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Boris Johnson may have clinched the Tory majority he wished for, but results in Northern Ireland and Scotland bring the future of the British Union back into focus.<\/p>\nBoris Johnson may have clinched the Tory majority he wished for, but results in Northern Ireland and Scotland bring the future of the British Union back into focus.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland, the DUP \u2013 the party determined to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom\u2013 had a disastrous result with deputy leader Nigel Dodds losing his seat in an unprecedented defeat to Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s John Finucane.<\/p>\n
The SNP made a series of gains in Scotland, with leader Nicola Sturgeon declaring that she has a \u201crenewed, refreshed and strengthened\u201d mandate for a second vote on Scottish independence.<\/p>\n
The success of republicans in Northern Ireland and the SNP in Scotland is likely to put the issue of Irish unity and Scottish independence near the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n
In Northern Ireland, the DUP lost two of the 10 MPs it entered the election with and, symbolically, there are now more nationalists and republican members of Parliament from Northern Ireland than unionists.<\/p>\n
Mr Dodds\u2019 loss will represent the DUP\u2019s biggest wound, with the long-standing MP who led the party at Westminster falling in the most high-profile contest of the election.<\/p>\n
Mr Finucane\u2019s solicitor father Pat was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles.<\/p>\n
The Tory majority at Westminster will also see the DUP lose its influential position as Westminster kingmaker.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in believes Brexit offers fresh opportunities for a united Ireland if Remain-supporting Northern Ireland is taken out of the EU against its will next year.<\/p>\n
The Northern Ireland Secretary can call a border poll if he or she deems it likely that a majority in the region would vote to leave the UK and form a united Ireland.<\/p>\n
Ireland would then vote depending on the result of that referendum.<\/p>\n
A poll in September showed there is a slight majority for Irish unification among people in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
The survey asked voters for their preference \u201cin the event of a referendum on whether or not Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom\u201d.<\/p>\n
A total of 45% told the Lord Ashcroft poll they would vote to stay in the UK and 46% said they would choose to leave and join the rest of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Scottish First Minister Ms Sturgeon said it had been an \u201cexceptionally good night\u201d for her party following a campaign based on stopping Brexit and pursuing a fresh independence referendum.<\/p>\n
Ms Sturgeon will write to the British Prime Minister before Christmas to formally demand Holyrood be given the power to hold a second vote on independence.<\/p>\n
While Mr Johnson has made it clear he will block such a ballot, Ms Sturgeon said the Tories must \u201creflect very carefully\u201d on the result of the election.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cScotland can\u2019t be kept in the UK against its will. It can only do that by consent, therefore Scotland has to have the ability to decide that question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it is up to the people of Scotland what decision they make.\u201d<\/p>\n
A poll last week showed that support for independence in Scotland has fallen.<\/p>\n
A total of 56% of respondents to a YouGov survey for the Times said they would vote No in a future independence referendum, with 44% voting Yes.<\/p>\n