SECURITY PREPARATIONS ARE underway as Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, is set to spend a few days sampling the delights of Cork next month for a major summit, The Journal has learned.

Both the Irish Defence Forces and gardaí are preparing plans for the visit which will have heavy security. 

Sources have said that Starmer and a team from Downing Street and four of his ministers are set to arrive in Cork for the event on 13 March.

It is understood that he will have a bilateral UK-Ireland summit with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at a location in east Cork. 

Starmer’s former Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney is from Macroom in County Cork but it is unlikely the ex-Labour strategist will visit East Cork with the Prime Minister.

McSweeney resigned as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after claiming “full responsibility” for advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.

The Journal understands that in recent months Irish Government officials have been sent to County Cork to carry out assessments of potential locations for the visit and also for events during the EU Presidency.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin is anxious to host a number of meetings in Cork during the Presidency. 

It follows a meeting yesterday in Dublin between Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn.

The meeting was focused on discussions regarding specifics on effective security cooperation, addressing the legacy of the Troubles and supporting the work of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.

The meeting looked at counter terror operations and the targeting of cross border organised crime. 

O’Callaghan and Benn discussed the establishment of a Garda Troubles Legacy Liaison Unit, which the Garda Commissioner and the justice Minister had launched in January.

An image of a previous summit. Government of Ireland. Government of Ireland.

There has been some tension between both governments in regard to the issue of an de facto amnesty for British military personnel who killed civilians during the Troubles.

Labour has introduced its Troubles Bill to replace the Act and end the immunity scheme in that legislation, which was ruled unlawful in the courts and has never been commenced.

The scheme would have allowed perpetrators of Troubles-related crimes to be given immunity from prosecution in exchange for cooperation with a truth recovery body.

It is understood that other security matters will be discussed at the Cork summit, including connections between the Irish Defence Forces and the British military. 

Yesterday’s launch of the Maritime Security Strategy outlined a number of measures which spoke about closer cooperation with other Governments and their armed forces to secure Irish waters.   

Colonel Sean Grant, the British military attaché in Dublin, was at the launch.

The Department of an Taoiseach said in a statement: “The details of the upcoming UK-Ireland summit will be announced shortly”. 

Downing Street said it could not comment on travel arrangements for its Prime Minister.