Thirty MPs and peers from all the major parties came along to show their support, including Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Rosie Winterton.
In testament to the historic and contemporary closeness between Ireland and Britain, the attendees represented constituencies from all corners of Britain from Devon to Dunbartonshire.
Our Policy and Public Affairs Officer Ruairí Cullen reports:
Over the course of a busy few hours around Wednesday lunchtime, we chatted with a diverse selection of MPs and members of the House of Lords. We presented those who dropped by with bespoke briefings on the Irish diaspora demographics, profile, incidence and characteristics in addition to key messages:
- We estimate at least fifty British MPs have family ties to Ireland – this figure could be even higher!
- The Irish were the oldest ethnic group in the 2011 UK census with a median age of 53.
- There are 50,000 Irish–born directors of British companies – more than any other non–British nationality.
- Nearly 100,00 people applied for Irish passports in Britain in 2018 – this figure has doubled in two years. Six million more may be entitled.
- There are 13,000 Irish nationals working for the NHS – the 4th highest nationality
We learnt a lot about the connection that many parliamentarians have for Ireland as well as a reminder about the depth and variety of the ties between our countries.
The purpose of the event was to engage with political leaders about the concerns and priorities of the Irish community. We spoke about the sense of uncertainty in the Irish community about the ongoing Brexit process and its consequences. In that context we also highlighted the value of the Good Friday Agreement and its huge dividend across these islands. At the same time, the event was a useful reminder to MPs about the wider interests of their Irish constituents – as Brexit appears to be consuming all other issues.
We were pleased that many of the attendees were those not already represented within the All Party Parliamentary Group and as a result we have added to and strengthened our cross–party alliances in Westminster beyond our traditional friends.
The briefing acted as an information exercise for newer MPs, who were perhaps more unfamiliar with the profile of their Irish constituents and wanted to find out more.
We will follow up this event with individual meetings with several of the MPs and peers.
Ultimately, we will build on the better understanding of our community to inform parliamentarians and to link to questions in the House of Commons, campaign on key issues for the Irish community and influence the policy–making process.
As the festivities around St Patrick’s Day finally came to a close, we were delighted to have brought the voice of the Irish in Britain into the halls of Westminster.