Press release
Joint Statement by Taoiseach Simon Harris and Prime Minister Keir Starmer
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Farmleigh House on 7 September. The focus of their meeting was to agree an ambitious reset of the UK-Ireland relationship. They covered the UK’s intention to reset its relationship with the EU. The leaders also discussed urgent global issues, including the situation in Ukraine and in Gaza.
Following their meeting, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach issued the following joint statement:
Today Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris discussed the reset of the partnership between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The leaders discussed the importance of their responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, and their shared ambition for greater opportunity, economic prosperity and reconciliation across these islands to include and benefit Northern Ireland.
The leaders agreed that to take the UK-Ireland relationship to a new level and to deliver on the promise of that relationship, the first of a new series of annual leader-level UK-Ireland summits would take place in March 2025.
They agreed that the summits, which Ministers on both sides will help prepare between now and March, will take forward cooperation in four key areas, which illustrate the breadth and depth of shared values and interests between the UK and Ireland:
• Security, Justice and Global Issues: to enhance policy coordination and partnerships in areas where the UK and Ireland have a shared interest such as cyber security and maritime security.
• Climate, energy, technology and innovation: to build on existing cooperation and promote further joint initiatives as both sides recognise the imperative to act and opportunities of the green and digital transitions
• Growth, trade and investment: to drive economic growth between the UK and Ireland, building on the existing ties and the geographical proximity of these islands, noting that this is already a relationship worth over 120 billion euro a year.
• Culture, education and people to people connections: recognising and developing the ties that unite the UK and Ireland, including our Common Travel Area, and the richness of the connections between our peoples and culture, through education, sport and joint cultural projects.
In the spirit of the strength of the relationship between the UK and Ireland across business, culture, people and beyond, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach noted that today’s meeting marked the start of an ambitious programme of work to be taken forward by Ministers and their departments to deliver a renewed and strengthened partnership.
The Prime Minister and Taoiseach look forward to seeing each other again in New York at the UN General Assembly, and at the British-Irish Council in Edinburgh this December.
ENDS