Mayors from the North West of England have travelled to Dublin to kick off a joint mission to boost trade and cultural links.

The mayors of the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester were in Dublin this week to meet with the Irish President, Tánaiste and Foreign Minister, as well as British and Irish businesses, on the first visit of its kind for metro mayors from the UK.

Speaking during the visit, the mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: ‘Ireland holds a special place in the hearts of so many people in the Liverpool City Region – and we know that feeling is mutual – which is why our region has earned the title as Ireland’s 33rd county! I’m looking forward to building on that unique relationship this week and engaging in constructive conversations with colleagues to help us to forge an even greater bond with our friends over the Irish Sea.

‘Myself and Andy have arrived in Dublin this week with a united message on behalf of the 4.5m people we represent: we want to build an even stronger, more prosperous future with our nearest neighbours.

‘The North West has enjoyed a long, successful trading partnership with Ireland – and we share many of the same aims in renewable energy, innovation, trade, and manufacturing, married together with our warm, common cultures – and there is still so much potential to unlock.’

The mayors were accompanied on their visit – which took place on Monday and Tuesday – by minister for exports Mike Freer and a delegation of 15 Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester businesses, led by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT).

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham commented: ‘The next couple of days will give us a chance to come together with Irish leaders and have those important discussions about how we can work together to recover from the pandemic, cut emissions to meet our net zero goals, and deepen collaboration and cooperation between our places.

‘We’re also joined by some real innovators in business and culture from across the North West, and will be hearing from them about how they can take advantage of new opportunities to grow, invest, and create good jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea.’

A joint statement from Belfast, Dublin, Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region said: 'Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, with a collective population of over five million, will come together to form a cooperative partnership to develop practical approaches to accelerate the delivery of net-zero commitments in our cities and city regions.

'Climate change is the greatest challenge facing our nations and our planet. That is why, we have developed ambitious climate agendas to become more equitable, fairer, prosperous and greener cities. Each of us are committed to the protection of our economies and our people and we are firmly of the view that working together will give us the best chance of realising the benefits of transitioning to a low carbon economy.'