Keir Starmer meets NI and ROI leaders

Sir Keir Starmer is meeting political leaders from both sides of the Irish border in Edinburgh.

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

It is attended by the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) 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 Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael coalition government.

Northern Ireland’s First and Deputy First Ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly are also there, as will the first ministers of Scotland and Wales.

Speaking on Friday afternoon, O’Neill said the council demonstrated the “the importance of relationships across these islands”.

“It is very important that those who are the guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement… understand the position that they hold because whenever Dublin and London diverges, the north always gets squeezed,” she said.

The latest meeting of the council, the first minster added, was an opportunity to “reset” after the “tenure of the Tories”.

Little-Pengelly said there were areas of common concern among the political leaders.

“There is no doubt that right throughout the United Kingdom and indeed these isles we face very similar challenges,” she said.

The deputy first minster had raised farmers concerns about changes to agricultural relief and the impact of national insurance rises among employers with the British government, she said.

“The key test for this government will be will they listen to us?” Little-Pengelly added.

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

Downing Street said the prime minister is focused on delivering what matters to people right across the UK and working closely with the devolved institutions, including Stormont.

Disputes over Brexit and the Troubles Legacy Act left UK/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, began the repeal of the Legacy Act, which the Irish government is challenging in the courts.

Speaking on Friday, Harris said he hoped the Irish government could drop its legal action over the act.

He welcomed the move this week to repeal the controversial legislation but added that “it’s important we get this right”.

“The legal action still remains but I hope we can get to the position where it doesn’t need to remain,” he said.

The act, which was brought in by the Conservative government, introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to incidents during the Troubles.

It also sought to offer a conditional amnesty for people suspected of Troubles-related crimes in exchange for co-operating with a new information recovery body.

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, the Protocol, 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.