Starmer in Dublin to seal 'new era' between Ireland and UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived inDublin, for the first visit by a British head of government to Ireland in five years, to confirm a “new “era” in relations between the two countries , battered by Brexit.

The Labour leader was received by his Irish counterpart Simon Harris at his Farmleigh House residence.

The latter said he was “very happy that British-Irish relations are on new tracks”, during a statement to the press.

“Today we will probably try to define what a reset” of bilateral relations actually looks like, he said, adding that they should be based on “peace, prosperity, mutual respect and friendship.”

For his part, Keir Starmer considered this visit as “really important” for his government.

“It's a pleasure to be here and to have this opportunity to renew the friendship between our countries,” adding that this “new beginning” in bilateral relations “can be significant” and “profound.”

The two leaders are to discuss in particular the war in Ukraine and support for kyiv, the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the development of trade and economic relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris (r) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer exchange the football jerseys of their respective national teams, September 7, 2024 in Dublin © POOL – Peter Morrison

Before their meeting, the two men exchanged football jerseys from their respective national teams in front of the cameras. They will later attend the Nations League match between England and Ireland on Saturday.

Before Keir Starmer's arrival in Dublin, London had described the visit in a statement as marking “a new era of cooperation and friendship” between the two countries.

“Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that,” Keir Starmer was quoted as saying in the statement.

The last British prime minister to visit Ireland was Boris Johnson in 2019, in the midst of Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels.

– Northern Ireland –

But since Labour’s Keir Starmer took office in July, and to some extent already under his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak, relations between the two countries have warmed somewhat.

Simon Harris, who became Taioseach (the official title of the Irish head of government) in April, was the first foreign leader Keir Starmer received after coming to power.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (r) signs the guest book alongside his Irish counterpart Simon Harris, at Farmleigh House, on September 7, 2024 in Dublin © POOL – Peter Morrison

He had been invited to Chequers, the country residence of British Prime Ministers, shortly before a meeting of European leaders near Oxford.

The two leaders had then assured that the “time had come to reset the partnership” between the two Nations, after the Brexit referendum of 2016.

The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union had been widely seen as a source of destabilization of relations between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, raising concerns of Dublin.

Keir Starmer notably promised to review a controversial law, adopted by the Conservatives and aimed at ending investigations into crimes linked to the period of the Troubles, according to the modest name for the decades of the Northern Irish conflict.

Coming into force in May, it led to an appeal by Ireland against London before the European Court of Human Rights.

On Saturday, Keir Starmer and Simon Harris notably reaffirmed their attachment to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 which put an end to these decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

In Dublin, the British Prime Minister is also due to meet with business leaders and players in the Irish economic world, in order to promote trade and investment between the two country.

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