Mary Lou McDonald had previously said unification was within “touching distance” after the return of power-sharing government to Northern Ireland, led by her Sinn Fein colleague Michelle O’Neill. But she acknowledges there is “an awful lot of work to be done”.

Mary Lou McDonald was speaking to Sky News following the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive, where her party - a nationalist group - is now the largest caucus in Belfast for the first time since the Good Friday Agreement came into effect.

She said: “What I firmly believe is - in this decade - we will have those referendums, and it’s my job and the job of people like me who believe in reunification to convince, to win hearts and minds and to convince people of that opportunity - part of which, by the way, will be really consolidating our relationship with Britain as our next door neighbour and good friend.”

Asked if she meant before 2030, Ms McDonald said “yes”.