28 August 2026

SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP said:

“The Good Friday Agreement is clear on the right to pursue constitutional change and how that can come about, so it most definitely cannot be ‘off the table’.

“The SDLP is clear that the best pathway to a New Ireland is through a more functioning Northern Ireland. We have been working to reframe the idea that a New Ireland belongs to one part of the community, or that we can get there by making this region miserable. The society we want to build is inclusive and tolerant, and that means engaging with people across the community, building consensus and trust, and demonstrating that a New Ireland can be about building something genuinely new together. Over the top outrage about clumsy language from UK politicians doesn’t get us closer to that. 
 
“The Prime Minister was right to say that Brexit divided people, but we highlighted to him that the lesson from Brexit should be the importance of preparing properly for different constitutional futures. Unplanned constitutional change risks division. If we do the work now, however, we can give people confidence about what change could look like and persuade many more that their lives could be better served in a New Ireland.

“We have work to do here too, because people in Northern Ireland deserve far better than what they are currently being served by the Executive. If we want to build a New Ireland, it has to start with making Northern Ireland work today. This place has been described as a basket case before, but it is our politics that is the basket case – not our people, our communities or our potential.

“For those of us who want to see constitutional change, it is our job to make that case and persuade people of the opportunities it can bring. We will also continue to engage constructively with the Prime Minister and the UK Government on their responsibility under the Good Friday Agreement to set out clearly the conditions under which constitutional change can take place.”