British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Taoiseach Simon Harris at Farmleigh House during a visit to Ireland.
They will attend the Republic of Ireland v England UEFA Nations’ League match together at the Aviva Stadium later today.
This will mark the formal launch by the two leaders of a programme of strategic engagement between Ireland and the UK to underpin the resetting of relations.
This is the first official visit of a British prime minister since 2019 when Boris Johnson was in Dublin at the height of the Brexit negotiations.
There has been a reset of relations between Ireland and the UK in recent months and Mr Starmer and Mr Harris have already met several times, most notably at Chequers in July.
In a statement, Number Ten said the visit marks “a new era of co-operation and friendship between Britain and Ireland”.
During the Farmleigh meeting, the two will discuss Northern Irish issues as well as the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach will also meet representatives from employers’ group Ibec as well as Irish business leaders from companies, including Accenture, Keelings and Primark.
It is expected that following the meeting, the two leaders will confirm that they are seeking to put in place a more formal mode of engagement between post-EU Britain and Ireland.
Speaking in advance of Mr Starmer’s visit, Mr Harris said: “This is an important moment of reset in British-Irish relations. I look forward to discussing with Prime Minister Starmer how to ensure that we seize this opportunity to put relations on a better and stronger footing.
“This will mean working on a joint plan to bring about a step-change in ambition and engagement between our two Governments over the coming period.”
Mr Starmer said: “Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that. We have a clear opportunity to go further and faster to make sure our partnership is fully delivering on behalf of the British and Irish people – driving growth and prosperity in both our countries.”
