Starmer hosts first St. Patrick's Day reception

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host the first-ever St. Patrick's Day reception at Downing Street tonight. This event will include a diverse group of guests such as public sector workers, athletes, actors, politicians, business leaders, and community figures. The reception aims to strengthen relations between the UK and Ireland. This comes shortly after a UK-Ireland summit held in Liverpool, where both governments agreed on a significant cooperation program. Taoiseach Micheál Martin referred to it as the most extensive partnership in a generation. The UK-Ireland 2030 program focuses on collaboration in areas like offshore wind development, under-sea cable protection, cyber security improvements, and maintaining a common travel area. Downing Street has stated that tonight's event will celebrate the rich cultural ties shared by the two nations. Many guests attending the reception have personal links to Ireland, highlighting the close relationship between the countries.