UUP peer blasts Suella Braverman for playing ‘fast and loose’ with border poll as she pushes for ECHR exit
A UUP peer has hit out at Conservative MP Suella Braverman for playing “fast and loose” with a border poll, as she spoke of being open to a referendum on Irish unity if it meant leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Reform UK has said it would rewrite the Good Friday Agreement to leave the ECHR without the support of Northern Ireland's nationalist parties.
Former Home Secretary Ms Braverman has been a long-term proponent of the leaving the ECHR.
She told reporters a future government should be willing to hold a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK if that was necessary to enact her policy.
She said: "If there needs to be a border poll, then the people should have a vote. I think unionists are confident about the position.
"But ultimately, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It is not some disjointed, detached outpost subject to its own separate laws. If the UK leaves the European Convention on Human Rights, so must Northern Ireland."
In response Lord Empey said Ms Braverman “cannot play fast and loose with the conditions negotiated with regard to a border poll.”
He added: “She risks identifying herself with the arguments put forward by Sinn Féin, who will see her comments as grist to their mill.
“If Ms Braverman wants to talk to us about the threshold for calling a border poll, I'm sure we would be happy to have a chat.”
Nationalist politicians have warned that leaving the ECHR, which Reform sees as necessary to enact the "mass deportations" it has planned, would breach the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
On Thursday, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said that the 1998 agreement, which ended 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, did not prevent the UK leaving the ECHR and could be changed to remove references to the convention.
UUP peer blasts Suella Braverman for playing ‘fast and loose’ with border poll as she pushes for ECHR exit
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
thumbnail: Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
thumbnail: Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Garrett Hargan
Fri 12 Sep 2025 at 07:00
A UUP peer has hit out at Conservative MP Suella Braverman for playing “fast and loose” with a border poll, as she spoke of being open to a referendum on Irish unity if it meant leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Reform UK has said it would rewrite the Good Friday Agreement to leave the ECHR without the support of Northern Ireland's nationalist parties.
Former Home Secretary Ms Braverman has been a long-term proponent of the leaving the ECHR.
She told reporters a future government should be willing to hold a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK if that was necessary to enact her policy.
She said: "If there needs to be a border poll, then the people should have a vote. I think unionists are confident about the position.
"But ultimately, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It is not some disjointed, detached outpost subject to its own separate laws. If the UK leaves the European Convention on Human Rights, so must Northern Ireland."
In response Lord Empey said Ms Braverman “cannot play fast and loose with the conditions negotiated with regard to a border poll.”
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
He added: “She risks identifying herself with the arguments put forward by Sinn Féin, who will see her comments as grist to their mill.
“If Ms Braverman wants to talk to us about the threshold for calling a border poll, I'm sure we would be happy to have a chat.”
Nationalist politicians have warned that leaving the ECHR, which Reform sees as necessary to enact the "mass deportations" it has planned, would breach the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
On Thursday, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said that the 1998 agreement, which ended 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, did not prevent the UK leaving the ECHR and could be changed to remove references to the convention.
He told reporters at an event in London: "Parliament has already made changes to the GFA. The idea that it sort of is preserved in aspic and can't be touched and is untouchable, it's just not the case."
Asked whether he would be willing to impose changes over the objections of nationalists, he said: "That's the joy of democracy. And frankly, it would be boring if we all agreed with each other.
"You have discussions, you have debates, and you get to a conclusion but, ultimately, there has to be a belief in our sovereign Parliament."
Responding to their comments, Cal Roscow of campaign group Best for Britain said: "It's quite tiresome to continuously hear politicians wax lyrical about the Good Friday Agreement when it increasingly sounds as if they have never read it.
"All changes to Northern Ireland's power-sharing settlement have been carried out with the agreement of both nationalists and unionists so what Tice is really proposing here in practice would be the end of the hard won 'cross-community' settlement."
UUP peer blasts Suella Braverman for playing ‘fast and loose’ with border poll as she pushes for ECHR exit
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
thumbnail: Suella Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform (PA)
thumbnail: Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Garrett Hargan
Fri 12 Sep 2025 at 07:00
A UUP peer has hit out at Conservative MP Suella Braverman for playing “fast and loose” with a border poll, as she spoke of being open to a referendum on Irish unity if it meant leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Reform UK has said it would rewrite the Good Friday Agreement to leave the ECHR without the support of Northern Ireland's nationalist parties.
Former Home Secretary Ms Braverman has been a long-term proponent of the leaving the ECHR.
She told reporters a future government should be willing to hold a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK if that was necessary to enact her policy.
