Sinn Fein calls for referendum on united Ireland

Sinn Féin has said there is a "democratic imperative" for a border poll after Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU.

South Antrim MLA and national party chairperson Declan Kearney said: “English votes have overturned the democratic will of Northern Ireland. This was a cross-community vote in favour of remaining in the EU.

“English voters are dragging Northern Ireland out of the EU.”

He said the party will now press for the calling of a border poll under the under the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement.

Northern Ireland voted to Remain in the EU, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said.

Sinn Fein has called for a referendum on a united Ireland after accusing English voters of "dragging Northern Ireland out of the EU".

He said: "The people in the north voted to remain, they made that very clear."

He added: "Our interests, north and south, would not be served by one part of the island being out of the EU and another being part of the island being in the EU."

David Cameron's biggest mistake was holding a referendum, Martin McGuinness said.

"David Cameron was sleepwalking into taking us out of Europe," the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland said.

"All of us who believe in Europe and want to be part of Europe will be deeply disappointed," he added.

Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is "very sorry" that the UK has voted to leave the European Union.

He stressed that the "strong and close relationship" between the two countries would continue.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has called for a referendum on a united Ireland following the EU referendum result.

Speaking to the national Irish broadcaster RTE, Mr McGuinness said the British government has a "democratic imperative" to call a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom and unite with the Irish Republic.

In a strongly-worded statement Sinn Fein has called for a referendum on a united Ireland after accusing English voters of "dragging Northern Ireland out of the EU".

In Northern Ireland 440,707 (56%) people voted to Remain and 349,442 (44%) voted to Leave.

Of the region's 18 constituencies, 11 voted Remain and seven voted Leave.

Sinn Fein's national chairman Declan Kearney said the question of Northern Ireland remaining as part of the UK had now been brought into sharp focus.

Mr Kearney added: "We now have a situation where Brexit has become a further cost of partition, a further cost of the Union and Sinn Fein will now press our demand, our long standing demand, for a border poll."

But the Democratic Unionist Party's Sammy Wilson warmly welcomed the likely Brexit.

He said: "The future for Northern Ireland will be as bright as the future of the United Kingdom is going to be."