Northern Ireland was a single voting area as well as being a regional count, although local totals by Westminster parliamentary constituency area were announced. On 23 June 2016, the recorded result was that the UK voted to leave the European Union by 51.89% for Leave to 48.11% for Remain, a margin of 3.78%.
The Irish backstop (formally the Northern Ireland Protocol) is a defunct appendix to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement developed by the May government and the European Commission in December 2017 and finalised in November 2018, that aimed to prevent an evident border (one with customs controls) between the Republic
The decision by the electorate was to "Leave the European Union" which won by a majority of 1,269,501 votes (3.78%) over those who had voted in favour of "Remain a member of the European Union", with England and Wales voting to "Leave" while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to "Remain".
The election was called on 29 October 2019 under the Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019. At the 2017 election, the nationalist SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party lost all of their seats. The DUP won 10 seats, Sinn Féin won 7 seats, and Independent Unionist Sylvia Hermon was also elected.
The UK allows free movement of citizens of other member states of the European Union because it has access to the European Single Market.
Northern Ireland remains legally in the UK Customs Territory and part of any future UK trade deals. Northern Ireland is also no longer legally in the EU Customs Union, but remains an entry point into it - creating a de facto customs border down the Irish Sea.
All 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. 1,242,698 people were eligible to vote, up 5,933 from the 2015 general election. 65.6% of eligible voters turned out, an increase of 7.2 percentage points from the last general election. The DUP gained 2 seats for a total of 10, and Sinn Féin won 7, an improvement of 3.
The Scottish Government has proposed holding a second referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom (UK). A referendum on Scottish independence was held in 2014, with 55% voting against the proposal. After this, the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a 2016 referendum.
United Ireland, also referred to as Irish reunification, is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. In 2016, Sinn Féin called for a referendum on a united Ireland in the wake of the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (EU).
With regard to Northern Ireland's status, it said that the UK Government's "clearly-stated preference is to retain Northern Ireland's current constitutional position: as part of the UK, but with strong links to Ireland".
In August 2015, the PSNI Chief Constable stated that the IRA no longer exists as a paramilitary organisation. He said that some of its structure remains, but that the group is committed to following a peaceful political path and is not engaged in criminal activity or directing violence.
Unlike Southern Ireland, which would become the Irish Free State in 1922, the majority of Northern Ireland's population were unionists, who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom. However, a significant minority, mostly Catholics, were nationalists who wanted a united Ireland independent of British rule.
Results of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
| Votes | % |
|---|
| Leave | 17,410,742 | 51.89% |
| Remain | 16,141,241 | 48.11% |
| Valid votes | 33,551,983 | 99.92% |
| Invalid or blank votes | 25,359 | 0.08% |
[1] On the Bill's second reading, on 9 June 2015, MPs voted by 544 to 53 in favour of the principle of holding a referendum with only the Scottish National Party opposing the Bill, and by 316 votes to 53 on its third reading in the Commons on 7 September 2015.
The Act of 1920 was intended to create two self-governing territories within Ireland, with both remaining within the United Kingdom. The Irish and British governments agreed, under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, that the status of Northern Ireland will not change without the consent of a majority of its population.
The Irish backstop (formally the Northern Ireland Protocol) is a defunct appendix to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement developed by the May government and the European Commission in December 2017 and finalised in November 2018, that aimed to prevent an evident border (one with customs controls) between the Republic
The Irish Boundary Commission (Irish: Coimisiún na Teorainne) met in 1924–25 to decide on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The governments of the United Kingdom, of the Irish Free State and of Northern Ireland were to nominate one member each to the commission.
The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union has increased the perceived likelihood of a united Ireland, in order to avoid the requirement for a possible hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The IRA's primary goal was to force the United Kingdom to negotiate a withdrawal from Northern Ireland. It used guerrilla tactics against the British Army and RUC in both rural and urban areas. It also carried out a bombing campaign in Northern Ireland and England against what it saw as political and economic targets.
Conquest and rebellion
From 1536, Henry VIII of England decided to reconquer Ireland and bring it under crown control. Having put down this rebellion, Henry resolved to bring Ireland under English government control so the island would not become a base for future rebellions or foreign invasions of England.According to a 2015 opinion poll, 70% expressed a long-term preference of the maintenance of Northern Ireland's membership of the United Kingdom (either directly ruled or with devolved government), while 14% express a preference for membership of a united Ireland.
Most of the population of Northern Ireland are at least nominally Christian, mostly Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations. Protestants have a slight majority in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Northern Ireland Census.
There are several reasons offered for why violence escalated in these years. Unionists claim the main reason was the formation of the Provisional IRA and Official IRA, particularly the former. These two groups were formed when the IRA split into the 'Provisional' and 'Official' factions.
Why is there so much talk of Catholics and Protestants in the conflict in Northern Ireland? The Republic of Ireland is historically a Catholic country and a large majority of the Irish are Catholics. Many people in Northern Ireland are descendants of the original population of this region and are also Catholics.
In the 2015 survey by Northern Ireland Life and Times, 47% of Northern Irish Catholics supported Northern Ireland remaining a part of the United Kingdom, either by direct rule (6%) or devolved government (41%). Protestants have a slight majority in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Northern Ireland Census.
List of Democratic Unionist Party MPs
| Member | Constituency | Years Served |
|---|
| Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | 2001–present |
| Jeffrey Donaldson | Lagan Valley | 2004–present1 |
| Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | 2001–2019 |
| Paul Girvan | South Antrim | 2017–present |
Sinn Féin, currently the biggest of the nationalist parties in Northern Ireland, has campaigned for a broadening of the franchise of Northern Ireland voters to allow them to vote in elections to choose the President of Ireland.
MPs
| MP | Constituency | Party |
|---|
| Colum Eastwood | Foyle | SDLP |
| Stephen Farry | North Down | Alliance |
| John Finucane | Belfast North | Sinn Féin |
| Michelle Gildernew | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Sinn Féin |
The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 members, elected in 18 five-member constituencies by the single transferable vote (STV) method. Northern Ireland is represented at Westminster by 18 single-member constituencies elected by the first-past-the-post method.
The result was to be two home-rule Irish jurisdictions, and in November 1920 the Government of Ireland Act 1920 was enacted. As a result of this, in April 1921 the island was partitioned into Southern and Northern Ireland. The form in which the settlement is to take effect will depend upon Ireland herself.
All 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland favouring British identity. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years.
Elections are by single transferable vote (STV), with each constituency returning between three and five deputies, each called a Teachta Dála or TD. Since 1981, constituencies have been redrawn by an independent Constituency Commission after each census.
