Sinn Féin National Chairperson Declan Kearney has welcomed the latest intervention by Leo Varadkar on Irish unity.

Referring to the article published in the Sunday Times, the South Antrim MLA said:

“The latest intervention advocating the need to prepare for Irish unity by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is another welcome contribution to the public debate which is taking place.

“His remarks are further evidence of the overall momentum for constitutional change in Ireland, within Irish America, and throughout the global Irish diaspora.

“The former Taoiseach has correctly identified the attitudinal shifts taking place particularly in the north, where the unionist parties are now a political minority in the assembly, at Westminster and at local government.

“These changes are being positively reinforced with the work of the Shared Island Fund, which has committed €2 billion to cross-border projects.

“His call for the Irish government to set aside a quantum of the government’s surplus for ‘a sovereign wealth fund for the transition to a new and united Ireland’ is both timely and prudent.

“While Leo Varadkar points out that reunification is not inevitable, he asserts that the case for constitutional change has to be made and proactively taken forward.

“That must be done by engaging with all of the public policy issues which impact on people’s lives.

“The Irish government needs to listen carefully to the public discourse on Irish unity and develop a strategy to plan and prepare for constitutional change. The government should change its approach now and prioritise reunification as a political objective.”