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LAST UPDATE | 6 Mar 2025
IRELAND AND BRITAIN may jointly invest in offshore wind projects in the future, following discussions in Liverpool between both governments today.
A delegation of ministers, led by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, met outside Liverpool for the first plenary session of the new annual Ireland-UK summit.
The summit has been established by both governments to discuss opportunities for future cooperation. Speaking after the meeting today, Energy Minister Darragh O’Brien said it was likely that Ireland and the UK will collaborate on off-shore wind projects.
“I was able to go through it in some more detail with [UK] Energy Secretary Ed Miliband this morning,” O’Brien said, adding that Starmer and Martin discussed the possibility at length at a separate meeting this morning.
Based on the engagements between the governments and business leaders this morning, there are a number of companies who would welcome and be willing to join common energy infrastructure projects between Ireland and Britain.
During the opening remarks this morning in Merseyside, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the summit presents the Irish government with the opportunity to learn from Westminster’s “know-how” on the delivery of infrastructure.
A large portion of the discussion was reserved for joint-initiatives to reach net-zero climate commitments. “We’re both windy spots,” Martin said today. “So, I think therein lies our potential in terms of energy.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, O’Brien said: “I think it would make a lot of sense for both countries to see where and which areas of the Irish Sea we can work on together, whilst we’re still advancing our own projects.
“There’s been good cooperation up to now, but we want to accelerate that and I know there’s the basis to do that now [after today's meeting],” he added.
Asked by The Journal whether trade and potential US tariffs were discussed at today’s meeting, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that both countries would cooperate with each other to respond to the tax.
He said that Ireland and the UK are in an unique position since Brexit, as rules around imports and exports for Northern Ireland are subject to some EU regulations under the Windsor agreement.
Harris said: “How those tariffs are dealt with, should they arise, is really, really important. It’s absolutely vital that the UK Government, the Irish government and the EU Commission, works hand in glove in relation to these issues.
“I also think it makes sense for us to work together on these issues, because we have a shared perspective,” he said, adding that he discussed the issue with Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Starmer today.
Past tensions, fueled by Brexit and the Legacy Act in the North, soured relations between Dublin and Westminster during the Conservative Party’s tenure. Starmer has sought to to improve communication between the UK, Dublin and Brussels.
Both leaders remarked on how today’s summit is the “most-extensive” engagement between the two governments in the last five years. Starmer spoke to the importance of Anglo-Irish relations, as he aims to heal wounds with the EU.
He said though the UK is still not keen to rejoin, in full, the single market, customs union or freedom of movement, the current Labour government wants to find methods to boost trade, create jobs and grow the economy with the EU.
“And in that context,” Starmer said. “I believe partnership between the United Kingdom and Ireland has the potential to be a really positive force.”
Addressing Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Martin said the Irish government want to “share and learn” from the UK and identify opportunities for future collaboration in that area, particularly in Northern Ireland.
“We have huge challenges on infrastructure delivery. Housing is a big issue for us,” Martin told Starmer, adding that a task for his government is to find ways to speed up the construction of state infrastructure.
It follows a number of high-profile projects which have been delayed or gone over budget in the last decade. Martin added that Ireland and the UK share common goals in regards to infrastructure, particularly in energy.
“We want to learn from you and also share our respective experiences and so forth,” he said.
No major announcement was made from this year’s event as the delegations sought to use the summit as a platform to reset relations between each governments and identify areas which they can collaborate in.
Martin was joined by Harris, Minister for Education Helen McEntee, O’Brien and Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan in Liverpool today.
On the UK side, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Raynor, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Miliband and Benn attended the event with Starmer.
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