Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the strength of British - Irish relations.

The UK’s relationship with Ireland is among the most important that any British Government has to steward. Our countries are bound together by geography, history, family, trade and shared responsibility of protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

After relations fell to a damaging nadir under previous Governments, we have made a deliberate choice to reset our relationship, rebuild trust, restore respect and put practical cooperation first.

This is evidenced by the frequency of the engagements with the Irish Government, including the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, the British-Irish Council, the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the British Irish Association - the next meeting of which takes place from 4-6 September 2026.