Sunak urged to keep upper hand in Brexit deal on Northern Ireland

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Tory Brexiteers have urged Rishi Sunak to push ahead with the Northern Ireland protocol bill while negotiators try to hammer out a new deal. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Mr Sunak against dropping legislation that would give UK ministers powers to scrap parts of the protocol, saying it would be a “great mistake”. And Tory Brexiteers want the Prime Minister to keep the UK’s negotiating hand as strong as possible.

The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which was first introduced by Boris Johnson, is currently paused in Parliament while the UK and EU try to hammer out a new agreement.

The Government said over the weekend there was “lots to be done” to reach a deal.

The Government has indicated a successful outcome would mean the Protocol Bill – tabled at Westminster under Mr Johnson’s leadership but paused when Mr Sunak entered No 10 – would no longer be required.

Unionist parties argue the Northern Ireland protocol could undermine the country’s place within the UK.

The DUP is blocking a government from being formed in Stormont in protest at the arrangements and said its seven tests must be met for its boycott to end.

It came into effect in 2021 and aims to ensure free movement of goods across the Irish land border by conducting checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain instead.

Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, who also campaigned to leave the EU during the 2016 referendum, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme Mr Johnson’s intervention was “not unhelpful”.

She said: “I think the prime minister would give credit to his predecessors for enabling us to get this far.

“We have the bill… and in part it is because of that that we are now able to have these negotiations and the EU is talking about things that previously it said it wouldn’t talk about.”

She added: “It’s a reminder to the EU the bar that they have to get over. But ultimately it’s not really about what Boris Johnson or any members of the House of Commons think about a deal. It’s what the people of Northern Ireland think about the deal.”

The Government has indicated a successful outcome would mean the Protocol Bill – tabled at Westminster under Mr Johnson’s leadership but paused when Mr Sunak entered No 10 – would no longer be required.

Negotiations between the UK and the European Union to try to resolve issues with the protocol have been going on for more than a year but sources suggest a deal could be sealed early next week.

Tory MPs warned Rishi Sunak that he should not agree to anything that keeps Northern Ireland under EU law.

Former Brexit negotiator David Frost said: “There is no deadline for these talks, so the best thing would be to keep negotiating and meanwhile push on with the Protocol Bill, so that our negotiators are in the strongest possible position.

“It might also help if there were to be a little more transparency about what has been achieved so far, as the accounts emerging from Brussels aren’t entirely consistent with the Government’s.”

Liz Truss ally Simon Clarke added: “It could be an important week. We should not agree anything that keeps Northern Ireland subject to EU law or in the single market.

“Ultimately the Protocol legislation remains a clean solution to ensure all parts of our country are treated equally.”

Brexiteer David Jones added of a possible concession to give the ECJ a role in trade disputes: “If this is the basis of a deal then it will not work. Any deal would be completely futile and embarrassing if it’s unacceptable to the unionist community.”

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