Keir Starmer a 'gamechanger' in UK-EU relations, Simon Harris says

Taoiseach said Starmer had, in just two days, altered the relationship between the UK and EU

Taoiseach Simon Harris and British prime minister Keir Starmer enjoy a pint of Guinness during Mr Harris's visit to Chequers on Wednesday.

The Taoiseach has hailed Keir Starmer as a "gamechanger" in UK-EU relations.

At a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace, the Taoiseach said the new British prime minister had, in just two weeks, altered the tone in relations between the UK and the EU.

He said Mr Starmer had made "two very clear, very bold moves" on the international front and they were to be applauded. 

However, Mr Harris downplayed the prospect of a joint defence mechanism between the UK and the EU in the short-term.

"The Rwanda policy is gone. It's dead, finished. It's not happening. On day one of Prime Minister Starmer's tenure, he made that very clear. 

We've seen two very significant, two very bold moves from Keir in his first two weeks in office. One, the scrapping of the Rwanda policy. And then there's secondary commitment to the European Court of Human Rights.

"We've also seen a British prime minister say very publicly here today in front of EU leaders and others from the European community that he wants to have a closer relationship with Europe. And while that relationship will not be within the EU, there is still scope to have a closer relationship.

"It's up to him and his ministerial team to begin to put forward what that might look like."

British prime minister Keir Starmer greets Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he arrives to attend the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, on Thursday.

Mr Harris, however, said Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, whose country currently holds the presidency of the EU, does not speak for the EU on issues of foreign policy.

"Prime Minister Orban is currently, through his premiership in Hungary, hosting the presidency of the EU. That [presidency] doesn't have a competency in any matter in relation to speaking for the European Council. President [Charles] Michel has that competency. So he [Orban] has none whatsoever. He didn't speak for us in Moscow and he certainly didn't speak for us when he was in China."

EU officials said they would boycott informal meetings hosted by Hungary while the country has the EU’s rotating presidency, after Mr Orban held a series of meetings with foreign leaders that angered European partners.

Hungary took over the rotating role on July 1, and since then Mr Orban has visited Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, China and the US on a world tour he has touted as “peace mission” aimed at brokering an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

His government is friendly with Russia and has gone against the policy of most EU countries in supporting Ukraine.

Mr Harris said the European Council, which represents the leaders of European nations, was united in its support of Ukraine, whose president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present at the EPC on Thursday.