Britain’s Sunak is on the verge of a deal with the EU, but is having difficulty selling the house

LONDON (AP) — The UK and the European Union were poised on Monday to put an end to years of disputes and reach a deal to settle their complicated post-Brexit trade dispute over Northern Ireland.

Reaching an agreement at a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would be a victory for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, but not the end of his problems. Selling the deal to his own Conservative Party and its Northern Irish allies could prove more of a challenge.

Signs of a potential break between the UK and the EU emerged on Sunday when both sides announced that von der Leyen would travel to England to meet with Sunak. A joint press conference is drawn, followed by Sunak’s statement in the House of Commons.

If all goes according to plan, it could end a dispute that has soured UK-EU relations, sparked the collapse of the Belfast-based regional government and shattered a decades-long peace process in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a border with the EU member, the Republic of Ireland. When the UK left the bloc in 2020, both sides agreed to keep customs posts and other checks out of the Irish border, as an open border is a key pillar of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Instead, there are checks on certain goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. This has angered British Unionist politicians in Belfast, who say the new trade border in the Irish Sea undermines Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.

The Democratic Unionist Party toppled Northern Ireland’s power-sharing Protestant-Catholic government a year ago in protest and refuses to return until the rules are repealed or substantially rewritten.

The DUP has largely remained silent in recent days, saying it needs to review the details of the deal before deciding if it meets the batch’s voluntary tests.

Hints of compromise on the EU have also sparked opposition from hardline Euroskeptics who form a powerful bloc within Sunak’s ruling Conservative Party. Critics include former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, as leader during Brexit, signed the trade rules he now pokes fun at. Johnson was ousted by the Conservatives last year over ethics scandals, but it is widely believed that he is looking forward to a comeback.

The story goes on

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent pro-Brexit Tory MP, said passing any deal “would all depend on the DUP. If the DUP is against it, I think there will be a pretty significant number of conservatives who are unhappy.”

Sunak said parliament would debate any deal he makes, but he did not promise lawmakers a mandatory vote on it.

Relations between the UK and the EU, severely tested during the long Brexit divorce, have cooled further amid disputes over the Northern Ireland protocol. The UK government has introduced a bill that would allow it to unilaterally break parts of the Brexit deal, which the EU has called illegal. Block accused the UK of failing to comply with a legally binding treaty it had signed.

Sentiment between London and Brussels improved after Sunak, a pragmatic Brexit supporter, took office in October, succeeding his more militant predecessors Johnson and Liz Truss.

The deal is likely to eliminate customs checks for the vast majority of goods moving between the UK and Northern Ireland and give Northern Ireland lawmakers some say over EU rules that apply there under the Protocol.

The most pressing issue is the role of the European Court of Justice in resolving any disputes that arise over the rules.

The UK and the EU agreed in their Brexit divorce agreement to give the European court that power. But the DUP and conservative Brexiteers insist that the court should not have jurisdiction over UK affairs.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Brexit and British politics at

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button