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DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Well now, leading Tories are said to be lining up to prevent Boris Johnson from taking over as Prime Minister with Theresa May emerging as a possible unity candidate.  Well David Cameron of course resigned on Friday morning after the shock vote to leave the European Union and I’m joined now by the Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers, a very good morning to you Secretary of State.  I mean first of all your overview, this looks like a political crisis – no effective government, no effective opposition, we’re leaving the European Union, Scotland might leave the UK.

THERESA VILLIERS: Well the government is going to be working in a united way to continue to deliver our programme which we set out in the Queen’s Speech.  We think that is very important to provide stability and reassurance.  The country has made its decision, there are great opportunities outside the European Union but we also must listen to those who voted remain to reassure them that a Brexit vote doesn’t mean we pull up the drawbridges and stop engaging with our European neighbours.  Of course we co-operate with them, we just don’t need to have EU membership.

DM: But is the party really busily carrying out what you said in the Queen’s Speech or busily plotting to work out who is going to be the next Prime Minister?

THERESA VILLIERS: Well of course there will be the debate over who David Cameron’s successor is, I’m very sad that he stood down but that’s a decision that he’s made, he’ll be much missed.  

DM: Do you think it was wrong of him for the party and the country?   

THERESA VILLIERS: I would very much have wanted him to stay, I think he would have been the right person to steer us through the negotiations, but I completely understand and respect his decision to go.  It saddens me greatly, he’s been very good to me and he’s given me great opportunities but it’s an understandable decision in the circumstances.  But we will continue to work together to provide political stability and deliver on our manifesto and on the Queen’s Speech programme.   

DM: Well you must have in mind with that programme, you want to see it continued as quickly as possible, you must have in mind who you would like to see as Prime Minister.  

THERESA VILLIERS: Well I haven’t made any decisions on that as yet, we haven’t got candidates, I think it’s too early to be making decisions but I think we all accept that we need to make progress and get this leadership election underway.  

DM: Well Boris Johnson is the obvious choice having led your Leave campaign to success, would he make a good leader of the country?

THERESA VILLIERS: I’m sure there’ll be a lot of excellent candidates, I imagine Boris would be one of them.  He, alongside many others, would be a very good candidates.

DM: So Boris Johnson is an excellent candidate you’re saying?  

THERESA VILLIERS: I would certainly say he would be excellent as would many other candidates that are likely to come forward.   

DM: But that’s the point isn’t it, as you just said you need a unifier not just of the party but of the country.  So Boris Johnson, we saw him there reaching out it’s said to parts of the nation that other Conservatives perhaps can’t reach, he would be the ideal one given the formulation you’ve given me.

THERESA VILLIERS: I think that all, everyone who puts their name forward as a candidate will need to appeal across the different sides of the Conservative party and as you say, be able to reach out to a broad section of the electorate and I imagine there will be a number of candidates would could fit that bill.

DM: Okay, not drawn there but you tell me there you regretted the Prime Minister’s decision to stand down as he did, do you think now he has said that he really should spin it out until October, shouldn’t he be replaced sooner?

THERESA VILLIERS: I think he’s right to set the timetable that he has.  I think it’s important that we make progress to elect his successor but these things take time, it’s an important process.  

DM: But there are burning questions, this very day and yesterday, about what is going to happen to us.  All these questions that the Leave side have to answer about trade deals, about the relationship, the continuing relationship with the European Union, surely we need a Prime Minister who is in it for the long-term and who is forward looking?

THERESA VILLIERS: Work will continuing on Monday with preparations towards all these questions, to prepare for that negotiation when it takes place.  I know the civil service will already have started working on that last week.  I of course have been in touch with the First and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland on matters relevant to Northern Ireland, my colleague Sajid Javid is meeting the business community, these are all matters that we take forward in preparation for the negotiations when they start.  We need to engage with devolved governments, with the business community, with a wide range of people in this important process …

DM: Let me just ask you about Northern Ireland of course as Secretary of State there, much discussion, so many people on both sides of that border – which isn’t a physical one – that it could become one.  You said before the referendum that there would be no need for that, are you sticking by that?

THERESA VILLIERS: Absolutely I stick by that.  I believe that we can retain a border which is as open and free flowing as it is today.  Obviously nothing changes today but I am absolutely convinced that we will be able to find a way to keep that border as open as it is today, it is very important that we do so particularly in terms of the prosperity of border areas.  

DM: And your view of the Scottish situation?  Officially it would take another vote in Westminster to sanction the Scots to have another independence referendum, you were saying to me a couple of days ago, well they’ve had their independence referendum and you believe that Westminster would not and should not legislate again.

THERESA VILLIERS: I still believe that the result in the Scottish referendum on separation should be respected.  The Scots voted clearly in favour of remaining in the United Kingdom, when they did so they knew that there would be UK wide vote on membership of the European Union but the important thing to do now is to work with the Scottish government and other devolved governments on ensuring that we get a good deal from the European Union as part of our exit negotiations.  

DM: If Nicola Sturgeon hears that, there is no Westminster legislation, what if the Scottish parliament holds a referendum anyway?  That would be a real constitutional crisis, and get the result they want.

THERESA VILLIERS: Well the law requires that these matters need to be sanctioned by Westminster.   I think the important thing is that we work together with the devolved governments to provide a period of political stability.  I don’t believe asking the Scots the same question again would be helpful for that process.

DM: Yes, but circumstances have changed, I’m sure as Nicola Sturgeon will be telling me in about half an hour’s time.  Lastly what about this Article 50 which sets in train the formal process for the UK to leave the EU, when do you think that should be triggered?   Members of the EU are saying do it now.

THERESA VILLIERS: I think it would be unwise to rush into that, I think it’s important to have a period of informal negotiations before Article 50 is invoked.  The European Council made clear yesterday it is a matter for the UK government to decide when they invoke Article 50.

DM: Secretary of State, thank you very much indeed.