Status: 03/22/2023 5:44 pm
In the dispute over Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, the British House of Commons voted by a large majority in favor of a deal with the EU. Prime Minister Sunak thus achieved an important success – despite resistance from his own party.
The British House of Commons has approved the new Northern Ireland trade rules negotiated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with the EU. MEPs overwhelmingly backed a mechanism that would give Northern Ireland’s regional parliament a say in how new EU rules are applied in the British part of the country. 515 deputies voted in favour, only 29 voted against.
The provision put to a vote is part of the “Windsor framework” sealed by Sunak and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the end of February. With the supplement to the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, the long-standing dispute over Brexit rules for the British provinces has been resolved.
The fact that Sunak managed to assert himself is considered an important success. However, the prime minister was faced with a rebellion within his own conservative ranks. Her predecessor, Liz Truss, and her predecessor, Boris Johnson, both declared their rejection of the Brexit deal, and 20 Conservative MPs voted against with them. But the opposition, particularly the Labor Party, voted in favor of the deal, giving it a comfortable majority.
Also DUP resistance
Sunak’s triumph is likely to have undermined Johnson’s ambitions to return to the top of government. However, the Prime Minister’s rejection of the deal by the Protestant Northern Ireland party DUP is likely to cause headaches. The DUP has been blocking the formation of a regional government in Northern Ireland for months. According to the 1998 peace agreement, known as the Good Friday Agreement, this must always be composed of the two major parties, the Catholic and the Protestant.
There are still no signs that the stalemate in the province will be resolved. In case of doubt, a new election must be called. However, this could also play into the hands of the Catholic Republican Sinn Fein party. It aims to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland and emerged as the strongest party in the last election.
customs border dispute
The Northern Ireland Protocol was negotiated as part of the Brexit deal. It stipulates that the customs border between Great Britain and the EU runs in the Irish Sea. The aim is to prevent checks between British Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland having to be introduced and the conflict between the mainly Catholic supporters of the Irish union and the predominantly Protestant supporters of the union with Great Britain from returning to to burst.
But the regulation also brought difficulties, for example, when sending packages, medicines and taking pets. Some Protestants felt isolated from Britain and called for change. These demands were taken into account in the “Windsor framework”.