From:Department of the Taoiseach

I congratulate Andy Burnham on becoming UK Prime Minister today.

I look forward to working with him to further strengthen the partnership and friendship between our two countries.

Our relationship has deepened further in recent years with annual UK-Ireland Summits, and our respective roles as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement.

We will also work to facilitate a stronger relationship between the UK and European Union.

During his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy was a great champion of deeper links between Ireland and Britain.

It has been a pleasure to meet him on several occasions, including during his visits to Ireland last year.

I will work with Prime Minister Burnham to ensure that close cooperation between Ireland and the UK delivers real tangible benefits for people, communities and businesses right across these islands.