Prime Minister expected to unveil new Brexit deal on Northern Ireland

Rishi Sunak is meeting the European Commission President in Berkshire

Rishi Sunak
Author: Chloe StjohnPublished 27th Feb 2023
Last updated 27th Feb 2023

The Prime Minister is expected to unveil a new Brexit deal on Northern Ireland later.

Rishi Sunak and the European Commission President are meeting today in Berkshire for final face-to-face talks.

A joint statement from Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen yesterday said, "Today, president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland."

"President von der Leyen will therefore meet with the Prime Minister in the UK tomorrow."

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to appease the DUP and hard-line Tory Brexiteers.

The DUP has been boycotting the power-sharing institutions at Stormont for more than a year in protest at the Northern Ireland protocol. The party has a list of 7 tests which it says must be met before it goes back.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, with party colleagues Gordon Lyons, Gavin Robinson and Emma Little-Pengelly

In a tweet, DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said, “I’ve been asked many times over the weekend about what this week holds. If, as we are led to believe, the PM is to ‘unveil’ a deal with the EU on the NI Protocol, I, alongside colleagues, will judge it wholly on its specific legal content. Not on political or media spin.”

“This should never be about timescales, rather, it should be about getting the right deal which can command cross community support in Northern Ireland. Getting it wrong will only deepen division"

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