Keir Starmer arrived in Dublin today on the first visit by a British prime minister to Ireland in five years with the aim of ushering in “a new era” in relations between the two countries.

The British Prime Minister met with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris at his residence.

Harris said he was “very pleased that British-Irish relations are on a new path”.

“Today we will probably try to determine what the redefinition” of bilateral relations will really look like, he noted, while adding that these should be based “on peace, prosperity, mutual respect and friendship».

For his part, Starmer estimated that his visit is “really important” for his government.

“It is my pleasure to be here and to have the opportunity to renew the friendship between our countries”, he pointed out, estimating that “this new beginning” in bilateral relations “could be important” and “deep”.

The two prime ministers are to discuss, among other things, the war in Ukraine and support for Kiev, the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the development of trade and economic relations between Ireland and Britain.

Before their talks, Starmer and Harris swapped England and Ireland national team jerseys in front of the cameras, and will later watch a match together.

Before Starmer’s arrival in Dublin, London had assessed in a statement that this visit marks “a new era of cooperation and friendship” between the two countries.

The previous British prime minister to visit Ireland was Boris Johnson in 2019, amid Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels.

But since Labor was elected and Starmer took over as prime minister in July, and to some extent under Rishi Sunak, bilateral relations have warmed up a bit.

Harris became Ireland’s prime minister in April and was the first foreign leader to be welcomed by Starmer. He had been invited to Checkers, the official summer residence of British prime ministers, shortly before a meeting of European leaders near Oxford.

At the time, the two men had said that “the time has come to restart cooperation” between their countries, following the Brexit referendum in 2016.

Britain’s departure from the EU had been seen as a source of destabilization for relations between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, an event that had caused concern in Dublin.

Besides Starmer obliged to review a controversial law passed by the Conservatives that aims to end prosecutions for crimes linked to the so-called decades of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland.

The law came into effect in May and prompted Ireland to take Britain to the European Court of Human Rights.

Today Starmer and Harris reiterated their commitment to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended violence in Northern Ireland.

In Dublin, the British Prime Minister is also set to meet with the country’s business leaders and economic players to promote trade and investment between the two countries.