The Northern Irish Protestant party DUP wants to examine the deal in detail. The DUP had refused to form a government because of the previous Northern Ireland rules with the EU.
After the agreement with the EU on new Brexit rules for Northern Ireland British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak campaigned for support on the spot. The Conservative Prime Minister was in Northern Ireland en route to explain the arrangements. The newly negotiated rules secured the province’s sovereignty and a firm place in the UK, Sunak told the BBC on Tuesday.
The deal reached on Monday is intended to end a years-long dispute between the EU and Britain. This will trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK simplified.
The problem with the customs border
The now changed Northern Irelandprotocol was originally negotiated in the course of Britain’s departure from the EU (Brexit). It stipulates that the customs border between Great Britain and the EU runs in the Irish Sea. This should prevent border controls between the British Northern Ireland and the EU member Ireland must be introduced. The Union’s Protestant supporters in Northern Ireland felt cut off from Britain and called for change.
It is now crucial that Sunak can convince the unionist party DUP (Democratic Unionist Party). Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson praised the mechanism on the BBC Northern Ireland should be given the right to veto the role of EU laws in its own market. However, his party will now examine the deal in detail. Sunak received praise from an important critic from his own ranks. Northern IrelandSecretary of State Steve Baker spoke of a “great result”. Days earlier, it had been said that Baker might resign in protest at the looming deal.
press reviews
“The Times” (London):
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, through patient negotiations and strenuous efforts, has been able to restore the confidence eroded by his predecessors and reach an agreement which removes all major objections to the protocol and deserves the widest possible support in Northern Ireland and in the UK.
First, and most importantly for the majority of people in Northern Ireland, the agreement gets rid of what was the main shortcoming of the previous agreement in day-to-day practice: the customs controls and paperwork, which Boris Johnson denied would ever be necessary , which, however, did in fact impose significant costs on businesses and resulted in some items disappearing from shops in Northern Ireland. Under the Windsor Framework Agreement, all goods destined for the Northern Ireland market will be imported via a ‘green lane’ from which almost all controls will be eliminated. All food and medicines available in the UK will be allowed to be sold in the province. (…) These are significant and welcome improvements.”
“The Telegraph” (London):
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ushered in a new era of more constructive relations with Brussels. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen even linked progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol to a possible deal for the UK on ‘Horizon’, the EU science programme. It wasn’t hard to see that Sunak has succeeded where his predecessors failed by choosing to prioritize friendlier relations with the European Union.(…)
The UK didn’t leave the EU to make enemies. Many Brexit supporters had hoped that relations with Europe would tend to become more friendly over time and based more on mutual benefit than coercion.
Rishi Sunak played well in a difficult hand: it was arguably his best day as prime minister. But now he is waiting for the decisive answer from the (Northern Ireland Protestant Party) DUP and the Brexiteers. Time will tell if he was able to achieve a political triumph.”
(APA/dpa)