Keir Starmer speech at the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly today

Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Labour Party, addressing the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly today, said:

Thank you Co-Chairs and members of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly for having me here today. It is a privilege to join you all for this 61^st Plenary Session and an honour to be addressing you as the Leader of the Labour Party for the first time. 

I know it’s the first time BIPA has come together in person since 2019. I am also so proud that we can meet today in person.

I'd like to start by paying tribute on behalf of the Labour Party to Christopher Stalford, whose loss has been felt in the DUP family and amongst all sides of the political aisle.

The tributes paid across both islands marked a life that was filled with public service. And I wrote to his wife, and his family expressing my condolences, hoping the tributes on both sides will give her some comfort in their loss.

And of course, we all remember Sir David Amess, a proud member of this group, tragically killed last year, in the most appalling of circumstances.  It feels that this important meeting of an assembly focused on bilateral co-operation couldn’t be more appropriate. As world events unfold.

We are gathered today against a dark sky as we see something we hoped never to see again – war in Europe.

I fear these dark days will get darker still and I know that will be uppermost in the minds of so many people in this room. I do think, if we act now, together, with the swiftness, seriousness and unity that the situation demands.

We will look back and say that this was the moment Putin sealed his own fate. Working together, we can bring about an end to this senseless loss of life in Ukraine and Putin's bandit regime. And from that, we can emerge into the light, stronger, more united and with a renewed appreciation of the things we hold dear.

This week has brought home to us that the relationships we share and how we uphold them must never be taken for granted. It has given us pause to think about those relationships.

The relationship between Britain and Ireland is a profound one - it matters personally to me - and it matters to the Labour Party I lead. It is also a relationship that matters deeply to the people across both of our islands.

As the great John Hume once said:

“We are two neighbouring islands, whose destiny is to live in amity and friendship with one another”.

As we look around us today, events around the world, there is a deep sense of deep gratitude and appreciation for the peace that we share.

While we know there are challenges that we must meet you’ll be discussing them today and we must not just meet them, we must overcome them. We also know, today it is our privilege and duty to work through them peacefully and together.

Beyond our islands, the modern relationship that we share is an example of the promise of peace. This something we should never ever take lightly.

Because of the enormous sacrifices of those who delivered on this peace; we have a solemn duty to protect and uphold it. We must not forget how it was forged, and the compromises which were made to achieve it.

Many of you will know, I spent some of the most important years of my career in Northern Ireland, working as Human Rights Advisors to the NI Policing Board - an institution created by the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement.

In that decade, there was an indispensable partnership between the UK and Ireland as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. This pushed forward peace and it pushed forward progress.

That progress, I’ve often reflected – difficult and painstaking– could not have happened without the two governments standing side by side; every step of the way.

Every step of the peace process would have been harder – or indeed impossible – without it, we must always remember that.

In a new post-Brexit era, our relationship matters now more than ever. But as friends and partners, we must be frank about the challenges, and about the difficulties we now face. And whatever views people hold, few would deny that Brexit and the last five tumultuous years have been profoundly destabilising for Northern Ireland, and the entire island of Ireland; placing a strain on relationships.

The importance of trust in Northern Ireland cannot be overstated. I was struck when I visited Northern Ireland last July at how low the levels of trust are at the moment, the biggest reflection I had as I left Northern Ireland. It is a dangerous and deeply concerning development. That trust matters. The instability over the Protocol has gone on far too long. Much of it stems from the government’s deception around what it is. 'No change for business' was never going to match the reality - and businesses knew that themselves.

When it comes to the Protocol, this Prime Minister negotiated it, ratified it, and legislated for it - and now he must make it work.

It would be a complete dereliction of duty to block a pragmatic way forward. That will bring stability, jobs and livelihoods in Northern Ireland.

For example over Christmas, it was possible to reach an accommodation over medicine, a slightly odd arrangement. With both sides making unilateral declarations compatible. But in Boris Johnson’s standards it was progress and there’s no reason why further, more function progress can’t be made in good time. But only if this government puts the interest of the people of Northern Ireland first and not a faction of their own party.

We know in this room, we can never allow acrimony and mistrust to become the norm in the political relationships across these islands - the stakes are, simply, too high for that.

The lessons of the past twenty-five years, and longer, are clear – when the British-Irish relationship is strong, and works well, progress and stability in Northern Ireland is much easier to achieve. Our relationship matters deeply. It must be based on respect for each other as equals and as friends.

Ireland shares our core values on the UN Security Council and are our greatest friends in our nearest and largest trading bloc. They are co-guarantors – not consultees - of the Good Friday Agreement - and in the progress yet to be made.

Britain’s interest does not lie in cutting ourselves off from our closest friends and partners, nor in provoking hostility with them.

Labour believes Britain’s national interest lies in a strong, close relationship with Ireland. We saw, under the last Labour Government, just how much that could achieve.

In the years to come, the relationship between Britain and Ireland will remain such a vital and uniquely important one.Those who came before us made difficult choices ​and sacrifices to get us to where we are.

As we face through challenging times, we must always be guided by the principles and the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement to help us navigate our way.

I am deeply concerned about the collapse of the NI executive. I implore all parties to return to Stormont and this is a time for leadership.

The PM of the UK has a responsibility to use his position to try and broker progress. We all in this room care about the importance and future of this relationship - and will be involved in shaping it. So let’s resolve to meet the difficulties we face, and let’s resolve to do it together. The people of both islands expect us to - and they deserve no less.

Together, out of the painful last few years, let’s build a stronger future and be the example the world needs of what it means to defend, value and cherish a legacy of peace.