British Prime Minister Starmer on Saturday became the first British leader to visit Ireland in five years, promising a “reset” in relations between London and Dublin.
Downing Street described the visit, in which Starmer met Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, as a “historic moment for UK-Irish relations”.
Following years of rising tensions between the UK and Ireland, mainly over Brexit, Ms Harris said:
“Today we are in Dublin to concretely illustrate what a reset actually looks like for the people of both islands.”
“And I know for sure that it has to be rooted in peace, prosperity, mutual respect and friendship.”
Starmer and Irish PM aim to boost trade and investment
After the meeting, Starmer’s office issued a statement saying the two leaders agreed “we want to go further, particularly on trade and investment, to boost growth and deliver for the people of the UK and Ireland”.
Starmer said the reset was “really important to me and to the Government” and that it “could be significant and have profound implications”.
The two leaders also agreed to host the first ever UK-Irish summit in March next year to advance cooperation on key areas of mutual interest, including security, climate, trade and culture.
The pair swapped England and Ireland football jerseys before attending the Nations League international match between Ireland and England in Dublin.
Ironically, goals from two Irish-born players gave the visitors a 2-0 victory, further highlighting the familial and historical ties between the two countries.
Why were relations between Britain and Ireland strained?
Following the 2016 referendum, the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020 created a land border between the UK and the EU on the island of Ireland. Specifically, a border was created between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and Ireland, which remains in the EU.
The leaders stressed the importance of their joint role as guardians of the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal that ended decades of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland known as “The Troubles.”
Starmer, who has called for closer ties with EU member states since taking office, said relations between London and Dublin “have never reached their full potential and I want to change that”.
Just days after Labour’s election victory, Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with the foreign ministers of Germany, Sweden and Poland.
Starmer chose Berlin as the destination for his first bilateral visit, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
mf/rm (Reuters, AFP)
