The Irish nationalists have a six-point lead over the Democratic Union Party (DUP) in the latest poll ahead of the crucial May 5 election, with experts warning of a constitutional crisis on the street. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he was “not bothered” by the shock poll and claimed he was confident his party would still win the Stormont election. But if the latest results are reflected in next week’s vote, it will make the nationalists the biggest players in Stormont – and allow the party to nominate Vice President Michelle O’Neill as prime minister. Support for Sinn Fein is 26 percent with the DUP at 20 percent, according to the latest LucidTalk poll commissioned by the Belfast Telegraph. The DUP had previously threatened to oust the Northern Ireland executive if no action was taken by Boris Johnson to repeal the Northern Ireland protocol. Downing Street is believed to be drafting legislation on the Queen’s speech on May 10 to unilaterally “tear” parts of the protocol it does not like – despite warnings from Brussels that it would violate the treaty signed by Johnson two years ago. Lord Hayward, a Tory peer and pollster, has warned of “serious constitutional repercussions” for the whole of the UK if Stormont power-sharing arrangements collapse amid ongoing conflict with the EU. But Sir Jeffrey downgraded Sinn Fein in the polls on Friday. “I do not think the polls reflect what I find on the doorstep. I do not mind the polls and I think the political experts who are jeopardizing their reputation in the polls may have a surprise on May 5.” The DUP boss added: “Most trade unionists recognize that the DUP is the only trade union party that can win, they do not want to see Sinn Féin win and advance their divisive agenda for border polls.” Sinn Fein downplayed the DUP’s efforts to discuss a possible referendum on the unification of Ireland. But Ms O’Neill said last week that Brexit had led many to question Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom. The Stormont leader of the nationalist party said: “I think a lot of people are now considering the constitutional position because Brexit took us out of the EU, stole our EU citizenship.” The poll comes as a former top civil servant attacked the Johnson administration’s handling of the ongoing dispute over the Brexit protocol with Brussels. Dr Andrew McCormick, who played a key role in Stormont as the government negotiated the Brexit deal with the EU, said responsibility for the consequences lay “fairly and clearly” with Mr Johnson and his team. In an article for the Constitution Society, the former mandarin said: “There is little credibility in any argument that the UK Government either did not anticipate the consequences of what it agreed to, or was limited and unable to choose any other option.” On Thursday, Jacob Rees-Mogg acknowledged that the Brexit bureaucracy had a devastating effect on supermarket food prices as he defended his decision to lift imminent controls on EU imports. The Brexit opportunities minister told ITV that the checks “would be an act of self-harm” and acknowledged that some price increases would be “quite significant”. He added: “Free trade is extremely beneficial for consumers.” The latest Lucidtalk poll was conducted online between 22 and 24 April, using the standard 13,816 online opinion committee, which she said was demographically representative of Northern Ireland.
