Starmer welcomes 'next chapter' for the UK and Ireland

Sir Keir Starmer has said that the UK and Ireland are "embarking on the next chapter".

Speaking alongside the taoiseach (Irish PM) as part of a UK-Ireland summit in Liverpool, the prime minister said that work was being done to bring the two countries closer together "in an ever more volatile world".

"I think that bringing our countries closer together is the obvious right thing to do in any event, I doubly think that given the global situation," he added.

The summit is the first of it's kind and comes amid the backdrop of growing security concerns among the UK and EU countries about the influence of Russia.

The business roundtable on Thursday morning included industry leaders and businesses across tech, finance, clean energy, manufacturing and construction from the UK and Ireland.

The discussion focused on potential opportunities for growth and investment, and how the UK and Ireland can work together to build an even more resilient and successful trading relationship.

They also discussed how both countries can work closer together on renewable energy, tech, AI and security.

The two leaders are also expected to announce a new data sharing arrangement aimed at increasing the production offshore energy.

As part of the summit, Ireland also announced new investments into the UK worth £185.5 million, which the UK government say could create more than 2,500 jobs across the country.

On Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the UK-Ireland summit marked a "major and significant manifestation" of a reset in relations between the two governments in the post-Brexit era.

He also paid tribute to the prime minister for "his leadership over the last while".

"He has been effective and impactful, we all want peace - there are too many wars in the world," he told reporters.