Mary Lou McDonald: A new era of British-Irish relations is overdue

Last year we marked 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Unfortunately, and to the benefit of nobody in Ireland, north or south, the Tories spent 14 of those years undermining its principles.

The election of a new Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, presents an opportunity to reset this approach, especially now that the executive, assembly, and other north/south and east/west political institutions have been reinstated.

The previous Conservative government abandoned the GFA’s principle of ‘rigorous impartiality’, pushing a crude ‘Little Englander’ agenda, particularly during the Brexit debacle. This approach must end. A new era of British-Irish relations is overdue.

This will only come about through a fundamental change in British government policy towards Ireland. It is critical that improved relations with the European Union are prioritised given ongoing post-Brexit issues, including a more collaborative approach with the executive in dealing with those matters relating to the NI Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

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The Conservative government’s handling of the past, especially in discarding the mechanisms agreed in the Stormont House Agreement, has failed victims and survivors seeking truth and justice. Sinn Féin supports the Irish government’s case being brought to the European Court of Human Rights, and we look to the incoming Labour government to honour their commitment to scrap the legacy act.

I have written to the taoiseach to urge him to press the case for a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane with British prime minister Keir Starmer when they meet.

The Tories were at pains to reassure political unionism of the north’s constitutional status, but flagrantly breached the principles of ‘rigorous impartiality’ and ‘parity of esteem’ important to Irish nationalism and republicanism.

The bi-lateral and sectional negotiating approach taken by the Tory government to the exclusion of the other parties and the Irish government had a deeply damaging impact. Collectively, we need a return to positive and effective cooperation.

The new British government must clearly respect power-sharing and immediately reset intergovernmental relations between the administrations across these islands

—  Mary Lou McDonald

It is also imperative that the two-government partnership approach required by the GFA is restored. Head of government participation through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and the British-Irish Council, focusing on issues like the economy, the Common Travel Area, migration, energy security, climate action, emergency planning and much more has both symbolic and practical importance and this must be properly embraced.

The GFA acknowledges the right of the people of Ireland to self-determination and the incoming British government must vigorously uphold the guarantees of the GFA; in particular this specific provision and all its legal, constitutional and political guarantees.

Within the executive, our economy minister Conor Murphy is applying all efforts to develop a modern, competitive, and sustainable all-Ireland economy, leveraging dual market access to the British and EU Single Markets. We need to invest in public services and infrastructure, requiring a fair funding model from the British Treasury. This is crucial for improving competitiveness and economic growth.

A firm commitment was given by the previous British government to the building of Casement Park to ensure participation in the Uefa Euro 2028 tournament. Participation in this prestigious competition will be an enormously important showcase for us all so we will need to see early delivery of the promised funding to achieve this alongside other key infrastructure projects - most significantly the A5 major road upgrade.

We all now need to see decisive action. The new British government must clearly respect power-sharing and immediately reset intergovernmental relations between the administrations across these islands. Advancing reconciliation, addressing strategic interests to maintain political stability, yet recognising the realities of changing circumstances and fostering positive relations with Ireland and all parties on the island is vital.

As the leader of Sinn Féin and the leader of the Parliamentary Opposition in Dublin I wish to establish a constructive working relationship with both the British and Irish governments to advance matters that are in all our interests. Let us hope the new British Prime Minister takes the opportunity to do so.