Britain is on the brink of ending its Brexit nightmare over Northern Ireland – with Ursula von der Leyen flying in to seal a deal today.
No.10 said prime minister Rishi Sunak would meet the European Commission president here for ‘final talks’ at lunchtime. If they reach a deal to fix the trade protocol, they will hold a joint press conference after he briefs his cabinet.
Mr Sunak ‘wants to ensure any deal fixes practical problems on the ground, ensures trade flows freely within the UK, safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in our Union and returns sovereignty’ to it, his spokesman said last night.
Deputy PM Dominic Raab had earlier said the UK and EU were ‘on the cusp’ of agreeing how to tweak the protocol – brought in by Boris Johnson in 2020 to avoid a hard border with Ireland.
A new deal could see different customs checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from inside the UK if they were destined for Ireland – still part of the EU.
‘I think there is real progress,’ Mr Raab told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday.
Later, he went on to tell the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: ‘If we can get this over the line – we’re on the cusp, we’ve made great progress, we’re not there yet – this would be a really important deal.’
Mr Raab said there had been a ‘paradigm shift’ in the approach from Brussels, hinting at changes on customs checks as well as dealing with Unionist concerns.
Mr Sunak said at the weekend he was ‘giving it everything’ to finalise a deal that kept hardline Brexiteers and unionists on side.
He had been facing a revolt from some Tory MPs over his rumoured deal, with speculation that Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker may quit in protest. But Mr Baker gave a thumbs-up as he left No.10 yesterday after meeting the PM.
Mr Sunak was warned by his Eurosceptics and Labour not to rush into a vote on the revised terms. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had signalled his party would back a deal. But DUP MP Sammy Wilson told GB News it was a red line that no EU law should apply in Northern Ireland.
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