United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his first visit to Northern Ireland on Monday, amidst hopes from both sides of the political divide that relations will improve following years of Brexit-related tensions. Starmer, whose centre-left Labour Party won last week’s UK general election, met briefly with leaders of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive at the Stormont parliament buildings.
During his visit, Starmer held talks with First Minister Michelle O’Neill of the pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein party, and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). His visit to Northern Ireland is part of a broader tour of the UK, with plans to meet party allies in Cardiff later on Monday.
Both main political parties in Northern Ireland expect Starmer’s leadership to bring greater stability, closer engagement, and improved relations with Dublin. James Pow, a politics lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, noted, “There’s cautious optimism about the new government across the board, but for different reasons.”
In the recent UK general election, Sinn Fein retained its seven seats, maintaining its position as the largest Northern Ireland party in the UK parliament in London. Meanwhile, the DUP lost three of its eight seats, two of which were taken by rival unionist parties.