The rise of Reform UK in Britain will drive momentum towards Irish unity in the same manner that Brexit did, according to a one-time unionist who’s authored a new book on constitutional change. Ben Collins, an east Belfast-born former Northern Ireland Office press officer who once campaigned on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, was speaking to The Irish News ahead of the launch of his latest book ‘The Irish Unity Dividend’. The former Tory, whose 2022 book ‘Irish Unity: Time To Prepare’ charted his journey from a unionist with a pro-British background to advocating for a 32-county republic, previously argued that the “madness of Brexit” had fuelled the desire for Irish unity, but now he believes the fresh catalyst for constitutional change could be Nigel Farage. He argues that as long as the border exists “there’s always going to be friction... tension... forces pulling us apart”. Couple this with Nigel Farage’s Trump-like “predilection for chaos” and the opportunity to achieve a united Ireland becomes more apparent, the author says.