THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN the UK and Ireland has improved in recent weeks, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
Seated next to Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Michael Gove, Martin said:
“I think the relationship, certainly between the Prime Minister and I and both governments, has improved very significantly. And I think we’re both of a mind to – with our colleagues in the European Union – to get this issue resolved in a harmonious way.”
The British-Irish Council summit meeting over the two days has “reinforced the importance of all of us working together on shared challenges and shared issues”.
Before the days of Brexit, the UK and Ireland had to work with each other on a whole range of issues, with the Taoiseach hinting today that there are many more pressing problems other than the Protocol that needs co-operation.
“We have other bigger issues also,” he said, adding that there are “significant economic challenges coming our way”.
Gove told the press conference that he hopes Northern Ireland politicians, who could not join the British-Irish Council meeting due to political deadlock in the region, will attend the next summit in the summer.
He told a press conference that the next British-Irish Council meeting will be in Jersey in June or July.
“I sincerely hope that we have ministers from the Northern Ireland executive there then, the sooner the better,” he said.
Gove said he was “optimistic” about finding a resolution to the Northern Ireland Protocol but played down Irish hopes that the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill’s legislative passage would be paused.
Speaking at a press conference following the British-Irish Council summit, he said: “The programme of legislation in the House of Commons is something that is above my paygrade. I’m not aware of any plans to pause consideration of the Protocol Bill.”
“The discussions that the Prime Minister had with all colleagues here about the importance of finding a safe landing zone I think were conducted in a cordial and constructive fashion and as the Northern Ireland Secretary said, he is a glass half-full man so we remain optimistic about the opportunities of reaching a resolution.”
The summit over the last two days took place in Blackpool – a place which has been described as ‘the poster child for seaside town deprivation’.
The last deprivation index found that Blackpool resort had eight of the UK’s ten poorest areas – which is why Gove, who is Levelling Up Secretary, announced at the British-Irish Council summit a £40 million fund to help demolish some of the town’s derelict eyesores and reconstruct them.
Similar to the regeneration of Blackpool, the summit over the last two days had a feeling that, with a new UK Prime Minister in Sunak, there is now a push to ‘regenerate’ the relationship between Ireland and our nearest neighbour.
The council summit was held in a hotel set against the backdrop of a rollercoaster – with many a pun being made about the rollercoaster ride that has been Anglo-Irish relations since the UK voted to leave the EU.
It is no secret that the Irish Government found it difficult to deal with Boris Johnson.
Behind the scenes officials state there was a lack of fundamental understanding about Irish-British relations under Johnson, with others also finding him difficult to work with.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said today that politicians should be able to find a way to rise above their political disagreements.
There’s now an opportunity to “wipe the slate clean” and “reset”, she said. Sturgeon told reporters that Sunak made it clear to her that this is what he intends to do. Perhaps across all parties, including Ireland.
For months, if not years since Brexit, Irish politicians such as Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney have spoke about Anglo-Irish relations being at an all-time low. The years of graft to build a collegial relationship between the two countries seemed to have been pulled asunder in recent times.
Just as the seaside town of Blackpool has been left neglected, so too has the relationship between the UK and Ireland over the years.
But the “mood music” has improved, the Taoiseach said after meeting Sunak on Thursday, with a change of tone in relations between the two countries was also felt.
For the first time in a long time, there does appear to be some hope that relations will improve.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say