Labour's landslide win sparks hope in repairing Ango-Irish relations
British prime minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria Starmer, at his official London residence at No 10 Downing St. Picture: James Manning/PA
A Labour landslide in Britain has prompted hopes in Dublin of a repaired relationship between the two sides, with Taoiseach Simon Harris calling for a "great reset" in relations.
Anglo-Irish relations have been strained for the better part of a decade due to the fallout from the Brexit vote in 2016, and years of wrangling and negotiations around the North have eroded trust between government and officials in Dublin and conservative politicians in London.
However, in the wake of a massive vote which saw Keir Starmer officially made prime minister on Friday, there is optimism in Dublin that the new prime minister's work in the North as a human rights advisor to the PSNI — and his stated affection for Ireland — will lead to a renewed co-operation.
Government sources said that they were "hopeful" of a "better relationship" with the Labour government, which swept to power with a 174-seat majority as Rishi Sunak's Conservatives collapsed to historic lows.
Mr Sunak himself resigned as Conservative party leader before tendering his resignation as prime minister to Britain's King Charles III. Mr Sunak told the British public that he heard "your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss".
Mr Harris spoke on Friday evening with Mr Starmer, and said he looked forward to having "a close and constructive working relationship", aiming to rebuild relations with "urgency and ambition".
Mr Starmer invited Mr Harris to meet him in Downing St on July 17, as the two discussed Northern Ireland, welcoming the restoration of the institutions, as well as legacy issues.
"The Taoiseach and prime minister agreed a closer relationship between Dublin and London was needed and a meaningful re-set would require regular engagement between them," a readout said.
A Downing St readout of that call said the pair "reflected on their shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement".
Optimism in Dublin was increased by Mr Starmer's appointment of veteran MP Hillary Benn as northern secretary. Mr Benn in May said that Labour would remove the immunity element from the Legacy Act, which has long been a cause of friction between Dublin and London.
Mr Harris said the change in power marks the time for "a great reset" in the relationship between Ireland and the UK.
He said the language in the Labour Party's manifesto has been one of "partnership" and of "co-guarantors of shared peace".
The Taoiseach said he would "match Mr Starmer's commitment and energy to the peace promise and future potential".
He likened the relationship between the two countries to one of family, saying that Ireland has not "for one second" forgotten this.
Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said the result presented an opportunity to “reset the relationships” – noting that Mr Sunak “didn’t really embrace the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.”
Mr Martin told : “He was okay in terms of the engagement and so forth, but not at the level that I would have previously experienced in different governments — in terms of that sense of two governments co-anchoring the Good Friday Agreement and having a very strong relationship.
Mr Martin on Friday spoke to the new UK foreign secretary, David Lammy and said the pair had "agreed that there is now a significant opportunity for a reset of our bilateral relationship".
