A RECENT SKY News poll in Ireland has shown that 66% of Irish people have a less favourable view of the UK as a result of Brexit, with 26% saying it made no difference.

Just under half of Irish people also have a less favourable view of Northern Irish unionists due to Brexit, the poll showed. 16% said it was more favourable, with the remainder — more than a quarter — saying it didn’t make a difference.

The poll – which surveyed 1,611 Irish Sky customers online – showed that the vast majority of Irish people want the Irish government to hold their ground on a Brexit backstop, even if it risks a no-deal Brexit scenario.

The backstop is an insurance policy, designed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

If the UK leaves the single market and customs union, any goods passing from Northern Ireland into Ireland, or vice versa, will have to be checked.

The North’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have expressed their opposition to the backstop in the past, as have a number of MP’s.

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The DUP’s opposition comes on the back of fears that it would weaken the North’s integrity, meaning it would be treated differently to the rest of the UK.

The poll also found that the majority of Irish people would rather cut ties completely with the UK, than the EU, with 81% voting in favour.