Starmer, Harris meet business leaders in Dublin, hail reset in relations

(7 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
AGENCY POOL
Dublin, Ireland - September 7, 2024
1. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Irish counterpart Simon Harris arriving for meeting with business leaders
2. Various of Harris and Starmer speaking to business leaders
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister:
"Today is very much about cementing the reset of relations between our two countries, that we've talked about in the last eight or so weeks since I was able to form a government in the United Kingdom. And today, we've just had a really good session where we've been able to agree the themes, some of the structures, and the way that we'll take that forward - including a summit in March of next year and annual summits thereafter. All of which I think will provide a stronger foundation for the very many issues on which we collaborate and cooperate."
4. Close of Harris
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister:
"There are really four strands to the work that we want to do on growing the economy. The first is stability, and by that, I mean fixing the foundations of our economy. I'm absolutely convinced that one of the biggest inhibitors of growth in recent years in the UK has been the lack of stability."
6. Wide of meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister
"So reset there, reset with Europe. Obviously, we have left the EU, but I do think we can have a closer relationship and we're very clear that we're ambitious in that."
8. Mid of meeting ++MUTE++
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Harris, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister):
"I'm really delighted that we have this opportunity today for an ambitious reset of the UK-Ireland relationship, and we've had a very productive meeting with our teams, and we've agreed on the importance of our responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, and a shared ambition for a greater opportunity around prosperity and reconciliation."
10. Mid shot of meeting
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Harris, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister):
"I'm also delighted that we've agreed a structure for engagement, an annual summit and a work stream where we have identified a number of areas that we want to work on together, and ask our governments to work on together as well, whether that's security and justice, climate, energy, culture, education. People-to-people connections - so important to our relationship across these islands."
12. Wide of meeting
STORYLINE:
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Irish counterpart met with business leaders, Saturday, in what was billed as an attempt to reset relations between the two countries after years of tensions following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.
Starmer's visit to meet Irish premier Simon Harris is the first by a British leader to Ireland in five years.
It is a further sign that the two wish to deepen relations on economic and security matters. Harris was the first international leader Starmer hosted following his Labour Party's landslide election victory on July 4.
Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since the U.K. voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union, especially in light of how it affected the political structures of Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.
When the U.K. left the bloc, the British government and the EU agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
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