British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has met his Irish counterpart Simon Harris in Dublin for a visit that has been described as a “reset” between the two countries.
Starmer’s trip is the first visit by a British head of government to Ireland in five years and another sign that the two countries want to deepen their relations on economic and security issues.
Harris was the first international leader received by Starmer following his Labour Party’s landslide election victory on July 4.
“Today is a very significant day because we have made it clear that we want to reset the relationship and today we are continuing that,” Starmer said.
“We are clear that we want to hold a summit by March to show what we have achieved and then hold annual summits.
“I know that as two new leaders of our respective countries, we have both said that we really want to take British-Irish relations on a new path. And I really appreciate the time you have given us since you took office,” Harris told Starmer.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016, particularly with regard to the impact on the political structures of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
When the UK left the EU, the UK government and the EU agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other controls, as an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Starmer said the restart of relations must extend to the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the conflict known as the Troubles in 1998.
“I take our shared role in this agreement very seriously. I have made that very clear for many, many years and I renew that commitment here today,” Starmer said.
Starmer said now was the chance to further strengthen relations with both Ireland and the EU.
He has stated that under his leadership the United Kingdom will not rejoin the EU, the single market or the customs union.
However, he has made it clear that he wants to renegotiate elements of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU to boost growth, which he described as part of the “comprehensive EU reset”.
“We are also in the process of reshaping our relationship with the EU and I have made it very clear that I want a closer relationship with the EU,” he said.
British troops (foreground) clash with demonstrators in a Catholic-dominated area of Belfast during the so-called riots on 5 May 1981. – Anonymous/1981 AP
“That obviously affects security, that affects defence, but also trade, reducing friction, and any business here in Ireland will tell you that reducing friction helps and that’s why we want to reshape that relationship.”
Starmer has toured EU capitals, including Paris and Berlin, since his election victory, hoping to generate goodwill to make progress on that front and “stand together” on international issues such as the war in Ukraine.
Starmer and Harris attended an event with businesses in Dublin to explore how a “reset” of relations can benefit trade.
The economic relations are worth around 120 billion euros and secure thousands of jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea.
