Sinn Féin minister says Westminster chaos is turning people from Union
Caoimhe Archibald said Sinn Féin is seeing a political shift as Westminster turmoil pushes people away from the Union with Britain. Speaking on the 's Sunday Politics show, the Northern Ireland Economy Minister linked that mood to Brexit and to the infighting now surrounding Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Archibald said, “Brexit broke Britain economically, it has also broken it politically.” She added, “What has happened in the last 10 years in the course of Brexit really underlines that.”
Westminster and Number 10
Archibald said the instability in London does not stop at party politics. “People are continuing to turn away from the Union, they recognise it is not in their interest, that chaos, the introspection, the looking inwards economically and having this constant debate around being part of Europe or not being part of Europe, the infighting within the political parties about who is leader, it does not serve the interests of people here,” she said.
She also said, “It does not matter who is in Number 10, they are not going to prioritise the interests of people here.” The remark came while speculation continued about a potential leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer, giving her comments a direct political backdrop in Westminster rather than an abstract critique.
Brexit and the Union
Archibald described Brexit as “a huge act of self-harm from a political and economic perspective.” She said what is playing out in London is an extension of the chaos seen over the past 10 years, and argued that more people are now “turning away from the union with Britain and recognising there is an alternative.”
That argument also drew support from her reference to political leadership across the UK. Archibald said nationalist first ministers now lead in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, a sign in her view that people are continuing to move away from the Union rather than toward it.
Sinn Féin and the alternatives
Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, has called for a new special relationship with the EU and for eventual rejoining of the trade bloc, adding another public voice to the debate over Britain’s place in Europe. Archibald’s comments place Sinn Féin firmly on the side of that broader argument, while tying it to what she sees in Northern Ireland’s politics today.
For readers in Northern Ireland, the immediate political consequence is not a new vote or a formal constitutional process, but a sharper argument about where power and loyalty are drifting. Archibald’s remarks leave that contest in the open and point to Westminster as the latest test of whether the Union can still hold support.
