NI Protocol: PM in Belfast for talks with Stormont party leaders

Rishi Sunak held with the leaders of Northern Ireland's political parties today (Friday) amid speculation that a Protocol deal was imminent.

The Prime Minister travelled to Northern Ireland last night and along with Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and talks with Stormont party leaders in a venue just outside Belfast.

Downtown Radio & Cool FM were among the waiting media this morning.

After the visit Mr Sunak was expected to join European leaders in Germany at the weekend for the Munich Security Conference and the protocol is likely to feature in discussions on the margins.

There was mounting speculation that a deal between the EU and UK could be unveiled early next week.

However, Irish deputy premier Micheal Martin has cautioned that he believes there is a "distance to go yet" before an agreement between the UK and the EU is over the line.

In another apparent sign of progress, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will travel to Brussels for a meeting with European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic.

The cross-community Alliance Party was the first in to meet Mr Sunak at a hotel on the outskirts on Friday morning. Meetings are also scheduled with the DUP, Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Ulster Unionists.

The UK and the EU have been engaged in substantive negotiations over the workings of the protocol, agreed to ensure the free movement of goods across the Irish land border after Brexit.

The protocol instead created economic barriers on trade being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

It has proven to be deeply unpopular with unionists, who claim it has weakened Northern Ireland's place within the UK, and the DUP has collapsed the powersharing institutions at Stormont in protest at the arrangements.

A number 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister was meeting Northern Ireland parties as part of the "engagement process".

She added: "Whilst talks with the EU are ongoing, ministers continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure any solution fixes the practical problems on the ground, meets our overarching objectives, and safeguards Northern Ireland's place in the UK's internal market."

The Foreign Office also confirmed Mr Cleverly's Brussels meeting with Mr Sefcovic, saying it was part of "ongoing engagement and constructive dialogue with the EU to find practical solutions that work for the people of Northern Ireland".

Mr Martin said he believed the UK Government wanted a consultation with the Northern Ireland parties on the negotiations.

He told RTE: "I think there is a distance to go yet. I don't understate the challenges, but clearly the negotiations have been serious and substantive and trust has built up between the EU team and the UK team, but I think there is some time to go yet."

Alliance leader Naomi Long told Downtown Radio & Cool FM that Mr Sunak was in listening mode, and that there is "some heavy lifting still to be done" to secure a deal.

She said the Prime Minister did not offer details on the potential shape of an agreement but she nevertheless described the encounter as "a very constructive and very positive meeting".

"He was very much in listening mode and keen to hear our views," she said.

"It seems apparent that while he was not in a position to brief us about the details, that things are gradually moving in the direction of a potential deal.

"But we are not over the line yet. That doesn't mean that we won't be very soon, but there's clearly some heavy lifting still to be done."

UUP leader Doug Beattie said that Rishi Sunak claimed there was a way to go yet on the Northern Ireland Protocol deal.

"I will take what he said to me, he said 'there's a way to go yet', is what he said, his words," he told reporters.

"That doesn't mean that things won't move quickly, that he did say there's a way to go yet, so that tells me that a deal has not been finalised."

He added: "Really, all he said was things are moving quicker than he probably anticipated them actually moving.

"But when he says there's still some way to go, that sort of tells me that we could be talking next week, that doesn't mean it will be next week, it could be the week after.

"I think some things that were sticking points may have been fixed quicker than they probably thought they were going to be fixed, and, therefore, where they thought they may have had a long protracted discussion about something, I think it resolved itself quite quickly. So, I think that's what he's really talking about."

And Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said that indications of progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol was heartening.

"It's clear now that significant progress has been made and we're very heartened by that," she said after meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"We now want to see a speedy conclusion of matters and, above all else, we want to see the institutions restored, government restored here in the North.

"The bottom line is that we have to ensure that any deal provides for ongoing access to the European single market, no hardening of the border on the island of Ireland and a protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts.

"Those are the core elements and aspects that need to be protected. But it seems to us that it's very much game on.

"We're very heartened by that, we're very conscious that a deal can be done, should now be concluded speedily, we hope that that will be the case. Then it's a matter for everyone, for each of the political parties to step up, get back to work and deliver for people here."

She added: "I think we've all seen in recent weeks certainly an upping of the pace of political engagement and activity. That, to our mind, is a very, very positive thing. It's absolutely necessary that there is intensive goodwill, good faith work done between the parties."

Senior figures within the DUP and the European Research Group of the Tory party have warned that any deal must remove the oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland as well as dealing with trading difficulties.

While it is understood the EU and the UK are close to signing off a deal that would reduce protocol red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, there is no expectation that Brussels is willing to agree to end the application of EU law in the region.

The EU says a fundamental plank of the protocol - namely that Northern Ireland traders can sell freely into the European single market - is dependent on the operation of EU rules in the region.

Deputy chairman of the ERG David Jones tweeted on Thursday: "The Protocol won't be fixed by displaying green and red signs and pretending the ECJ hasn't got supreme jurisdiction in Northern Ireland when it manifestly has.

"NI must cease to be subject to laws made in Brussels. It's as simple as that. Anything less won't work."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that he believed the sides were "very close" to a deal.

"The most important thing for people in Northern Ireland today is, how are we going to fix this health service that is frankly at the point of collapse?" he said.

"It won't be done by a British Tory government. It will only be done by local elected people here. So it's time for I think for everybody to take the power in their hands and get on with the job of governing people."

He added: "It isn't done as far as we know, I think it's very close, I think we all know the outline of it.

"There obviously will be more detail to look at in the coming days but I personally think we'll get there, and then it's decision time for some people, and hopefully they'll make the right decision."

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson added: "If and when a final agreement is reached, we will want to carefully consider the detail of that agreement and decide if the agreement does in fact meet our seven tests. We've been very clear with the Prime Minister that those seven tasks remain the basis upon which we will judge any agreement.

"I've indicated to the Prime Minister that it is fundamentally important that he agrees the right deal.

"I want to hear that Brussels will stretch itself to recognise the concerns that we have as unionists and that this process will correct the wrongs of the last negotiations.

"I do not believe that anyone should be led by a calendar. What is fundamentally and most important here is getting it right. That must be the ultimate goal. That is our goal. That's what we're committed to - getting this right and getting it done.

"We will keep working at this until we've got to the place where we can say that an outcome meets our seven tests and enables us to move towards the restoration of the political institutions here in Northern Ireland, which remains our objective."

Meanwhile, talks ended just before lunchtime.

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