In recent weeks, the pace of engagement between the UK and Ireland has been striking.
On September 18th, UK prime minister Andy Burnham welcomed a foreign leader to No 10 North for the first time: Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Later that day, John Healey, the UK’s chancellor of the exchequer, was in Dublin as a guest at Ecofin, seeing the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris.
The same week, Dublin hosted UK economic secretary Lucy Rigby for Eurofi. As well as this, UK defence secretary Wes Streeting and Ireland’s Minister for Defence Helen McEntee held their first detailed bilateral discussions.
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By working together, Ireland and the UK can build prosperity in a challenging world
That level of engagement is entirely intentional. For the UK, no international relationship is more closely woven into our prosperity, security and future growth than our relationship with Ireland. As the prime minister said, it “matters at every single level”.
Speaking recently at the Dublin Economic Workshop in Wexford, I argued that the countries best placed for long-term success will be those that remain open, invest in innovation and capability, and deepen co-operation with partners that share their values and outlook. For me, the UK-Ireland relationship demonstrates how, in this challenging global environment, trusted partnerships can be a strategic advantage.
During my five years in Singapore, I watched countries across Asia invest relentlessly in infrastructure, capability and innovation. I came away motivated that Europe had to be “match fit”, both economically and strategically, for what lies ahead.
It is a false choice to present openness and security as being in competition. We need to be neither protectionist nor complacent if we are to remain both competitive and secure. Fragmentation and reducing co-operation would only weaken our prosperity.
Businesses and governments have become more clear-eyed about supply-chain disruption, energy volatility, rapid technological change and unfair competition. In that clarity, Ireland and the UK remain absolutely integral to one another’s growth story.
The economic case for working together on infrastructure, energy systems and technologies is compelling. Bilateral trade surpassed €2 billion a week in 2025, making Ireland the UK’s sixth-largest trading partner.
Irish investment in the UK stood at £77.4 billion (€90 billion) in 2024. The Common Travel Area allows people, skills and ideas to move freely between our countries, underpinning deeply integrated labour markets and economies. Northern Ireland occupies a unique position in both the EU Single Market and the UK’s internal market.
These connections extend far beyond Dublin and London. Twenty per cent of Irish investment in the UK last year went to the north of England. According to Enterprise Ireland, 60 per cent of Irish companies operating in the UK plan to expand, creating jobs and supporting innovation partnerships. British firms are also helping to deliver Ireland’s €275 billion development and infrastructure ambitions.
Nowhere is the connection between growth and long-term security clearer than in our shared search for secure, affordable and sustainable energy to drive economic growth. Ireland possesses one of Europe’s richest untapped offshore wind resources, while existing interconnectors already demonstrate the benefits of practical co-operation. We are learning from Ireland’s success in deploying onshore wind and solar, while the UK is a global leader in offshore wind, second only to China in installed capacity.
Together we can reduce costs, strengthen energy security, attract investment and create skilled jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The same is true in technology. Ireland is one of Europe’s leading technology hubs, hosting major operations for many of the world’s largest technology companies. The UK is home to a technology ecosystem worth more than $1 trillion (€890 billion), combining world-class research, deep pools of capital and an exceptionally international outlook. We rank among the world’s top three AI ecosystems alongside the United States and China. That is why European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen identified the UK as a priority AI partner for the EU.
Ireland and the UK also have complementary strengths in digital infrastructure, semiconductors, cyber and advanced technologies, and a similar approach to keeping these resilient.
The UK prime minister’s recent address to the United Nations General Assembly underscored a simple reality: the challenges that will shape the coming decade, from disinformation to AI, cannot be solved alone. The UK is strengthening resilience through a new National Centre for Information Defence while working with partners to shape the standards and safeguards needed for emerging technologies such as AI.
The consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have reinforced the reality that European and UK security is indivisible. Strong economies are essential not only for citizens’ pockets, but because prosperity is required for real security.
As the EU pursues greater economic strength and resilience, the UK’s capabilities and partnership should form part of that picture. The UK is a close and trusted European partner, committed to our shared security and economic co-operation. That is why we will continue to engage closely with the EU as it develops its plans, including on “Made in Europe”.
I am a deeply practical diplomat and am pleased that the UK-Ireland work programme to 2030 – developed for the summit in Liverpool and extended at the summit in Cork – provides a framework for making a real-world difference on growth, infrastructure, innovation and security.
Our governments already work closely on energy, customs, supply chains, critical infrastructure and emerging technologies. And as co-guarantors of the Belfast Agreement, we also share a profound commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland.
In a more uncertain world, trusted partnerships are becoming one of the defining advantages of successful countries. The UK and Ireland have spent decades building the institutions, connections and relationships that allow us to tackle shared challenges and seize opportunities. We should be confident in that partnership and ambitious about what it can achieve.
Kara Owen is the British Ambassador to Ireland
