- Sunak to meet Von der Leyen
- Von der Leyen also meets King Charles
- All focus on the DUP’s response
- Groups say they will study the details first
LONDON, Feb 27 (Portal) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a new deal on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday, betting the reward for better relations with the European Union is worth any discord , which could cause them within his own party.
Sunak, who has only been in power for four months, is pursuing a risky strategy to find a compromise to improve ties with Brussels – and the United States – without the wing of his party most closely linked to Brexit is enough to annoy.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to meet Sunak later on Monday for final talks, while she is also set to visit King Charles, a meeting that has drawn criticism for the monarch’s order not to interfere in political affairs.
The deal aims to ease tensions caused by the post-Brexit 2020 deals that govern the British province and its open border with EU member Ireland. However, it remains to be seen whether it will go far enough to end political deadlock in Northern Ireland and satisfy critics in Britain.
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“In recent months there have been intensive negotiations with the EU – led by UK ministers – and positive, constructive progress has been made,” Sunak’s office said.
The new deal aims to ease physical checks on goods flowing from the UK to Northern Ireland and give the British province a say in the EU rules it must implement amid the complicated terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc.
It could also allow London to set some rules on taxes and state aid.
Her success may depend on convincing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its boycott of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing arrangements. These were at the heart of a 1998 peace accord that largely ended three decades of sectarian violence in Britain’s provinces.
If Sunak can win support for the deal, he will be able to move past the most contentious issue on his agenda and increase his hold on his Conservative Party while trying to defeat the opposition Labor Party, which is now way ahead in opinion polls , expected to overtake ahead of a 2024 national election.
Should he fail, Sunak will likely face a rebellion from the Eurosceptic wing of his Conservative Party, revitalizing the deep ideological divisions that have at times paralyzed the government since the 2016 vote to leave the EU.
Sunak could have left the standoff in Northern Ireland unresolved, but officials in London and Belfast say he is motivated to act before the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which could entail a visit from US President Joe Biden.
Biden, who often speaks proudly of his Irish roots, has expressed concern about the deadlock in the province.
SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS
Sunak hopes a successful outcome will improve cooperation with the EU in areas outside Northern Ireland, including the regulation of financial services, scientific research and help stem the flow of migrants in small boats across the English Channel.
As part of its Withdrawal Agreement, Britain signed an agreement with Brussels known as the Northern Ireland Protocol to avoid imposing politically contentious controls along the 500 km (310 miles) land border with Ireland.
But the protocol effectively created a border on some goods imported from Britain because it considered Northern Ireland to be goods in the EU’s internal market. This also left Northern Ireland subject to some EU rules, despite not being a member of the bloc.
The perception that the Protocol is undermining Northern Ireland’s place in the UK has provoked anger from many unionized communities.
Both the DUP and the European Research Group, which brings together pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers, have said they will examine the details of any new deal before passing their verdict, a process that could take days.
A Conservative lawmaker said a parliamentary vote is not expected this week as senior party officials say Sunak wants to give people time to understand the terms. It could also prove risky if it gives his critics time to organize their opposition.
One person who could play a key role in the coming days and weeks is former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson negotiated the original protocol to reach a broader trade deal with the bloc before saying London should abandon its obligations to Northern Ireland.
“I think from what I’ve heard he (Sunak) did a very good job, but I’m not sure he achieved the goal of bringing the DUP back into power-sharing, which is the fundamental point of it is,” former Conservative minister Jacob Rees-Mogg told ITV.
Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and William James, writing by William James and Kate Holton, editing by Christina Fincher, Nick Macfie and Tomasz Janowski
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