British-Irish Council: Taoiseach hopes new PM will rebuild relations

The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) has said he hopes a new UK prime minister can help rebuild relations with Dublin.

Micheál Martin said there was now an opportunity to look afresh at British-Irish links.

Relations have deteriorated in recent years in the post-Brexit era and are widely believed to be at a 25-year low.

Mr Martin was speaking after a meeting of the British-Irish Council in Guernsey.

The UK delegation at the council meeting was led by Northern Ireland Office minister Conor Burns.

Michael Gove had been expected to lead the UK government delegation in Guernsey, but he was sacked from the cabinet on Wednesday night by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The British-Irish Council is made up of representatives from the UK and Irish governments, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the governments of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

At a news conference after the meeting, Mr Burns defended Brexit and the UK's handling of it.

He agreed that work needed to be done to improve British-Irish relations but said the UK had the right to protect its own interests after Brexit.

Although the UK government is legislating to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, he said its preference remained for a negotiated solution.

The taoiseach said unilateralism by the UK government on any issue had "never worked".

He also recalled being part of the Irish government after the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998.

"It was always based on trust, working together and giving each other a heads up," Mr Martin said.

"Unfortunately, the [protocol] legislation that has recently been tabled flies in the spirit of partnership and engagement."

Mr Burns, who helped run Boris Johnson's campaign for the Conservative Party leadership in 2019, said the move to oust the prime minister had been an "emotional and turbulent" period.

He described Mr Johnson as his boss and friend and said the process to replace him should happen in a dignified and edifying manner.

The minister added the contest should take place quickly, but until then current government policies would continue to be enacted.

Asked who he would back to become the next leader, he would not be drawn but said he would vote privately.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) did not attend the British-Irish Council, as it continues to protest against the NI Protocol.

A DUP spokesperson said: "The institutions are not fully functioning. Focus should be on replacing the protocol."

Meanwhile, new Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara made a visit to Belfast for the first time since taking up the role.

In a tweet, Mr Vara said: "Delighted to be in Belfast today.

"I look forward to getting to work and meeting people in Northern Ireland.

"A truly wonderful place with huge potential."

During his visit, Mr Vara met young people being supported by the Prince's Trust charity.

It was the 37th British-Irish Council summit and the fifth time it has been held in Guernsey.

The British-Irish Council was created two decades ago by the Good Friday Agreement.

Its stated aim is to "promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relations among the peoples of these islands".

The summit in June 2021, which took place in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, was one of the last official events attended by then-First Minister Arlene Foster before she stepped down.

At the post-summit news conference, she broke into song, singing some lines from the Frank Sinatra hit That's Life.

She had just been ousted from the leadership of the DUP.