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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said his ‘decisive breakthrough’ on post-Brexit rules will remove trade barriers for Northern Ireland and give the UK a ‘veto’ on EU law as he seeks the backing of unionists.
The PM hailed the controversially named ‘Windsor Framework’, which was finalised on Monday, as marking a ‘new chapter’ on relations with Brussels that he hopes will restore power-sharing in Stormont.
But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the changes to the Northern Ireland protocol will still include a rule for the European Court of Justice a key issue for the Democratic Unionist Party.
The pair agreed the long-awaited deal after a meeting in Windsor lasting under two hours.
The EU chief will go on to have tea with the King at Windsor Castle, despite criticism that the meeting would drag Charles into the politically contentious deal.
Sunak said Parliament will ‘have a vote at the appropriate time’, and ‘that vote will be respected’ after coming under pressure to give MPs a say on the deal.
A key part is an ‘emergency brake’ on changes to EU goods rules that can be pulled by the Northern Ireland Assembly that Sunak said would give the Westminster government a ‘veto’.
At a press conference in Windsor Guildhall, the prime minister said: ‘I’m pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough.
‘Together we have changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework.
‘Today’s agreement delivers smooth-flowing trade within the whole UK, protects Northern Ireland’s place in our union and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.’
Sunak said he believes the deal is a ‘turning point for Northern Ireland’ that addresses the concerns of the DUP, and is now hoping they will back it and restore powersharing in Stormont.
Referencing changes to customs and VAT rules, Sunak added: ‘This means we have removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea.’
Standing beside the prime minister she warmly referred to as ‘dear Rishi’, von der Leyen hailed a ‘new chapter in our partnership’ that will foster a ‘stronger EU-UK relationship’.
She said Brussels will immediately start the ball rolling on the UK joining the EU’s Horizon scientific research programme, marking a clear thawing of the tensions most visible under Boris Johnson.
source: PA
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