UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer began his first visit to Ireland in five years on Saturday, promising to “reset” the two countries’ strained post-Brexit relations.
The visit, described by Downing Street as a “historic moment for UK-Ireland relations”, signals a further warming in bilateral ties that had frayed under the UK’s previous Conservative government.
Irish counterpart, Simon Harris welcomed Starmer to Dublin, with the pair shaking hands and posing for photographs before heading for talks.
Starmer added that the reset was “really important to me and my government. It can be meaningful. It can be deep,” he said.
Both leaders emphasised the importance of their shared responsibilities as custodians of the Good Friday Agreement, a landmark peace pact reached in 1998 that ended decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.
Economic growth was also expected to be a top priority, as was a coordinated response to foreign problems, where Harris claimed the two presidents “were aligned in so many ways”.
Harris, who became taioseach prime minister in April, was the first international leader hosted by Starmer in the UK after his landslide election win in July.
The focus on “resetting” Anglo-Irish relations marks a notable shift in language after the last few years saw tensions rise between Dublin and London.
Britons narrowly voted to exit the European Union in a referendum in 2016 and the country finally left the bloc in 2020 after years of political division and stalemate.
Since taking power, Starmer has moved to begin the repeal of a law granting conditional immunity to perpetrators of crimes during Northern Ireland’s decades of sectarian violence.
The move has been fiercely opposed by relatives of those who lost their lives in “The Troubles”.
During Saturday’s encounter, the leaders were expected to reaffirm the Good Friday Agreement and their commitment to reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Starmer was also slated to meet with Irish business leaders in Dublin to advocate increased bilateral commerce and investment.
According to Irish network RTE, the two leaders are anticipated to confirm their desire for a more formal post-EU manner of engagement, which Harris stated “will mean working on a joint plan to bring about a step-change in ambition and engagement”.
Starmer and Harris were scheduled to attend the Ireland vs. England Nations League football match on Saturday evening.
