British and Irish leaders meet in Dublin to try to repair relations after Brexit tensions

DUBLIN – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Irish counterpart on Saturday in what was billed as an attempt to reset relations between the two countries after years of tensions following the UK’s departure from the European Union.

Starmer’s visit to Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris is the first by a British leader to Ireland in five years and is a further sign of the two countries’ desire to deepen their relationship on economic and security issues. Harris was the first international leader Starmer hosted after his Labour Party’s landslide victory in the July 4 election.

“Today is really important because we have made clear our ambition to rethink the relationship and today we are moving forward on that,” Starmer said after the afternoon meeting with Harris at Farmleigh House in Dublin, the Irish government’s official home for state visits. “We are clear that we want to have a summit by March to show the output of that summit and then annual summits thereafter.”

Relations between the two countries have been strained since the UK voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union, particularly in light of the impact this has had on the political structures of Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.

When the UK left the Union, the British government and the EU agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks, as an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. Starmer’s Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak, later renegotiated the original deal, winning support from both sides of the Northern Irish political divide.

Starmer said it was an opportunity to further consolidate relations, both with Ireland and the EU. He said the UK would not seek to rejoin the EU under his leadership, nor the bloc’s frictionless single market and customs union. However, he made clear he wanted to renegotiate elements of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU in order to boost growth.

“We are also rethinking our relationship with the EU and I have made it clear that I want a closer relationship with the EU,” he said. “It is of course about security, it is about defence, but it is also about trade, reducing friction and any business here in Ireland will tell you that reducing friction helps and so we want to rethink that relationship.”

Since his election, he has toured EU capitals in the hope of generating the goodwill needed to move forward on that front and to “stay united” on international issues such as the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders attended a trade roundtable in Dublin to discuss how a “reset” of relations could benefit trade. The economic relationship between the two countries is worth around €120 billion ($130 billion), supporting thousands of jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea.

After their morning meeting, the two leaders travelled to Dublin to watch a football match between Ireland and England, which provided the opportunity for a great photo opportunity. They swapped jerseys, with Starmer holding an Irish jersey with his surname on it and Harris holding an England jersey with his name on it.

“We’ll have an intense, friendly competition and then we’ll renew and reset again later tonight,” said Harris, who is also new to the role after being elected premier in April.

Starmer, a football fan, laughed when asked if he would wear it to the game later.

“It will be making its way into my nine-a-side football team,” he said. “It will be proudly worn around north London before long.”

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Pylas contributed from London.