BORIS JOHNSON has dismissed the idea of a border poll on Irish unity, saying he does not expect it to happen for a 'very long time'.
The British Prime Minister was speaking on a new BBC NI programme, due to air tonight, where he said he does not envision a referendum on Irish unity for "a very, very long time to come".
Describing himself as a "proud unionist" who will be happily celebrating the Northern Ireland Centenary this year, Mr Johnson says he would like to see the United Kingdom continue to work together on a shared future rather than see an Irish unity poll.
The BBC NI Spotlight programme focuses on the past, present and future of the six northern counties, produced to mark the centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland after the Republic won its independence from Britain.
In the programme, the Prime Minister also speaks about the controversial Northern Ireland Brexit protocol which has caused fury among loyalists in the north as it effectively creates an economic border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Britain.
Mr Johnson tells the programme he would rather "sandpaper" the Protocol rather than scrap it altogether in order to get rid of the "ludicrous barriers" to internal UK trade, saying the checks were supposed to be "light touch".
The Northern Ireland Protocol is among the reasons for recent unrest in the north, with loyalists rioting due, in part, to what they see as Northern Ireland being part of a United Ireland economically and being left behind by the UK.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also appears in the programme, where he agrees that an early border poll should not be held as a referendum on a United Ireland would be "very explosive and divisive".
He acknowledges that the political landscape on the island of Ireland will be very different a century from now, but for now it is not helpful to talk about dates for a referendum and calls instead for "real engagement, real discussions, real opening up".
Mr Martin has spoken multiple times about how he is against any border poll in the near future, repeatedly describing it as "divisive" and calling instead for a 'shared island' initiative where all voices can be heard.
Taoiseach Micheal MartinThe terms of the Good Friday Agreement state that a unity referendum will be triggered when trends and polls across Northern Ireland imply that the majority of people living there want a United Ireland-- these trends have been moving in this direction in recent years, but are not enough to trigger a border poll.
The BBC NI Spotlight programme, airing tonight, has commissioned a cross-Border poll gathering people's opinions on the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, the threat of violence returning to Northern Ireland, and predictions at how much longer the north will remain a part of the UK.
Spotlight: A Contested Centenary will air tonight on BBC One Northern Ireland at 9pm and will then be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
