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DURING THE FIRST phone call between newly-appointed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris, the two leaders agreed a closer relationship is “needed” between Dublin and London.
Harris congratulated Starmer on his historic election victory and on his appointment and said he looked forward to built a constructive, working relationship between the two States.
Starmer invited Harris to meet him in 10 Downing Street on 17 July, which the Taoiseach accepted.
There have been several tense moments between leaders in Ireland and the UK in recent years over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, controversial Troubles legacy legislation, and most recently over migration flows.
Many Irish politicians also slammed plans by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to send people who arrived into Britain illegally to Rwanda, where they would be processed.
During the first phone call between the two leaders, Starmer shared a “determination” with Harris to strengthen the “bilateral relationship” between Ireland and the United Kingdom as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
On Northern Ireland, the pair welcomed the restoration of Stormont and power-sharing, as well as legacy issues. The Taoiseach welcomed the appointment of Hilary Benn as Northern Ireland Secretary.
“The Taoiseach and Prime Minister agreed a closer relationship between Dublin and London was needed and a meaningful reset would require regular engagement between them,” a statement said this evening.
Separately, Tánaiste Micheál Martin had a “positive first phone call” with Hilary Benn and congratulated him on his new role.
“We both agreed on the importance of close cooperation between our Governments on a range of issues related to Northern Ireland and in our role as guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement,” Martin said.
“A strong and visible joint approach between the Irish and British Governments on Northern Ireland is the bedrock of positive progress and I look forward to working closely with the Secretary of State in this respect.
“We had a constructive conversation on legacy issues and agreed to work together on a path forward. This is a vital endeavour and I am committed to taking it forward with urgency with the Secretary of State.”
In an earlier phone call with the new Prime Minister, First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill urged Starmer to roll back the Legacy Act, which would make it impossible for those who committed offences against the State during the Troubles to be prosecuted.
O’Neill also asked for funding so that Casement Park could be prepared for the Euro 2028 football tournament.
She added: “I strongly made the case for fair funding to be urgently provided for health, education, and public services here. The cuts that our people and public services have endured under a Tory government for over a decade must end now.”
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It’s easy to be cynical. Starmer seems to be a sensible guy who wants to get things back on track, and Harris is someone who is easy to work with.
There has been too much politics of personality over the past decade and it has brought nothing but grief. Give me boring quiet competence any day.
Changing Torries for Labour is barely above changing FG for FF and expecting a difference. Best of luck with that.
Starmer is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. That been said, thank god the tories have been given a good hiding.
Well good thing you’re not English because the UK public have trusted the Soft-Socialists with an ENTIRE majority!!!
@9QRixo8H: I’m no fan of the Tories, but your statement is wildly exegarated in relation to Labour.
They increased their total percentage of votes up to 23.8% – up 1.5% from their disastrous 2019 performance.
Any other country in Europe would be looking at a coalition government after a similar result, instead of the all or nothing FPTP UK system.
@Thomas Sheridan: FACTS are wild exaggerations???? I stated that they received an entire majority. Did they not? The uk know their FPTP system VERY well, and chose to give them an ENTIRE majority. Am I incorrect? Am I?
@9QRixo8H: first to correct a typo, it should read 33.8%.
But I’m not sure what you mean by an entire majority, as opposed to a majority, given that just 1/3% of the voters opted for them.
@Thomas Sheridan: D. Peadar – synonymous with wildly exaggerated.
@Anthony Curran: What do you base that on? Nothing that I can see. Especially coming off the back of the Tory nut show of the last number of years.
@9QRixo8H: I can tell you one thing. They will be many times better than what went before them. No comparison.
@Anthony Curran: How you make that out when everything says otherwise.
He is a pragmatist, not an idealist.
He showed that is his law career and as a TD.
Even in this election, there were no wild promises, just plans and ideals.
All based on what they find when they get into government.
An adult politician not looking for the headlines.
A nice change!
@9QRixo8H: what???
Harris has his thumb sticking out because he’s putting his thumb in every pie right now :-)
For me the only decent leader of Labor and person on the island of GB was Jeremy Corbyn, it was sad to see how he was treated by what followed him, sadly it’s difficult for me to have any respect for anything after that .
@patrick Morris: Id trust Corbyn as a neighbour to feed the cat (just about). Less sure he could run a country
@patrick Morris: He is the extreme left equivalent of the extreme right in the likes of Liz Truss that they have just kicked to the kerb. Ideologues not living in the real world.
@patrick Morris: Corbyn was an idealist who had great visions but no plans. Labour was turning into Animal Farm and were unelectable. That was proven when they not only failed against the Tories but lost their red wall.
He is a brilliant MP for his constituency but as a party leader, a failure.
As leader you pull the party together not pull it apart, like Liz Truss did to the Tories.
Starmer is not as left wing as Corbyn and that is what is needed in the UK. The Corbynites were caught out with some wild comments including the ones about the Irish never having suffer racism in the UK. Like I sai Animal Farm like.
The UK has swung to the right with Regform an a chunk of the Tories,
A left if center Labour is exactly what was needed. To guide the UK back to a better place.
Wild swings to the life or right usually destabilise a country badly as seen by the Truss fiasco and Brexit.
As long as they pay the money to get back into the EU and adopt the euro they will be grand
@and the hit’s just keep coming:
Keep dreaming
The Blue shirts will have us back in the Union soon…
@Daragh McCauley: That will never happen and the ones that would have all all dying off. The good news is that their right wing politics differ from the UKs and that is good of us.
All talk no action
why arent comments allowed on leona Maguire becoming a champ
It’s great to see the British people have finally woken up to the Folly of Brexshit.
They were sold a pup by the Tories and the DUP up North. The only think Oven ready was the Burning of their Economy and futures. Leaving the biggest trading block on the planet on the hope of doing non existent trade agreements globally has been disastrous and nonsense.
They borrowed heavily based on this. Driving their national debt from £700billion when David Cameron called the Referendum to a new unmanageable £2.6 Trillion and rising.
Well done Borris and Farage. Great job
Question is who called who??
I wish him well
Peas in a pod
Is it just me, or does Starman talk like a Dalek?
have your say