DUBLIN – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with his Irish counterpart, Saturday in what was billed as an attempt to reset relations between the two countries after years of tensions following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.
Starmer's visit to meet Irish premier Simon Harris is the first by a British leader to Ireland in five years. It is a further sign that the two wish to deepen relations on economic and security matters. Harris was the first international leader Starmer hosted following his Labour Party's landslide election victory on July 4.
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“Today is really significant because we have made clear our ambition to reset the relationship and today we take that forward," Starmer said after the afternoon meeting with Harris at Farmleigh House in Dublin, the Irish Government’s formal reception house for state visits. “We are clear that by March we want to have a summit to show the yield from this and then annual summits after that.”
Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since the U.K. voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union, especially in light of how it affected the political structures of Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.
When the U.K. left the bloc, the British government and the EU agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. Later, Starmer's Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak renegotiated the initial agreement, and that has won the support of both sides of the Northern Irish political divide.
Starmer said now was a chance to further solidify the relations, both with Ireland as well as the EU. He has said that the U.K. will not seek to rejoin the EU under his leadership, nor the bloc's frictionless single market and customs union. However, he has made it clear that he wants to renegotiate elements of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU in order to bolster growth.
“We are also resetting our relationship with the EU and I have made it very clear that I want a closer relationship with the EU," he said. “That is of course on security, on defense, but also on trade, reducing the friction and any business here in Ireland will tell you that reducing the friction helps and so we want to reset that relationship."
He has been touring EU capitals since he got elected in the hope of generating the goodwill to move forward on that front, as well as "stand together" on international issues such as the war in Ukraine.
The two leaders participated in a business roundtable in Dublin to explore how a “reset” in relations can benefit trade. The economic relationship is worth around 120 billion euros ($130 billion), supporting thousands of jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The two leaders headed off after the early meeting to a soccer match between Ireland and England in Dublin, which provided them with a clear photo opportunity. They swapped jerseys with Starmer holding up an Irish shirt with his surname on it and Harris holding up an England jersey with his name on it.
“We will have intense and friendly competition, and then we will renew and reset again later in the evening,” said Harris, who is also new in the job having been elected premier in April.
Starmer, a keen soccer player, laughed when asked if he would wear it to the match later.
“It will make an appearance in my nine-a-side," he said. "This will be proudly worn in north London before too long.”
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Pylas contributed from London.