Northern Ireland

More than 31,000 added to petition against Brexit

DUP leader Arlene Foster has said she has "no regrets" about her decision to back Brexit
DUP leader Arlene Foster has said she has "no regrets" about her decision to back Brexit DUP leader Arlene Foster has said she has "no regrets" about her decision to back Brexit

MORE than 31,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Northern Ireland Assembly to refuse consent to leave the European Union.

The online petition, which was launched in the wake of the Brexit decision, wants the First and Deputy First Ministers to veto the Brexit decision taken last month.

While the UK voted in favour of Leave in the recent referendum, the majority of Northern Ireland votes opted for Remain.

The DUP was the only major party in Northern Ireland to back the Leave campaign.

The petition calls for Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness to "respect the democratic will of the people in Northern Ireland who voted overwhelmingly to remain members of the European Union".

The petition also states: "We also urge the Northern Ireland executive to make a clear and concise case for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union.

"That this must be done in order to safeguard the rights of the people in Northern Ireland whether Irish, British or Northern Irish and to ensure the durability of the Good Friday Agreement which is the basis for our fragile peace process which is heavily reliant upon the European Union at its core."

More than 31,000 signatures had last night been added to the online petition.

However, asked if she will accept the wishes of those who voted to remain and those who signed the petition, Mrs Foster said: "I do not want to ignore anyone in Northern Ireland who voted to remain part of the European Union, but such petitions will not have any impact".

Ms Foster also has said she had "no regrets" over her decision to back Brexit.