She said: "If there needs to be a border poll, then the people should have a vote. I think unionists are confident about the position.
"But ultimately, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It is not some disjointed, detached outpost subject to its own separate laws. If the UK leaves the European Convention on Human Rights, so must Northern Ireland."
In response Lord Empey said Ms Braverman “cannot play fast and loose with the conditions negotiated with regard to a border poll.”
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey
He added: “She risks identifying herself with the arguments put forward by Sinn Féin, who will see her comments as grist to their mill.
“If Ms Braverman wants to talk to us about the threshold for calling a border poll, I'm sure we would be happy to have a chat.”
Nationalist politicians have warned that leaving the ECHR, which Reform sees as necessary to enact the "mass deportations" it has planned, would breach the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
On Thursday, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said that the 1998 agreement, which ended 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, did not prevent the UK leaving the ECHR and could be changed to remove references to the convention.
He told reporters at an event in London: "Parliament has already made changes to the GFA. The idea that it sort of is preserved in aspic and can't be touched and is untouchable, it's just not the case."
Asked whether he would be willing to impose changes over the objections of nationalists, he said: "That's the joy of democracy. And frankly, it would be boring if we all agreed with each other.
"You have discussions, you have debates, and you get to a conclusion but, ultimately, there has to be a belief in our sovereign Parliament."
Responding to their comments, Cal Roscow of campaign group Best for Britain said: "It's quite tiresome to continuously hear politicians wax lyrical about the Good Friday Agreement when it increasingly sounds as if they have never read it.
"All changes to Northern Ireland's power-sharing settlement have been carried out with the agreement of both nationalists and unionists so what Tice is really proposing here in practice would be the end of the hard won 'cross-community' settlement."
Mr Roscow added: "Suella Braverman will now have to reconcile herself with the fact that her determination to strip rights from UK citizens has unexpectedly put her on the same side as Gerry Adams."
Despite appearing alongside Mr Tice at an event hosted by the Prosperity Institute, Ms Braverman was insistent that she was not planning to defect to Reform.
She said: "I'm not defecting. I've been elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament."
But she did not deny that she had been approached about defecting by figures within Reform, a party which until recently counted her husband as a member.
Asked whether she had been approached, she said: "I have a lot of friends in Reform. My husband was very recently a member of Reform.
"I also have, breaking news, friends in the Liberal Democrats. I also know people in the Labour Party. I'm not defecting to Labour or to the Lib Dems. Let me just tell you that I'm not defecting."
by vague_intentionally_
14 comments
Don’t care about the uup in this, the relevant part is this from Suella:
*She said: “If there needs to be a border poll, then the people should have a vote. I think unionists are confident about the position.*
If a tory is coming out with language like this so casually, it’s a sign that they want rid of us and will do so in a whim if given the chance. Considering reform having a chance at government, they will happily do so to get their ‘perfect brexit’.
I love it when unionists realise that conservatives don’t give a fuck about them but you know theyll forget about it come next election and support the tories again. Its poetic that goldfish are orange
The tories are coming out even more from the right wing as they think this is were they will have to go for new support. Though she does have a point the only way to remove themselves from the ECHR is by letting go of NI (though she hasn’t said this in the article) Reform are spouting shit about changing the agreement which will never happen as this is underpinned by both America and Europe and a change like this will need support for all areas.
‘Grist to their mill’
‘Preserved in aspic’
I’m not saying you need to be down with the kids, lads but for fuck sake at least move on to The *Second* Industrial Revolution.
There’s such a level of lunacy involved in the constitutional position of northern Ireland now. Like the main UK parties are basically saying “leave” and unionists are vitriolic against all sides.
I don’t know how the “undecided” justify themselves anymore.
[deleted]
They got other motives for leaving the ECHR. Dread to think how low they are about to go.
UK cannot control its borders while being in the ECHR
Next step PUL people realise the best for all working people is preparation and taking full part in the unification project.
It must be fucking exhausting being a Unionist, perpetual states of outrage, oppression and getting up each morning wondering should you suckle the teat of your English Overlords or condemn them.
No matter how many times Daddy Britain kicks them, the PUL go running back time and time again. Now Reform and Braverman are tossing around a border poll for funsies and Sinn Féin are practically licking their chops.
The only conclusion is they are in fact NOT confident about their position
Wow it’s almost as if the British government doesn’t want NI in the UK….
If there is a United Ireland and the UK government readily agrees to its facilitation will unionists still exist?
I was thinking it might be replaced more by a Northern Ireland partitionist mindset at that point. Surely there would be no place for unionism if the very people they want to be united with made it very clear they did not want to be united with them.
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