The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, and the Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris TD, met this evening [Wednesday 26 February] at Iveagh House, Dublin.

The discussions marked the first official in-person engagement between the two following the formation of the new Irish Government.

Speaking afterwards, the Secretary of State said:

It was a pleasure to meet with the Tánaiste this evening in Dublin, to congratulate him in person, and wish him well in his new role. The UK’s relationship with Ireland is of great importance and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Tánaiste, and the whole Irish Government, to further enhance the partnership between our two countries.

We had a warm and productive discussion, focusing on the strength of the bilateral relationship, our shared commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, and the importance of upholding political stability in Northern Ireland. I also outlined the importance of the Northern Ireland Executive’s work to reform and modernise public services, an issue that is so important to people, as I set out in my speech at Ulster University last month.

In addition, the Tánaiste and I discussed progress in discussions between our two governments in seeking an approach to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland that all communities can have confidence in.

We agreed on the importance of a continuing strong and close relationship between the UK and Irish Governments as we work together on a range of issues. This will be reaffirmed by the first UK-Ireland Summit next month between the Prime Minister and Taoiseach.