Clueless confessions of a ridiculous Brexit fanatic

Not only has Brexit hardman Steve Baker now declared the 2016 EU referendum a mistake, he’s bringing his unique lack of insight to bear on Northern Ireland, writes Tom Peck

Steve Baker, Northern Ireland minister and Brexit purist (PA)

Having, by his own admission, completely failed to understand the horrors that the EU referendum would unleash on the politics of the United Kingdom, it is partly grimly ironic, but mainly just grim, that self-described Brexit hardman Steve Baker is now bringing to bear his unique brand of absolutely no wisdom whatsoever to the political sensitivities of Northern Ireland.

Now that Brexit has directly led to the distinct possibility of Irish reunification, precisely because people like Baker had no idea what they were doing, Baker, now a minister in the Northern Ireland office, has pronounced that a referendum on the issue – just like Brexit – would be a terrible idea.

Baker has claimed that, with the power of hindsight, the 2016 EU referendum vote should have had a requirement of a “super-majority” of 60 per cent, and that, therefore, any similar reunification poll in Northern Ireland should do the same.