Brexit vote rebels compared to ‘Japanese soldiers not believing the war is over’
Downing Street is preparing for a fresh Brexit showdown with Conservative MPs with the first commons vote on the prime minister’s Northern Ireland Protocol solution to be held on Wednesday. The European Research Group of eurosceptic Conservative MPs is yet to deliver its final verdict on the so-called Windsor framework, however Downing Street expects any […]
Splitting and under siege, the DUP faces a Brexit showdown like no other
The discussion on the Northern Ireland Protocol has changed subtly in recent days — and not just because Brexiteers have new lingo, by way of the “Windsor Agreement”, to brandish. Rather, both the substance and tenor of the debate have shifted dramatically because the prime minister appears to have negotiated a better deal with the […]
How Sunak hopes the ‘Windsor Framework’ will end Brexit division
There was a triumphalist tenor to the prime minister’s press conference on Monday afternoon. After years of deadlock, Rishi Sunak was promising an end to the impasse over the Northern Ireland Protocol which has incapacitated British politics since Boris Johnson signed off his “oven-ready deal” in 2019. Stationed alongside European Commission president Ursula von der […]
Windsor Framework: Rishi Sunak hails ‘real breakthrough’ on Northern Ireland Protocol
The prime minister has today unveiled a new Windsor Framework agreement with the European Union which he has heralded as a “decisive breakthrough” on the Northern Ireland Protocol impasse. The new framework was announced at a joint press conference attended by the prime minister and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. […]
Minister urges Conservative MPs to back Sunak on Brexit, as rebellion over protocol looms
A minster has urged Conservative MPs to back Rishi Sunak on Brexit and accept the deal the prime minister brings back from Brussels on improving the Northern Ireland Protocol. Minister for veterans affairs Johnny Mercer said critics need to “operate in the real world” on Brexit and that “we need to resolve this issue” to […]
Government entered NI Protocol negotiations with ‘an attitude of defeat’, says DUP MP
The DUP have continued their criticism of the government’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol this morning. It follows Rishi Sunak’s visit to Northern Ireland last week, which included a meeting with DUP representatives, in a bid to seek a resolution. Sammy Wilson, who serves as the DUP’s chief whip at Westminster, confirmed that […]
Week-in-Review: Getting Brexit ‘done’ in NI will make or break Sunak’s premiership
As I write, Rishi Sunak is locked in the middle of a 48-hour diplomacy blitz, amid reports that a Northern Ireland Protocol resolution has been reached. It comes after weeks of speculation about a deal in the six counties, with some reports suggesting an agreement has been resting on the prime minister’s desk for some […]
Prime minister must defy ‘Brexit purity cult’ to secure NI deal, says Starmer
Keir Starmer is set to challenge Rishi Sunak to stand up to the ‘Brexit purity cult’ in the Conservative party in order to bring about resolution to the Northern Protocol impasse. In a speech to Queen’s University Belfast on Friday, the Labour leader will encourage the prime minister to defy MPs in the European Research […]
The view to 2023: What next for British politics?
2022 was a year of unprecedented chaos within government. The manic mayhem at the apex of politics gifted Britons three prime ministers, four chancellors, four home secretaries and five education secretaries. It has not been a good look for the Conservative party, whose preferred calling card with the electorate is a reputation for stable and […]
Week-in-Review: The Northern Ireland protocol is a Brexit legacy Sunak cannot ignore
The news that Ulster shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff will receive £1.6bn of ministry of defence funding is a significant and very symbolic development in Northern Ireland’s politics. Founded in 1861, Harland and Wolff’s shipyard, which built the Titanic and many other vessels, is a symbol of Ulster’s once formidable industrial prowess. Its giant cranes, […]
