UK, Ireland look to strengthen ties ahead of European summit

LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Irish counterpart Simon Harris at his official country residence Chequers on Wednesday for bilateral talks ahead of the U.K. hosting dozens of European leaders.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the leaders agreed on holding an annual summit between the neighbouring countries, with Starmer set be in Dublin in less than two months on Sept. 7.

"As a first step towards rebuilding this unique partnership, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach committed to annual summits at which they will take stock of joint work to deepen and reinvigorate co-operation", the statement read, using the term for the Irish prime minister.

The leaders said that the "time was right for a reset of the partnership", noting the "ties which bind both countries span geography and history".

The joint statement marks a shift in language after the last few years saw tensions rise between Dublin and London.

Before the dinner, Harris said his first in-person meeting with Starmer since the latter's Labour government was elected two weeks ago, "means a lot... to Ireland".

The focus on "resetting" Anglo-Irish relations echoes Starmer's commitment to resetting ties with Europe at Thursday's European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace near Oxford, southern England.

Following a NATO summit in Washington last week, Starmer will have the chance to repair strained post-Brexit relations with the EU, with leaders set to discuss Ukraine, illegal immigration and energy security at the EPC summit.

After dinner at Chequers, Harris said the U.K. leader "definitely... wants to see a closer relationship with the European Union".

Tensions between the U.K. and Ireland simmered under the previous Conservative government with Boris Johnson's hard break from the EU risking destabilising relations between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Starmer had an early start mending Anglo-Irish ties with the King's Speech earlier on Wednesday which laid out his government's legislative priorities.

Among them was a pledge to scrap a law granting conditional immunity to perpetrators of crimes during the "Troubles" era of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, fiercely opposed by relatives who lost their lives.

Harris said the commitment made it a "very significant day".

Another recent source of friction, which was not mentioned among the topics discussed in the statement, has been an influx of migrants in Ireland, who the EU member has said entered from Northern Ireland, and previously planned to deport back to the U.K..

During their talks, the leaders reaffirmed the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord brokered in 1998, and their committed to "reconciliation in Northern Ireland".

They also discussed "support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression" and spoke about the war in Gaza.