The SDLP’s Colum Eastwood
By Anthony Neeson
A group of leading politicians in Northern Ireland are to launch a legal challenge over the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.
This against the backdrop of a considerable and growing effort to keep the north inside the EU.
The cross-community group includes the Alliance Party’s former justice minister David Ford, Sinn Féin’s former education minister John O’Dowd, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Green Party leader Steven Agnew, and the former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party Dawn Purvis.
The group also includes human rights activists.
Last month, Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union by 56% to 44%.
Scotland also voted to remain while England and Wales voted to the leave the EU.
Lawyers for the group have written to the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, threatening to take a judicial review and have told her that she must gain consent from the Stormont Assembly before triggering Brexit.
Meanwhile, speaking at a specially convened meeting of the British-Irish Council (BIC) to discuss the implications of Britain leaving the EU, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said “there will not be a hard border from Dundalk to Derry.”
Gathered in Cardiff were representatives of the British government as well as leaders from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and representatives of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The BIC was set up as part of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness said that he couldn’t see how the Common Travel Area between Northern Ireland and the Republic could continue considering how much immigration dominated the Brexit referendum debate in England.
He added: There is alarm in the north of Ireland among the business community, among the community and voluntary sector, among our universities, among our agri-food industry and there is grave concern about the prospect that whatever is said about the Common Travel Area being protected.
“It’s very difficult to see how it can be protected in the aftermath of the debate that was held mostly in England around the whole issue of immigration and which effectively won that vote for the racists within UKIP and the loony, right wing of the Tory party.”
First Minister Arlene Foster said there needed to be a “realistic way” in dealing with the Common Travel Area.
“There are ways to deal with this that we can be creative and flexible about,” she said.
However, Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones warned: “For the first time ever there’ll be different immigration policies on both sides of the border.
“The Common Travel Area was based on having a common immigration policy, that’s not going to be there anymore.”
