UNITED KINGDOM: Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, hailed a “new chapter” in the UK’s relationship with the bloc on Monday as he secured a deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade protocols for Northern Ireland.
After four months of long talks, the prime minister and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, held a joint news conference in Windsor to announce a “decisive breakthrough.”
Sunak said that the changes would let the UK “take back control.” He said this during a carefully staged announcement that seemed to put more distance between himself and hardline Brexiters.
“Today’s agreement is written in the language of laws and treaties. But really, it’s about much more than that. It’s about stability in Northern Ireland. It’s about real people and real businesses. It’s about showing that our union, which has lasted for centuries, can and will endure,” he said.
The agreement, labelled the “Windsor framework,” goes beyond what was initially anticipated by granting the UK government an “emergency brake” on new EU laws implemented in Northern Ireland if local lawmakers object to them.
Von der Leyen emphasised that this was only an “emergency mechanism” and that the European Court of Justice would make the final decision on all issues related to the single market.
The deal will open up a new ‘green lane’ for traders, eliminating all trade barriers between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and granting new freedoms for the transportation of pets, chilled meats, and medicines across the Irish Sea. Additionally, it modifies some portions of the current procedure to permit Westminster to determine the VAT rates in Northern Ireland.
The main UK opposition parties and many Conservative MPs, who had been begging the prime minister to end the deadlock before the next general election, all liked the deal. Labour leader Keir Starmer said that while the agreement was “not perfect,” he understood that it had to be made to work.
Sunak still faces discord from political players
The hardline Brexiters in Sunak’s party continue to fight against him because they are worried about EU law still being used in Northern Ireland. When the Commons is finally granted a vote, which is not anticipated to happen this week, insiders in the government think he can limit any rebellion to about 20 Tory MPs.
Fixing it ends something that has been bothering von der Leyen for a long time and gives Sunak a big win. However, his problems are not yet over. It might be more difficult for him to sell the agreement to his own Conservative Party and its supporters in Northern Ireland.
Sunak is currently waiting for the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland to make a decision. This party has promised to stop the region’s power-sharing government until the trade agreements are changed in a way that makes them happy.
Sunak will talk about the agreement in a statement to the House of Commons at a later time. Only Northern Ireland shares a border with the Republic of Ireland, a country that is a member of the EU. Because an open border is a crucial component of the peace process in Northern Ireland, the two parties agreed to keep it that way when the UK leaves the EU in 2020.
Instead, there are checks on some goods coming from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland, which has angered British unionist politicians in Belfast. They say that Northern Ireland’s place in the UK is hurt by the new trade border in the Irish Sea.
The Democratic Unionist Party threw out the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing government in Northern Ireland a year ago because they didn’t like it. They haven’t gone back and won’t until the rules are changed or thrown out.
Also Read: Rishi Sunak and EU Boss to Sign a Historic New Deal
