Key Facts

• Andy Burnham will host Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at No 10 North in Manchester.
• This is Burnham’s first time hosting a foreign leader at No 10 North, highlighting UK government presence outside London.
• The meeting will focus on boosting trade, supporting Ukraine, and working with the EU during Ireland’s EU presidency.
• Burnham has Irish ancestry and previously met Martin multiple times, including when he was mayor.
• UK Chancellor John Healey will attend an informal meeting of EU finance ministers in Dublin.
• Healey aims to get exemptions from the EU’s “Made in Europe” procurement laws, which could affect UK businesses.
• The UK government wants the EU to apply these rules in a way that avoids creating new trade barriers.
• No 10 mentions recent UK meetings with international leaders in cities outside London, such as Liverpool, Oxford, and Portsmouth.