Keir Starmer to meet NI and ROI leaders

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Keir Starmer to meet NI and ROI leaders

Sir Keir Starmer will meet political leaders from both sides of the Irish border in Edinburgh later.

He will be only the third prime minister to attend a meeting of the British-Irish Council in 17 years.

It will also be attended by the Taoiseach (Irish PM) and Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Simon Harris and Micheál Martin just a week after a general election which has paved the way for another

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.

The first and deputy first ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly will also be there, as will the first ministers of Scotland and Wales.

Disputes over Brexit and the

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left ***/Irish relations at their lowest ebb for decades during the final days of the Conservative administration.

But the return of a Labour government has led to a much-vaunted reset.

Just this week, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn,

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, which the Irish government is challenging in the courts.

This is the 42nd summit of the BIC, one of the bodies which emerged from the Good Friday Agreement.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, is also expected to attend.

Discussions are expected to focus on delivering a just transition and clean energy.

Downing Street says the PM is focused on delivering what matters to people right across the *** and working closely with the devolved institutions, including Stormont.

Analysis: ‘Envy of a parliamentary majority’

Sir Keir Starmer has met Micheál Martin and Simon Harris before.

But the timing of this meeting is interesting, coming just a week after the Irish general election.

Oh, how enviously the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders must view his parliamentary majority, which currently stands at 156.

They are currently two short of one, and Martin says it will be after Christmas before a coalition government is formed.

Often past meetings of the British-Irish Council have been overshadowed by stalemate at Stormont.

Not this time.

The First and Deputy First Ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have now been in place longer than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts, after upheaval in Edinburgh and Cardiff, while Sir Keir only got his hands on power in July.

When the leaders hold a joint news conference around lunchtime, expect questions on the legacy of the Troubles,

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and next week’s big vote at Stormont, and, of course, trying to form a government in Dublin before we all forget what happened at the polls.

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