Irish Examiner view: Anglo-Irish relationship reset is very welcome

It is reassuring to know that the UK’s new leader seems genuinely committed to building relationships and fostering trust with Ireland and Europe

UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris agreed to hold annual summits and work together on a range of issues, from Northern Ireland and relationships with the EU to migration and forging closer links. Picture: Carl Court/PA

Let us hope that the photograph of Taoiseach Simon Harris and newly elected British prime minister Keir Starmer clinking their pint glasses of Guinness at the UK leader’s country retreat at Chequers heralds the start of a new era in Anglo-Irish relations.

The early signs are very encouraging. Mr Starmer was said to be “genuinely gobsmacked” when Mr Harris presented him with a Donegal GAA top, a gift that acknowledged the Labour leader’s love of the county and the fact that he spent part of his honeymoon there in 2007.