Chief Minister meets PM at British-Irish Council summit

It was the first time a Prime Minister had attended a BIC summit since 2007.

‘I was very pleased to be able to meet the Prime Minister,’ said Deputy Peter Ferbrache.

‘The council had the opportunity to discuss the current energy crisis and it was interesting to see how the region around Blackpool is dealing with energy resilience, and to discuss with the council the enthusiasm of leaders to look at strategic opportunities throughout these islands for the development of renewables.

‘The BIC forum is an important opportunity for Guernsey to engage and contribute on a wide range of policy matters with heads of administration from across the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies.

‘I look forward to the BIC forum continuing to develop and evolve as the political relationships between its member administrations continue to adapt, and I am certain that it will remain an invaluable forum for Guernsey to be a part of.’

Other issues discussed included sustainable growth and regeneration, the cost-of-living crisis, the impact of labour shortages on the economy, housing pressures, responding to climate change, relations with the European Union and the continuing response to the war in Ukraine.

Apart from Northern Ireland, which was not represented, all the member jurisdictions sent their top politician. The UK was also represented by Michael Gove, secretary of state for Levelling Up. He chaired the plenary session on sustainable local growth, after delegates had visited businesses in the Blackpool area to give some context to the discussions.

This was the 38th British-Irish Council summit meeting since the body was established under the Good Friday Agreement.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the agreement, which was formally noted at the meeting.