The visit, described as a historic moment for British-Irish relations by Downing Street, is a sign of the warming of bilateral ties after several difficult years under the previous Conservative government.
London says it sees a new era of cooperation and friendship, according to a statement released ahead of Keir Starmer’s arrival in Dublin.
Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that, Keir Starmer said in the statement, assuring that he and Simon Harris are in sync regarding cooperation between the two countries.
For his part, Simon Harris described the visit as an important moment in order to put relations between the two countries on a better and more solid footing.
He notably spoke of developing a joint plan to define the framework for relations between their two governments.
The last British Prime Minister to visit Ireland was Boris Johnson in 2019, in the midst of negotiations between London and Brussels on Brexit.
Simon Harris, who became Prime Minister in April, had already been the first foreign leader received by Labour’s Keir Starmer after he entered Downing Street in July, marking the end of 14 years of Conservative power.
The Taioseach (the official title of the Irish head of government) had been invited to Chequers, the country residence of British Prime Ministers, where the two leaders had been photographed drinking a pint of a famous Irish beer.
This meeting took place shortly before a meeting of European leaders near Oxford.
The two leaders had then assured that the time had come to reset the partnership between the two Nations, after the Brexit referendum of 2016.
The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union had been widely seen as a source of destabilization of relations between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.
Since coming to power, Keir Starmer has announced the revision of a controversial law, aimed at ending investigations into crimes related to the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
This law, wanted by the Conservatives and which came into force in May, has led to an appeal by Ireland against London before the European Court of Human Rights.
On Saturday, Keir Starmer and Simon Harris must reaffirm their commitment to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 which put an end to these decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
In Dublin, the British Prime Minister must also meet with business leaders and actors from the Irish economic world, in order to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
The two leaders will then attend the football match between Ireland and England in the Football Nations League.
This article is originally published on lexpress.fr
