Starmer travels to Northern Ireland and Scotland to rebuild UK territorial relations

Fourteen years of tension and disagreements between the various autonomous territories of the United Kingdom and successive Conservative governments have left their mark. That is why the new Labour Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has wanted to spend the first days of his mandate visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and even spending time with the mayors of the country’s main cities.

Starmer has an advantage. The Scottish desire for independence or the reunification of the island by Irish republicans have taken a backseat to the priority of rebuilding the British economy.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered a resounding defeat in the elections of 4 July. It lost 39 of the 48 seats it held in the Westminster Parliament and has already embarked on a process of internal reflection.

Sinn Féin republicans won the most votes in Northern Ireland, and retained their seven MPs (who, as they have always done, will not be sent to London, as they do not recognise British sovereignty over the island). But the fact that Michelle O’Neill is occupying the post of First Minister of the autonomous Northern Irish Government for the first time, after a long period of institutional blockage, and sectarian unionist violence in the streets of Belfast and Londonderry due to the Irish Protocol and the consequences of Brexit, forces the republicans to concentrate on proving that they are good managers rather than devoting their efforts to demanding the reunification referendum provided for in the Good Friday Agreement.

“Long-term stability and certainty will always be at the heart of everything my Government does for Northern Ireland. We will work with all communities and all political parties, and with full respect for different traditions,” Starmer said.

On the steps of the entrance to Stormont, the place where the Autonomous Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland resides – and as it is called in Northern Irish political jargon – he received the new Prime Minister Edwin Poots, the speaker (President) of the House. Starmer was travelling accompanied by his new Minister for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, a long-time Labour member and one of the MPs who most ardently fought Brexit in recent years.

Her meetings with the autonomous Government and with the different political parties in Northern Ireland have ended with good gestures and optimism on the part of all. It was the president of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, who travelled expressly from Dublin to Belfast to attend the meeting, who expressed her “happiness” at the return to central government of the “party that promoted the Good Friday Peace Agreement”.

“I think the difference is night and day. Over the last few years, the austerity imposed by the Tories has especially damaged the north [los republicanos se refieren siempre a Irlanda del Norte sencillamente con ‘el norte’, para no reconocer el dominio británico]”It has damaged public services and relations between governments. I have great hope that everything will be corrected. Our will is very constructive,” McDonald anticipated.

The ‘legacy’ of violence

Along with pressing issues of funding and infrastructure construction, the most pressing issue facing the new Starmer government in Northern Ireland is the so-called Troubles Legacy and Reconciliation Act. [troubles, como se conoce en inglés a las décadas de guerra y violencia sectarias]which came into force on 1 May. The amnesty imposed by the previous Conservative government for all blood crimes committed in those years – especially by British soldiers deployed in the region – has been rejected by all political parties in Northern Ireland and by the government in Dublin, which together with London is responsible for compliance with the peace agreements. A high court in Northern Ireland has so far blocked the application of the law and the launch of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that should hear the pending cases and grant, on an individual basis, this amnesty.

The Labour Party has pledged to repeal the law if it comes into government, but Minister Benn has sought to tone down expectations. “This whole process must be about providing support and healing for victims and their families. You can’t do that with legislation that, at the moment, has no support here in Northern Ireland. But the commission has already started its work, and it is up to it to show whether it meets the aspirations of those families,” he said.

The Scottish Truce

Starmer’s visit to Scotland was the first of his tour of the United Kingdom. The significance of the electoral support obtained by the Labour Party in that territory is enormous. It has gone from a single Scottish MP to 37, and he is cherishing the idea of ​​the region returning to being the powerful stronghold of the British left that it was for decades.

“The new UK Government will put Scotland at the heart of all our decisions. My message to the Scots is simple and clear: you are at the heart of this country’s new era of prosperity, and we will rebuild a stronger Scotland in the next decade of national renewal,” Starmer said on Sunday upon his arrival in Edinburgh.

“My offer to the Scottish Government is the same,” he added. “We can turn disagreement into cooperation.”

The current First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, stressed, immediately after meeting with Starmer, the “common ground” on which both governments can work. Regarding the independence process, the Scottish leader assured that there is still a mandate from voters to achieve a second referendum, he recognised the existence of “significant differences” with the central government and pointed out that the SNP must carry out its own “reflection” on the disastrous results of the last elections.

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