin, the Irish nationalist party. Martin McGuinness, a senior Sinn Féin figure who is Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister, said on Saturday: “The future of Ireland north and south is within the EU and Sinn Féin will be campaigning vigorously to stay in.”

The DUP’s stance is likely to heighten the concerns of the Irish government in Dublin. Irish prime minister Enda Kenny is regarded as perhaps the most vocal and enthusiastic European leader to support the UK’s continued membership — mainly because of concerns that a withdrawal could undermine the peace process and perhaps see the Irish border reconstituted in some way.

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Meanwhile, both Ms Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, the former leader of the Scottish National party, warned that a referendum result in favour of the UK leaving the EU would reopen the question of Scotland’s future in the UK and perhaps lead to a second referendum on an independent Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon said: “If we get into the situation where Scotland votes to stay in, the rest of the UK votes to come out, then people in Scotland will have big questions they will want to look at again about whether Scotland should be independent.”

That view was echoed by Mr Salmond, who said pressure for a second referendum would become “irresistible and I think very rapid.”