Taoiseach to Starmer: Need for close Anglo-Irish ties 'never greater'
The case for forging a close partnership between Ireland and the UK “has never been greater”, Irish premier Micheal Martin has told Sir Keir Starmer.
The two leaders have undertaken a number of engagements in Cork on the first evening of the UK-Ireland summit.
Sir Keir spent the earlier part of the day in Belfast before travelling to Cork for the summit, which follows an inaugural gathering in Liverpool last year.
At last year’s summit, Mr Martin and Sir Keir committed themselves to a programme of co-operation between the two countries, called UK-Ireland 2030.
Delivering an address at a cultural event, the Taoiseach said there was a “renewed spirit of co-operation” between Ireland and the UK.
He said: “As we look to 2030, our task is clear – to deepen co-operation in the areas that matter most to our citizens, such as infrastructure delivery, especially housing; clean energy, climate action, research and innovation, the cost of living; readying our economies and our workers for the industries of the future, protecting our critical infrastructure, including under our seas.
“In all of this, crucially, we are working together from a sense of shared values, whether that is in international co-operation, in Northern Ireland, or in shaping a fairer, more prosperous future for all across these islands.
“As we gather, we are conscious also that this is a changing, more uncertain, and more unsettled world.
“In that context, the case for an active, engaged and close partnership between our two countries has never been greater.”
Earlier, Sir Keir and Mr Martin met business leaders from the energy and infrastructure sector – during which chants from demonstrators outside the building could be heard.
A few dozen protesters were seen in the city centre, some holding Iranian, Palestinian or Irish flags.
The next event saw the two leaders meet young people taking part in the UK-Ireland Youth Summit.
Earlier, the British Prime Minister and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn landed on the tarmac at Cork Airport on Thursday evening after meeting with Stormont’s political leaders in Belfast.
Speaking in Belfast, Sir Keir said he had tried to “reset” relations between Britain and Ireland since becoming Prime Minister.
“Of course, it doesn’t mean that we agree on everything, but it means that we positively engage, constructively engage, to overcome any challenges, but also take advantage of huge opportunities,” he told reporters.
“I was determined to reset that relationship, I genuinely feel it’s in a better place, and most people who talk to me about this say it is in a better place.
“I’m pleased about that, but if you are in a better place, you’ve got to keep working at it.”
Sir Keir said that while there were issues that the governments in London and Dublin did not agree on, there were “not as many issues as many people try to make out”.
He added: “Our job is to manage through those issues and come to a proper resolution, rather than to escalate them.
“That’s the basis on which I’ve worked, that’s why the UK-Ireland relationship is in a better place and I’ll continue in that vein.”