Irish Labour leader calls for border poll timeline

Ivana Bacik made the call for a "unity referendum" at the Irish Labour Party conference on Saturday

The leader of the Republic of Ireland's Labour Party has called for the UK and Irish governments to confirm a timeline for a border poll on Northern Ireland.

Ivana Bacik made the call for a "unity referendum" in her leader's speech at the party's annual conference on Saturday, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports.

Bacik said the matter should not be rushed, but that she believes there is a need to give a deadline for when it would take place.

"As leader of a Republican party, I am calling now on the Irish and British governments to set a clear timeline for the holding of a unity referendum," she said.

Bacik said that, while her party knows "better than to run a referendum in haste", a "clear time frame" is needed.

The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) says a referendum must be held if the secretary of state believes it is likely that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for Irish unification.

However, how that is measured has never been made clear

Bacik is the latest in a string of politicians to discuss arrangements for a border poll.

In the run up to her election, Irish President Catherine Connolly said she would use her voice "in every way possible" for a united Ireland.

Last month, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long called for the Northern Ireland secretary to set out the criteria for when he would call a border poll.

And the former Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said Dublin needed to begin planning for a border poll.