Prime Minister meets Taoiseach in Dublin

The Prime Minister said he will discuss a "wider EU reset" of relations with the Irish premier.

Sir Keir Starmer and Simon Harris are meeting at the Farmleigh Estate in Dublin.

Sir Keir said pressing international issues including Ukraine and the conflict in Middle East are also on the agenda for the meeting.

He said: "In the face of Russian aggression, we have to stand together, to co-ordinate, stand with our allies and give Ukraine all the support that it needs for as long as it needs.

"In relation to the Middle East, we need a ceasefire so that the remaining hostages can come out, so that desperately-needed aid can get in to Gaza, and that we can step down the path towards a two-state settlement, which in my view is the only lasting settlement that will bring about lasting peace."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Simon Harris shook hands at the doorway of Farmleigh House before moving inside where Sir Keir signed the visitors' book.

They moved into the walled garden at the property, where they walked together in conversation.

A young boy who received medical treatment in the UK presented the two leaders with Irish and English football scarves to swap before the clash at the Aviva later.

They also swapped football jerseys.

Sir Keir held up an Irish shirt with his surname on the back and laughed when asked if he would wear it to the match later.

He said: "It will make an appearance in my nine-a-side. This will be proudly worn in north London before too long."

Looking at his England shirt with "Harris" on the back, the Taoiseach joked: "I never thought I'd see my name on anything."

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said "absolutely not" to a shout of "can we have Declan Rice back?"

He said: "No, absolutely not. He is fantastic."

It is the "moment for reset" of relations between the UK and Ireland, the Prime Minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer is in Dublin for a meeting with Irish premier Simon Harris.

Sir Keir said: "It's a pleasure to be here, to have this opportunity that we will take to renew the friendship between our two countries.

"That reset, I think, can be meaningful, it can be deep.

"Of course, it covers the relationship between our two countries. Obviously it has to cover the Good Friday Agreement and I take very seriously our joint role in relation to that."

Sir Keir said meeting Mr Harris twice within his first nine weeks in office as Prime Minister shows a "real intention" to reset relationships to the "great benefit" of both the UK and Ireland.

Irish premier Simon Harris has said Ireland and Britain have a "collective wish to see a cessation of violence in Gaza".

Speaking at a meeting with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Harris also said the two nations were aligned in condemnation of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The two leaders will participate in a business roundtable in Dublin to explore how a "reset" in relations can benefit trade.

The Taoiseach noted that the economic relationship between the UK and Ireland was worth approximately 120 billion euro per year (£100 billion).

Mr Harris said the relationship between the two countries may face challenges, including during Saturday's Ireland vs England football match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, but added: "We will have intense and friendly competition, and then we will renew and reset again later in the evening."

Irish premier Simon Harris wished Sir Keir Starmer "a hundred thousand welcomes" as the two leaders held a bilateral meeting in Dublin.

Mr Harris, who described Sir Keir as his friend, said: "It's a really great honour to host you here today on your first official visit to Ireland as Prime Minister."

He added: "We both said we wish to really place British-Irish relations on a new path and I really appreciate the time that you've given to us since taking office, and I've tried to respond in kind.

"We obviously had a call within hours of you being in Downing Street, we had a very productive meeting in Chequers in July, and I think today we're here at Dublin to probably try to flesh out what a reset actually looks like, and what it looks like in a practical sense for our citizens on both islands."

Mr Harris said a reset in relations had to be embedded in "peace and prosperity, mutual respect and friendship".

He said their "most solemn duty" as leaders of the UK and Irish governments was as co-guarantors of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at Farmleigh House in Dublin.

He was greeted on arrival at the Irish Government's formal reception house for state visits by Irish premier Simon Harris.

• prime minister