UK & Ireland Archives

Ireland said on Wednesday (27 March) it would intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, in the strongest signal to date of Dublin's concern about Israeli operations in Gaza since 7 October.

Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday he would step down as Ireland's prime minister and the leader of the governing Fine Gael party, in a surprise move which he said was for both personal and political reasons.

EU and UK science chiefs on Monday (12 February) launched a push to attract scientists to Europe's €95,5-billion Horizon research programme after warnings of high costs and red tape in Britain.

The UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is expected to share details regarding the deal to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland on Wednesday (31 January), though the deal will not bear any major changes to the Windsor Framework. 

As EU decision-making remains plagued by disunity, Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil, Renew) suggested that government abstaining from decisions they do not agree with could be a “creative” way for the bloc to avoid deadlock in the future.

The UK moved on Tuesday (5 November) to salvage its ‘cash for asylum seekers’ agreement with Rwanda by signing a new treaty with the East African country. UK ministers have also expressed hope that the revised pact will be a model for collaboration on migration control with EU states. 

Construction on a high-voltage subsea cable able to carry enough power for 450,000 homes, with the aim of boosting energy security and helping to reduce bills, began on Monday between France and Ireland.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s migration speech in Washington on Tuesday – where she spoke about how laws have morphed from helping those fleeing persecution to those fearing bias elicited criticism from the Labour Party. Braverman called for a reform of the …

MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan will run again in the 2024 elections with a focus on social justice and improving the environment, the candidates told Euractiv on Monday. Cuffe and O’Sullivan were elected to the Parliament for the first time …

An amendment to the UK Procurement Bill, which would have granted powers for UK medical organisations to exclude suppliers based on involvement with forced organ harvesting, was rejected by the House of Commons on Wednesday. The amendment, which would have been …

Two memorandums of understanding signed at the British-Irish Energy Day between Ireland and the UK on Monday aim to increase cooperation in developing offshore renewable energy, explore further electricity interconnection opportunities and enhance the security of gas supplies, according to …

While rejoining the UK to Horizon Europe was met with overwhelming support from the academic community, some say the years it took – and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hesitance – has caused serious damage and is ‘hardly something worthy of …

Nitrous oxide or laughing gas will be categorised as a class C drug and will become illegal by the end of 2023, the UK government announced on Tuesday. The government announced plans to ban nitrous oxide earlier this year as part …

New UK-backed projects worth £49 million will be announced by Development and Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell at the first Africa Climate Summit, which will be hosted by Kenya from 4 to 6 September. The UK is “committed to the fight against …

There is growing support for closer cooperation with the EU from the UK public, as an increasing number of Britons are trusting the EU while more distrust their home government on handling foreign policy, according to the British Foreign Policy …

People with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will automatically have their status extended in September by two years before it expires if they have not obtained settled status, according to the New Immigration Rules presented in parliament on …

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will force English universities to limit the number of students taking ‘low-value’ degrees, which critics believe is a move to penalise courses with a high proportion of working-class or minority-ethnic students. Courses that do not have a …

Irish members of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) Seán Kelly and Deirdre Clune will not support their group’s rejection of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, the MEPs announced on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the decisive vote in the European Parliament.

Scientists and academic researchers will be able to reapply to the European Research Council (ERC) for grants if the UK rejoins Horizon Europe, according to reports on Sunday. It is now confirmed that scientists and researchers will be able to reapply …

The 2030 Strategic Partnership – aimed at strengthening their foreign policy, security, and defence cooperation – was signed by the UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace alongside Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Zbigniew Rau and National Defence …

The Irish government improved its support for companies switching to solar power on Tuesday, opening up an ongoing scheme providing grants for solar photovoltaic installations to a broader range of businesses. Story updated to correct unit of measurement and statistic The approved changes …

The government’s small boats bill had key parts of it shredded by the House of Lords on Monday, as peers voted on a series of topics, including how long children should be detained and deportation destinations. The Illegal Migration Bill is …

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has withdrawn new rules that would make it harder for trafficking victims to have their cases accepted months after introducing them. Braverman withdrew the new rules and plans to provide replacement rules by 10 July. Until then, …

Businesses across the UK received a share of over £80 million from the UK government on Wednesday in an effort to ditch fossil fuels for cleaner alternatives. There are about 29 projects that will now be working to change their production …