Harris and Starmer set terms for annual summit on trade and co-operation

Sir Keir Starmer carried out his first official visit to Ireland as Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris at Farmleigh House (Peter Morrison/PA) (PA Wire)

The leaders of Ireland and the UK will hold annual summits on trade and security, the Prime Minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer said it is a “moment for reset” of relations between the UK and Ireland as he met Irish premier Simon Harris during his first official visit to Dublin.

Sir Keir said they had been able to agree the themes and structures of a summit in March 2025, to be held every year thereafter.

The meetings will focus on four key areas: security, justice and global issues; climate, energy technology and innovation; growth, trade and investment; and culture, education and people-to-people connections.

In a joint statement, the leaders said this includes a shared interest in areas such as cybersecurity and maritime security, as well as connections through sport and joint cultural projects.

On Saturday afternoon, the leaders shook hands at the doorway of Farmleigh House before moving inside where Sir Keir signed the visitors’ book.

After greeting the Prime Minister at the Irish Government’s formal reception house for state visits, the Taoiseach wished Sir Keir “a hundred thousand welcomes” to Ireland.

Commerce across the Irish Sea, a trade relationship worth 120 billion euros (£100 billion) a year which supports thousands of jobs, was at the top of the agenda.

The Prime Minister said there was a need to be “ambitious and bold” when examining reform of regulation and trade barriers.

Mr Harris, who described Sir Keir as his friend, said: “It’s a really great honour to host you here today on your first official visit to Ireland as Prime Minister.”

Speaking at Farmleigh House, he added: “We both said we wish to really place British-Irish relations on a new path and I really appreciate the time that you’ve given to us since taking office, and I’ve tried to respond in kind.”

Sir Keir said: “It’s a pleasure to be here, to have this opportunity that we will take to renew the friendship between our two countries.

“That reset, I think, can be meaningful, it can be deep.”

Mr Harris said a reset in relations had to be embedded in “peace and prosperity, mutual respect and friendship”.

He said their “most solemn duty” as leaders of the UK and Irish governments was as co-guarantors of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Sir Keir responded by saying he takes that responsibility “very seriously”.

The Prime Minister said pressing international issues including Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East was also on the agenda for the meeting.

A rally against UK arms exports to Israel was staged in Dublin city centre to coincide with the visit.

The Irish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the UK was “complicit in the ongoing genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine”.

Mr Harris was the first international leader hosted by Sir Keir in the UK following the July election, in a bid to foster the close relationship.

Sir Keir said meeting Mr Harris twice within his first nine weeks in office as Prime Minister shows a “real intention” to reset relationships to the “great benefit” of both the UK and Ireland.

The Prime Minister said he was also seeking a “wider EU reset” with the leaders of countries that make up the bloc.

He visited Berlin and Paris last week as a means of building trust with German and French leaders.

Following a meeting with business chiefs, the two leaders are attending the Republic of Ireland vs England Nations League football match.

Mr Harris said the relationship between the two countries may face challenges, including the match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, but added: “We will have intense and friendly competition, and then we will renew and reset again later in the evening.”

A young boy who received medical treatment in the UK had earlier presented the two leaders with Irish and English football scarves and they also swapped football jerseys.

Sir Keir held up an Irish shirt with his surname on the back and laughed when asked if he would wear it to the match later.

He said: “It will make an appearance in my nine-a-side. This will be proudly worn in north London before too long.”

Looking at his England shirt with “Harris” on the back, the Taoiseach joked: “I never thought I’d see my name on anything.”