When Keir Starmer arrives in Cork on Thursday in advance of Friday’s summit with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, there will inevitably be a sense that someone is missing. Only a month ago, Macroom-born Morgan McSweeney was regarded as one of the most powerful men in British politics. The UK, for its part, will view Ireland as a valuable interlocutor in seeking the most favourable terms for a closer future relationship with the EU. From an Irish perspective, a change of Labour leadership would be manageable; any successor is unlikely to reverse course significantly on relations with Ireland or the EU. That prospect, still some years distant, should concentrate minds on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Source: The Irish Times March 12, 2026 15:11 UTC