Most unionists would now vote against the Good Friday Agreement, a new poll suggests

A majority of unionists in Northern Ireland would vote against the Good Friday Agreement if a referendum on the historic peace agreement were held today.

Only one in three union leaders now supports the deal, but support among nationalists and voters for the coalition remains strong, according to a new poll.

The agreement was supported by a majority in both communities with a 71% yes vote in the 1998 referendum.

As April approaches its 25th anniversary, a LucidTalk poll for our sister publication, the Belfast Telegraph, shows that 64 per cent of people – down seven points – would now support the deal if another poll were conducted.

While 95 percent of Nationalists and 96 percent of Alliance and Greens voters would vote yes, only 35 percent of unionists would do the same.

About a third of people (31 percent) say they would vote no — a slight increase from the 29 percent who did in 1998.

Only 3 percent of nationalists and 2 percent of Alliance and Green voters would oppose the deal, but 54 percent of unionists would do so.

A significant proportion of trade unionists are undecided whether to support the agreement. A total of 11 percent don’t know or are unsure how they would vote if another referendum were held, with just 2 percent of Nationalists and Alliance and Green voters saying the same.

While the DUP led the campaign against the deal in the 1998 referendum, it was backed by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and an estimated 80 per cent of the party’s voters.