Keir Starmer makes first go to to Ireland as PM for ‘second of reset’
Sir Keir Starmer has met with Irish premier Simon Harris in Dublin for a ‘moment of reset’ in Anglo-Irish relations.
The Taoiseach welcomed Sir Keir for a bilateral meeting at Farmleigh House in what is their second get together since the Prime Minister took office in July.
Sir Keir said it is the ‘moment for reset’ of relations between the UK and Ireland, adding that he wanted to ‘renew the friendship between our two countries’ to benefit them both.
Mr Harris, who described Sir Keir as his friend, added: ‘It’s a really great honour to host you here today on your first official visit to Ireland as Prime Minister.’
He added: ‘We both said we wish to really place British-Irish relations on a new path and I really appreciate the time that you’ve given to us since taking office, and I’ve tried to respond in kind.’
Prime Minister of Ireland Simon Harris gestures as he greets his British counterpart Keir Starmer as they meet for talks at Farmleigh House, in Dublin
Ireland’s Prime Minister Simon Harris greets Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Farmleigh House in Dublin
Taoiseach Simon Harris (left) and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer swap football shirts with their names on as they meet at Farmleigh House in Dublin
Mr Harris continued: ‘We obviously had a call within hours of you being in Downing Street, we had a very productive meeting in Chequers in July, and I think today we’re here at Dublin to probably try to flesh out what a reset actually looks like, and what it looks like in a practical sense for our citizens on both islands.’
Upon his arrival to the capital on Saturday, Sir Keir said: ‘It’s a pleasure to be here, to have this opportunity that we will take to renew the friendship between our two countries.
‘That reset, I think, can be meaningful, it can be deep.
‘Of course, it covers the relationship between our two countries. Obviously it has to cover the Good Friday Agreement and I take very seriously our joint role in relation to that.’
Sir Keir said meeting Mr Harris twice within his first nine weeks in office as Prime Minister shows a ‘real intention’ to reset relationships to the ‘great benefit’ of both the UK and Ireland.
Mr Harris added that a reset in relations had to be embedded in ‘peace and prosperity, mutual respect and friendship’.
He said their ‘most solemn duty’ as leaders of the UK and Irish governments was as co-guarantors of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Sir Keir Starmer signs the visitor’s book at Farmleigh House in Dublin
Simon Harris and Sir Keir Starmer sit down together as they meet for talks at Farmleigh House, in Dublin on Saturday
Simon Harris and Sir Keir Starmer take a stroll through Farmleigh House, the official Irish state guest house in Dublin,
The two leaders will participate in a business roundtable in Dublin to explore how a ‘reset’ in relations can benefit trade.
The Taoiseach noted that the economic relationship between the UK and Ireland was worth approximately 120 billion euro per year (£100 billion).
Mr Harris said the relationship between the two countries may face challenges, including during Saturday’s Ireland vs England football match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, but added: ‘We will have intense and friendly competition, and then we will renew and reset again later in the evening.’
A young boy who received medical treatment in the UK presented the two leaders with Irish and English football scarves.
Sir Keir held up an Irish shirt with his surname on the back and laughed when asked if he would wear it to the match later. They also swapped football jerseys.
He said: ‘It will make an appearance in my nine-a-side. This will be proudly worn in north London before too long.’
Looking at his England shirt with ‘Harris’ on the back, the Taoiseach joked: ‘I never thought I’d see my name on anything.’
Meanwhile, Sir Keir said ‘absolutely not’ to a shout of ‘can we have Declan Rice back?’
He said: ‘No, absolutely not. He is fantastic.’
