The United Kingdom and Ireland declared on Saturday that they were going "from friction back to friendship" while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid a visit to Dublin as part of his attempts to strengthen relations with both the EU and the Republic of Ireland."

Less than two months after receiving Irish Prime leader Simon Harris at his Chequers country residence following his Labour Party's victory in the British election, Starmer—the first British prime leader to visit Ireland in five years—had conversations with Harris.

"It is the moment for reset. It’s when we put meaning behind those words," Starmer told Harris at the Farmleigh Estate, a former residence of the Guinness family on the outskirts of Dublin.

Starmer has said he wants better cooperation with EU states, and hopes to improve diplomatic and trade relations without revisiting the fundamental basis of Britain's departure from the EU.

Britain's decision to leave the EU after its 2016 Brexit referendum put particular strain on Anglo-Irish relations, as trading rules governing Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and has a land border with EU member Ireland, became the main sticking point for a deal.

"This moment represents a fundamental shift in our bilateral relationship. With the Brexit debates behind us, we’re moving from friction back to friendship," Harris and Starmer said in a joint article for The Irish Times.

Harris opened the meeting with a call to "flesh out what a reset actually looks like, what it looks like in a practical sense."
Starmer and Harris were due to meet business representatives including from Primark, Dawn Meats and dairy firm Ornua before watching a soccer match between the Republic of Ireland and England. A match in Dublin between the two countries in 1995 - played three years before the Good Friday Agreement which largely ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland - was abandoned because of a riot. However, a 2015 fixture between the teams passed off without significant incident.

Mr Harris was the first international leader hosted by Sir Keir in the UK following the July election, in a bid to foster the close relationship.

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.

The Prime Minister said he was also seeking a “wider EU reset” with the leaders of countries that make up the bloc.

He visited Berlin and Paris last week as a means of building trust with German and French leaders.

Alongside the meeting with business chiefs, the two leaders will attend the Republic of Ireland vs England Nations League football match on Saturday evening.

Mr Harris said the relationship between the two countries may face challenges, including the 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.”

A young boy who received medical treatment in the UK had earlier presented the two leaders with Irish and English football scarves and 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.”