Downing Street frames Manchester talks as spotlight on towns
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin were scheduled to meet at 10am on Friday at No 10 North in Manchester. In an overnight release, Downing Street described the visit as “historic” and said it “comes as the prime minister shines a spotlight on towns up and down the country.” No 10 pointed to Burnham’s recent hosting of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Liverpool and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Oxford, and noted that his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was held in Portsmouth.
Downing Street said the talks would focus on “shared objectives including boosting trade, supporting Ukraine, and working with the European Union as Ireland continues its presidency of the EU.” After the formal discussions, the two leaders were due to visit an Irish community centre.
Burnham was born in Liverpool and raised in Culcheth, a village between Liverpool and Manchester, and has Irish ancestry. As mayor of Greater Manchester, he met Martin several times, including during visits to Ireland. When Burnham became prime minister, Martin issued a statement praising him as “a great champion of deeper links between Ireland and Britain.”
In parallel with the Manchester meeting, Healey travelled to Dublin for an informal meeting of Ecofin, the gathering of EU finance ministers. The United Kingdom is seeking an exemption from the EU’s “Made in Europe” procurement rules. Treasury sources said Healey would urge the EU to implement the Made in Europe rules in a way that “lands a good deal for all” instead of “erecting new barriers.”