Poll finds majority of Northern Irish voters back a backstop to stay close to the EU

A total of 58.4% said they would vote in favour of a “border in the Irish Sea” to remain closely aligned with the European Union rather than Great Britain.

It found 39.5% would reject the compromise, with 2.1% saying that they did not know.

An overwhelming majority of Alliance and Green Party voters backed the proposal to prevent large job losses and a shock to the economy.

Unionist voters were the most opposed to the idea with just one in six supporting the backstop, 94% of Democratic Unionists disagreeing with the idea, and 69% of Ulster Unionists rejecting the proposal.

The backstop was originally intended for just Northern Ireland to avoid a hard border during a “transition period” in any deal agreed with the EU, but after DUP objections now relates to the entirety of the UK.

It is therefore opposed by the DUP, a majority of Tories and prime minister Boris Johnson, but appears to put the DUP out of step with Northern Irish voters.

However one DUP MP, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, said that the poll does not “accurately reflect opinion” in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph.

“Their polling methods are not reflective of the wider community, especially on the unionist side.

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“In contrast to the panel of people that they poll, the people that I talk to in my own constituency do not share that view at all.

“A clear majority of them would not support Northern Ireland being separated from the UK.”

Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson said that it was time to acknowledge “the vast majority of people in the north voted against Brexit”.

“Opinion poll after opinion poll has shown that the majority are in support of a pathway back into the EU,” she said.