British Prime Minister Sunak campaigned in Belfast for his proposed solution to the dispute with the EU. An agreement is likely to be forthcoming.
London. When Rishi Sunak suddenly gets on a plane to Northern Ireland, you know something is up. On Thursday evening, the British Prime Minister unexpectedly traveled to Belfast; he met politicians from all major parties there to update them on the progress of the Northern Ireland Protocol talks. Government circles have been saying for many weeks that negotiations with the EU have made progress – now the talks are apparently in the final sprint. Sunak seeks approval for this in Belfast.
Although the deal has not yet been finalised, initial reactions after meetings with Northern Ireland politicians have been positive. “Progress has been made in many areas, but there are still areas where more work will be needed,” said Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), following his meeting with Sunak. He expressed hope that an acceptable deal could be struck soon. The DUP plays a decisive role: without their consent, any proposed solution is a non-starter.