Sir Keir Starmer heads to Republic of Ireland for ‘reset’ in relations
Sir Keir Starmer is visiting the Republic of Ireland as part of a “reset” of relations following the change of government.
The prime minister will meet with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, as part of the visit to Dublin.
At the same time, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn will be committing the UK government to a “new chapter” in UK-Ireland relations in a speech to the British-Irish Association Conference in Oxfordshire.
Northern Ireland‘s first minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly and the Republic of Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin will be present at the conference.
As part of his address, Mr Benn is set to acknowledge the “deep upset and anger” caused by the Conservative government’s controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which stopped new cases and inquests being opened into Troubles-era killings and tried to give suspects conditional amnesty.
Labour has promised to repeal the act, although Mr Benn wants to strengthen an independent truth-finding body set up by the legislation – saying it should be able to work alongside the police in the Republic of Ireland on legacy investigations.
He will say: “While achieving full consensus on legacy issues may simply not be possible, I ask everyone to acknowledge that this is a government with a new approach, and we need a spirit of compromise.”
Earlier this week, Northern Ireland veterans commissioner Danny Kinahan resigned – saying he could not “provide the independent voice that veterans require” after an “open and frank” conversation with Mr Benn.
The Northern Ireland secretary thanked Mr Kinahan for his work.
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Mr Benn will also commit the UK to maintaining the implementation of the post-Brexit Windsor Framework, and tell Northern Irish politicians that further suspensions of the assembly there would be counterproductive.
Back in Dublin, trade will be top of the agenda for Sir Keir and Mr Harris – with €100bn (£84bn) of business done across the Irish Sea every year.
“Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that,” Sir Keir said ahead of the visit.
“The [Irish prime minister] and I are in lockstep about our future, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration further.”
Mr Harris said the meeting in Dublin was “an important moment of reset in British-Irish relations”.
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As well as developing the trade relationship, Mr Harris said the pair will “also discuss, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, how to ensure that this moment of reset benefits the totality of relations across these islands today and into the future”.
In the evening, Sir Keir and Mr Harris will watch the football match between the Republic of Ireland and England.
Politics
Wes Streeting ‘crossed the line’ by opposing assisted dying in public, says Labour peer Harriet Harman
Wes Streeting “crossed the line” by opposing assisted dying in public and the argument shouldn’t “come down to resources”, a Labour peer has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harriet Harman criticised the health secretary for revealing how he is going to vote on the matter when it comes before parliament later this month.
MPs are being given a free vote, meaning they can side with their conscience and not party lines, so the government is supposed to be staying neutral.
But Mr Streeting has made clear he will vote against legalising assisted dying, citing concerns end-of-life care is not good enough for people to make an informed choice, and that some could feel pressured into the decision to save the NHS money.
He has also ordered a review into the potential costs of changing the law, warning it could come at the expense of other NHS services if implemented.
Baroness Harman said Mr Streeting has “crossed the line in two ways”.
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“He should not have said how he was going to vote, because that breaches neutrality and sends a signal,” she said.
“And secondly… he’s said the problem is that it will cost money to bring in an assisted dying measure, and therefore he will have to cut other services.
“But paradoxically, he also said it would be a slippery slope because people will be forced to bring about their own death in order to save the NHS money. Well, it can’t be doing both things.
“It can’t be both costing the NHS money and saving the NHS money.”
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Review into assisted dying costs
Baroness Harman said the argument “should not come down to resources” as it is a “huge moral issue” affecting “only a tiny number of people”.
She added that people should not mistake Mr Streeting for being “a kind of proxy for Keir Starmer”.
“The government is genuinely neutral and all of those backbenchers, they can vote whichever way they want,” she added.
Read more on this story:
‘Fix care before assisted dying legislation’
Why assisted dying is controversial – and where it’s already legal
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed support for assisted dying, but it is not clear how he intends to vote on the issue or if he will make his decision public ahead of time.
The cabinet has varying views on the topic, with the likes of Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood siding with Mr Streeting in her opposition but Energy Secretary Ed Miliband being for it.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is said to support the bill. Pic: Reuters
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has concerns. Pic: Reuters
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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being championed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, who wants to give people with six months left to live the choice to end their lives.
Under her proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.
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Labour MP Kim Leadbeater discusses End of Life Bill
The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.
MPs will debate and vote on the legislation on 29 November, in what will be the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015, when the proposal was defeated.
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