Final Say: Northern Irish students’ organisation calls for referendum on Brexit deal

'The fallout from Brexit has been disastrous and deeply unsettling for Northern Ireland'

Olivia Potter-Hughes, the president of the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland, has backed a referendum on the Brexit deal (EPA)

An organisation representing tens of thousands of students in Northern Ireland is calling for a people’s vote on the Brexit deal, amid “massive uncertainty” around tuition fees across the border.

Olivia Potter-Hughes, president of the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) – which represents 200,000 members – has given her support for a referendum on the deal.

It comes as a petition supporting The Independent’s campaign for a Final Say on Brexit passed 590,000 signatures.

Ms Potter-Hughes said: “There is still massive uncertainty around the tuition fees that students studying on a cross border basis will face.

“Also, if we stay within the Erasmus+ after Brexit, there may be none of the current student financial support available, which may make this excellent programme inaccessible to many students.

“We are also worried that the Good Friday Agreement could be undermined, because we are worried that, depending on whether you hold a UK or Irish passport, you may have EU rights or may be denied them.”

The president of the NUS-USI added: “I think virtually everyone, whether they were a remain or leave voter, would admit that the negotiations and the fallout from Brexit have been disastrous and deeply unsettling for the whole UK, and particularly for Northern Ireland.

“In light of the utter farce and chaos that has engulfed the Brexit process since the referendum result was announced, the public must be given another chance to have its say on what direction the UK should take on Brexit.”

Last week, The Independent’s call for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal was endorsed by the National Union of Students – which represents 4.3 million members across the country.

Recent polling revealed the majority of students would back a vote on the final Brexit deal, as some 70 per cent believe they will be worse off after leaving the EU.

Support among young voters for a new referendum has surged from 58 per cent in February 2017 to 67 per cent this month, according to the survey of undergraduates, conducted by Youthsight.

It was recently revealed more than 1.4 million more young people would be eligible to vote in a fresh referendum than was the case in the 2016 Brexit poll.