Burnham Hosts Ireland's PM in Manchester as UK Presses EU on Buying Rules
Andy Burnham was due to meet Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, the title for Ireland's prime minister, at No 10 North in Manchester at 10am on 18 September 2026.
It was the first time Burnham had used No 10 North, the government's Manchester base, to host a foreign leader, according to the live record of the day's engagements The Guardian. No 10 said using the Manchester base for such meetings was part of a deliberate attempt to highlight parts of the UK outside London. Days earlier, Burnham had hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Liverpool and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Oxford. He had also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Portsmouth. Manchester was next in that sequence, and the first to carry the No 10 North branding for a foreign guest.
The talks with Martin were to focus on boosting trade, supporting Ukraine, and working with the European Union during Ireland's presidency of the EU, the rotating chair that sets the agenda for EU meetings. After the formal talks, the two leaders were to visit an Irish community centre. On the same day in Dublin, Chancellor John Healey was to attend an informal Ecofin meeting, a gathering of EU finance ministers, after an invitation to join. The invitation placed a UK chancellor in the room with EU counterparts outside the normal post-Brexit formats. London intended to use that opening.
The UK was seeking an exemption from the EU's 'Made in Europe' procurement laws, the rules for how governments buy goods and services, with Healey to make the case in Dublin The Guardian. Treasury sources said Healey would urge the EU to implement the rules in a way that 'lands a good deal for all' instead of 'erecting new barriers'.
Burnham and Martin had met several times when Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester, including in Ireland. When Burnham became prime minister, Martin praised him as 'a great champion of deeper links between Ireland and Britain' The Guardian. On 24 August 2026, Burnham said Britain must be 'bolder' in seeking closer ties with the EU Reuters. His office said he told European Council President António Costa that Britain should build on existing defence and security cooperation with European allies. On 3 September, Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed a drive to get the UK 'closer to Europe' Reuters.
Burnham had ruled out calling a referendum on Irish unification, describing a border poll as 'off the table' ITV. The remark sparked a political row. On 12 September, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would 'love' to see Northern Ireland unify with Ireland. On the same date, a spokesperson for Burnham's office said Burnham's position on Irish unification remained unchanged after Trump's comments Reuters. No new policy was announced.
The broader context here is the pairing of venues and agendas. Manchester hosted the political meeting. Dublin hosted the detailed discussion on procurement. One leader discussed trade, Ukraine and cooperation during Ireland's EU presidency. The other spoke to finance ministers about how the buying rules would work in practice. The language of implementation rather than confrontation made procurement the early test.
Looking at what this means for UK-EU handling, Ireland sits inside EU decision-making and shares the UK's most sensitive bilateral issues, covering trade, Northern Ireland and support for Ukraine. A decision on an exemption from 'Made in Europe' rules will be taken by member states together, not by Ireland alone during its presidency. Early discussion with Dublin can still give London a sense of how much flexibility exists before proposals become fixed, and familiar counterparts can shorten the start-up phase.
In my view, the choice of locations deserves attention alongside the statements. Liverpool, Oxford, Portsmouth and now Manchester point to a working method of holding substantive meetings outside London, with trade, defence and political closeness moving on separate tracks. The risk is spreading effort across different places. The possible gain is wider public support at home for foreign policy. Whether the Ecofin discussion and the bilateral outreach change the procurement outcome will depend on what Healey heard in Dublin, and what Burnham and Martin agreed to carry forward jointly.
