Sir Keir Starmer is visiting the Republic of Ireland as part of a “reset” of relations following the change of government.
The prime minister will meet with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, as part of the visit to Dublin.
At the same time, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn will be committing the UK government to a “new chapter” in UK-Ireland relations in a speech to the British-Irish Association Conference in Oxfordshire.
Northern Ireland‘s first minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly and the Republic of Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin will be present at the conference.
As part of his address, Mr Benn is set to acknowledge the “deep upset and anger” caused by the Conservative government’s controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which stopped new cases and inquests being opened into Troubles-era killings and tried to give suspects conditional amnesty.
Labour has promised to repeal the act, although Mr Benn wants to strengthen an independent truth-finding body set up by the legislation – saying it should be able to work alongside the police in the Republic of Ireland on legacy investigations.
He will say: “While achieving full consensus on legacy issues may simply not be possible, I ask everyone to acknowledge that this is a government with a new approach, and we need a spirit of compromise.”
Earlier this week, Northern Ireland veterans commissioner Danny Kinahan resigned – saying he could not “provide the independent voice that veterans require” after an “open and frank” conversation with Mr Benn.
The Northern Ireland secretary thanked Mr Kinahan for his work.
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Mr Benn will also commit the UK to maintaining the implementation of the post-Brexit Windsor Framework, and tell Northern Irish politicians that further suspensions of the assembly there would be counterproductive.
Back in Dublin, trade will be top of the agenda for Sir Keir and Mr Harris – with €100bn (£84bn) of business done across the Irish Sea every year.
“Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that,” Sir Keir said ahead of the visit.
“The [Irish prime minister] and I are in lockstep about our future, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration further.”
Mr Harris said the meeting in Dublin was “an important moment of reset in British-Irish relations”.
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As well as developing the trade relationship, Mr Harris said the pair will “also discuss, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, how to ensure that this moment of reset benefits the totality of relations across these islands today and into the future”.
In the evening, Sir Keir and Mr Harris will watch the football match between the Republic of Ireland and England.
