Leo Varadkar speaks at united Ireland conference in Belfast

The former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the next Irish government should push harder for a united Ireland.

Speaking at an Ireland’s Future event in Belfast, he said there was a need to step up preparations for a possible end to the border, including setting aside funding to pay for the change.

Mr Varadkar said that rather than just being a “political aspiration”, a united Ireland should become a “political objective”.

Asked if a date of 2030 should be set for a border poll, he said he was reluctant to work to a specific time-frame.

The former Fine Gael leader stepped down as Taoiseach in April.

At the event in Belfast, he outlined his vision for the future. He said the campaign for a united Ireland should be wider than any one party.

“What I hope we’ll see happen in the next government, no matter which parties are in it, that we’ll see what is a long-standing political aspiration towards unification become a political objective,” he said.

”It means actively working towards it, preparing the ground for it.”

Mr Varadkar defended his time in office saying his focus was dealing with the repercussions of Brexit and the collapse of power-sharing at Stormont.

On finances, he said he believed a united Ireland would be an economic success but said the next Irish government should set aide money to prepare for a united Ireland “transition period”.

He said he did not want a united Ireland just for the sake of it, he wanted it to be a success, and with the maximum amount of support.

Speaking at the same event, First Minister Michelle O’Neill insisted that Casement Park would be rebuilt while she is in office.

The Sinn Féin vice-president said her preference was that it would be ready in time for Euro 2028 but she made it clear that even if it was not completed by then, it would still happen.

“In case there’s any doubt out there, Casement will be built on my watch,” she said.

Northern Ireland is due to host five games in the championships but the stadium site remains derelict and redevelopment work has yet to begin.

Supporters of the project hope the next UK government, after the 4 July election, might provide the necessary funding.

Ms O’Neill is one of the guest speakers at the event in Belfast, which is being attended by more than 2,000 people and is discussing a united Ireland.

Organised by the group Ireland’s Future, the speakers include the former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the GAA president Jarlath Burns.

In a section entitled ‘Protestant Perspectives’, the discussion also includes former loyalist politician David Adams and DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) founder Wallace Thompson.

Last month, Mr Thompson said he felt a united Ireland was inevitable.

At the event, he described himself as a life-long supporter of the Reverend Ian Paisley, a unionist and an evangelical Protestant.

He received a round of applause after admitting he was “out of my comfort zone”.

Nonetheless, he insisted his conscience was clear for attending an event linked to a united Ireland.

Politicians from both sides of the border have also been lined up to speak including Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald, the SDLP’s Claire Hanna and Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan plus representatives from the Alliance Party, Green Party, Workers Party, Fine Gael, People Before Profit, Aontú, the Social Democrats and the Irish Labour Party.

The Alliance Party leader, Naomi Long, was due to speak at the event but withdrew because of a “diary clash”.

One of the slogans of Ireland’s Future is “paving the way to the reunification of the island”.

On its website it states it is “not a political party and are not affiliated to any political party”.