PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with Taoiseach Varadkar of Ireland [January 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 January 2024.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland.
The Prime Minister spoke to the Taoiseach today to update him on the UK Government’s negotiations with the DUP and Northern Ireland parties, following last night’s positive step from the DUP. The Prime Minister said he is confident that the steps taken pave the way for the restoration of power sharing in the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Prime Minister outlined the terms of the agreement, alongside the significant support being prepared to stabilise public services. He hoped this would provide a strong basis for the long-term political stability of Northern Ireland.
Both leaders agreed that it was in the people of Northern Ireland’s interests to have stable devolved government, and that this was also beneficial to relations between the UK and Ireland.
Turning to bilateral matters, the leaders addressed the Irish Government’s launching of an Inter-State Case on the UK Government’s Legacy Act.
The Prime Minister expressed his disappointment at the timing and course of action in December, coming at such a sensitive time. He noted that the Irish Government had yet to respond to important questions about its own approach to legacy issues, including with regard to investigations into the 1998 Omagh bombing. The UK government would continue to pursue answers to those questions which had been laid out by the Secretary of State, including with regard to the lack of criminal prosecutions in Ireland.
The Prime Minister updated the Taoiseach on his recent visit to Kyiv. He outlined how the UK would continue to proactively support Ukraine in its battle for self-defence. The UK had thought it important to begin the year with a strong signal of support – including with a new package of funding and the first of the bilateral security arrangements which G7 and other countries had committed to last year. The Prime Minister expressed hope that others would follow suit soon.
The leaders agreed both governments would stay in close contact in the coming days, as steps are taken to see fully functioning devolution restored, as set out in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
