PM stands 'full square behind' Good Friday Agreement

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant has said he and Prime Minister Andy Burnham "stand full square" behind all of the Good Friday Agreement, including its provisions for a border poll.

During his first visit to Northern Ireland on Thursday, Burnham said a border poll was "off the table" and that votes on Brexit and Scottish independence showed the "risks that come from those situations take a long time to heal".

However on Friday, Sir Chris said the point Burnham was making was that discussions for a border poll were "not on the table" during discussions on Thursday.

"He was not making a general statement about the whole future of the Good Friday Agreement," Sir Chris said.

Burnham met Stormont's first and deputy first ministers and the leaders of the Northern Ireland Assembly's main parties during the visit.

He said the focus should be on public services and tackling cost-of-living pressures.

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was a political deal designed to bring an end to 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles.

It was signed on 10 April 1998 and approved by public votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It set up a new government for Northern Ireland, representing both nationalists and unionists.

The agreement says that Northern Ireland is part of the UK and this can change only through a referendum.

The secretary of state must hold a border poll if it appears likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification.

There is no detail in the agreement on how the secretary of state should judge whether there is majority support - but they can decide to hold a border poll at any time, provided that there has not been another in the last seven years.

There is also debate as to what form a border poll should take, for example whether the poll should be held on the general principle of unification or after specific proposals have been set out for how a united Ireland would be governed.

Thursday's visit came amid calls from the Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive for increased funding from the government to ease budget pressures.

The four-party coalition has yet to set a budget nearly five months into the financial year.

Stormont departments are facing a shortfall of up to £1.6bn, according to a spending watchdog.

With no agreed plan, public services have been operating under contingency arrangements.

On Friday, Sir Chris acknowledged the financial pressures in the executive, but he said there needed to be "some financial discipline".

"Whatever the envelope is, however big it is, and we may be able to help to some degree, you still have to live within that overall envelope.

"That means we've got to set a budget for this year, there's got to be some savings, some self-help, some revenue raising over the years ahead."

He said he wanted to have a discussion with executive ministers about "reform of the system" and setting a budget for the next couple of years so that there is "some degree of stability".