- Prime Minister to hail one of the most extraordinary
political achievements of our lifetimes
- “Precious legacy” of the Agreement remains the best
foundation for a stronger and more prosperous Northern
Ireland
- Prime Minister commits to building upon its promise to create
a better future
The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement left us an extraordinary and
precious legacy, the Prime Minister will say today in Belfast
(Wednesday 19 April).
He will return to Northern Ireland to address Queen’s
University’s ‘Agreement 25’ conference and host a special Gala
Dinner to commemorate the anniversary.
As part of the closing address to an audience of architects of
the Agreement and global figures, the Prime Minister will say the
best way to fulfil the promise of the Belfast (Good Friday)
Agreement is to make good on our commitment to create jobs and
opportunities for young people so they can fulfil their dreams
and aspirations in the place they call home.
He will say:
“Together we must fulfil the true promise of the 1998
Agreement…
“That future enshrined in the very words of the text - of
“sustained economic growth”, and where we tackle the problems of
“a divided society”.
“And I will give everything to help deliver that vision.
“BGFA promised prosperity and a more integrated society and
we have work to do to deliver on that
promise.”
Praise will be given to the contribution of both peace makers and
the security forces who played a leading role to secure the
stability we have now.
He will highlight their courage despite daily threats to them and
their families – as well as the imagination and perseverance of
the leaders to conceive of a system for sharing power and deliver
it against the odds.
In a tribute to those who built the Agreement, the PM will
reflect on an extraordinary political achievement and say:
“Courage, imagination, and
perseverance.
“Those qualities brought an imperfect but enduring peace to a
place taught to believe no such peace was
possible.
“To all those who led us to that peace, including those here
in this hall and those no longer with us – let us take this
moment to say to you: thank you.”
The Prime Minister will argue that we can also fulfil the
Agreement’s true legacy of a better future for Northern Ireland –
with a prosperous economy and a more united and contented
society.
Northern Ireland has made significant economic progress in the
last 25 years. In April 1998, Northern Ireland had the highest
unemployment in the UK at 8.4%, and now it is the second lowest
at 2.4%.
He will reaffirm his ambition for Northern Ireland to attract
greater investment and highlight its thriving cyber and life
sciences sector – as well as its financial services and creative
industries. He will say:
“I know that journey to prosperity won’t be easy – and we
aren’t there yet.
“But this is my commitment to you:
“I will use the full force of the UK Government to help you
make this one of the best places in the world to start and grow a
business, create jobs, train and learn new skills, and attract
investment.”
The Prime Minister will meet with some of the leading architects
at the Gala Dinner later that evening, along with Irish and US
representatives, and welcome guests with opening remarks to the
Gala Dinner. The dinner will also be attended by political
leaders, international dignitaries and leading charities.
The Dinner will round off the recent period of Prime Minister-led
events to mark the anniversary and strengthen efforts to support
our vision for a prosperous 25 years ahead.
This follows President Biden’s visit to Belfast last week where
the Prime Minister and the President celebrated the progress that
Northern Ireland has made over the last quarter of a century and
recommitted to building an even brighter future for Northern
Ireland.
Notes to editors
- The Prime Minister will close the Agreement 25
Conference by delivering a speech at Queens University
Belfast, on Wednesday the 19th of April.
- The speech will be broadcast live and pooled.
- Queens University are managing the process for media
accreditation.
- The Northern Ireland Office Press team will be managing
accreditation for the Official PM hosted Gala Dinner. Please
contact them for requests for accreditation.
- The Prime Minister will also deliver short opening remarks to
the Gala Dinner.
- A separate operational note has been sent for any Prime
Minister-led pooled opportunities for the Gala Dinner.
