Robert Jenrick has hit back at Donald Trump’s claim that he would “love” to see a united Ireland and said the US President should have “butted out” of British politics. Reform UK’s treasury spokesman said Trump “shouldn’t have weighed into British politics” when he claimed Irish reunification was inevitable and it “may as well happen now”, during a visit to Dublin on Saturday. Mr Jenrick told Sky News’s Sunday Morning programme: “If you’re referring to what he said about Ireland he was completely wrong.
The clue’s in the name, Reform UK, and we’ll always support the union. He shouldn’t have weighed into British politics. Our borders are our borders.
And Reform will always defend the United Kingdom.” During a visit to Dublin this weekend Trump claimed Irish reunification was inevitable, adding it “may as well happen now”. Speaking while sitting alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the US president said: “Well, I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you I’d love to see it unified. How can they be bad, right?
I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. It’s going to happen eventually. The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually.
It may as well happen now. But I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?” But the US President’s opinions caused a triggered a major diplomatic row, with unionist leaders in Northern Ireland, members of Reform and the Conservative party.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wrote on X: “Northern Ireland is a proud and integral part of the United Kingdom. The people of Northern Ireland neither want a referendum, nor unification. I disagree with President Trump.” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Trump is “shooting from the hip as usual” and creating “unnecessary tension” following his comments on a united Ireland.
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