Secretary of State attends Washington St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will travel to Washington later today where she will represent the United Kingdom Government at a number of events to mark St Patrick’s Day
Mrs Bradley will use her first visit to the US as Secretary of State to build key relationships with US stakeholders who share a keen interest and influence in Northern Ireland and to reinforce the UK Government’s priority to see devolution restored as soon as possible.
As well as attending the American Ireland Fund Gala dinner, the Secretary of State will meet senior US Representative Joe Crowley and Congressman Richard Neal. She will also attend the White House reception, hosted by President Donald Trump, in honour of the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the annual ‘Friends of Ireland’ lunch at Capitol Hill hosted by Speaker Paul Ryan.
Mrs Bradley said:
I am absolutely delighted to be part of the St Patrick’s Day event in Washington. My visit here comes at time of great challenge, to me as Secretary of State and also to the political parties and people of Northern Ireland.
It is clear there remains much work to be done in securing a stable and prosperous future for all the people of Northern Ireland, and over the next few days, I want to reassure colleagues in the US that the UK Government remains committed to the Belfast Agreement.
We cannot forget the vital contribution the US had in helping to secure the historic deal in 1998 that led to lasting peace in Northern Ireland and its continued support for the Northern Ireland political process. I am delighted to be here in person to acknowledge their role as we approach the 20th Anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.
The Secretary of State will also attend key networking breakfast events hosted by the Northern Ireland Bureau and the UK Ambassador. She will promote Northern Ireland as open for business and showcase its great investment potential. She will highlight the thriving creative industries, which have been instrumental in putting Northern Ireland on the world stage for creating global television productions including Game of Thrones.
Before returning to the UK, she will travel to New York to hold separate discussions with former President Bill Clinton and Senator George Mitchell, who were instrumental in brokering the Belfast Agreement, and is expected to update them on the current political situation in Northern Ireland.