Northern Ireland deal with EU is far from done, admits Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak yesterday admitted a deal with the European Union over the future of Northern Ireland was “by no means done”.

The Prime Minister played down hopes of an imminent agreement over the controversial post-Brexit trading arrangements of the Northern Ireland protocol.

He met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Munich Security Conference but dismissed speculation that a deal could be announced as early next week.

Sunak said: “There are still challenges to work through. We have not resolved all these issues. There isn’t a deal that has been done, there is an understanding of what needs to be done.”

He added: “We’re working through the issues hard and we will work through them intensely with the EU but we are by no means done.”

His trip to the summit in Germany came a day after he met with the five main Stormont parties in Belfast.

The DUP, the harshest critics of the protocol, said his proposed deal did not go far enough.

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU in 2019 to ensure free movement of trade across the Irish land border after Brexit. It means there are new checks and controls on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

It is opposed by unionists in Northern Ireland, most notably the DUP, which claims the agreement threatens Northern Ireland’s role in the United Kingdom.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “Progress has been made in some areas and while that is welcome, in other key areas it currently falls short of what would be acceptable and required to meet our seven tests.

“I have indicated to the Prime Minister that it is important he agrees the right deal rather than a rushed deal.”

The UK and the EU have been negotiating about the protocol which was included in the withdrawal agreement to ensure the free movement of goods across the Irish land border after Brexit.

Meanwhile, US vice-president Kamala Harris, who was also in Munich, said Joe Biden’s administration has formally concluded Russia committed crimes against humanity during its invasion of Ukraine.

She said: “In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: these are crimes against humanity.

“And I say to all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account.”

Downing Street added: “The Prime Minister and Vice-President Harris discussed how to accelerate international action on Ukraine, to allow them to win the war and secure a just and lasting peace.

“They agreed that Putin’s war in Ukraine is a global war, both in terms of its impact on food and energy security and in terms of its implications for internationally accepted norms like sovereignty.”