UK PM Burnham and Irish PM Martin reaffirm commitment to Good Friday Agreement

Britain's ​Prime Minister Andy Burnham ‌and Irish ​leader Micheal Martin on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement, ‌Downing Street said in a statement issued after the two leaders met in Manchester.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended three decades ‌of violence between Irish nationalists seeking a united Ireland ‌and unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK. "The two leaders began by reaffirming the close partnership between the UK and ⁠Ireland, as ​well as ⁠their shared commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement," a Downing Street spokeswoman ⁠said.

The comments come after US President Donald Trump raised the question ​of Irish unification up the political agenda during a visit ⁠to Ireland last week, saying he would love to see Ireland and Northern ⁠Ireland ​unified. Under the terms of the GFA, a referendum on unification can be held only at the discretion of ⁠the British government.

Trump's intervention followed Burnham saying a referendum on Northern ⁠Ireland leaving ⁠the UK was "off the table", which drew an angry response from leaders of Irish nationalist ‌party ‌Sinn Fein.