Rishi Sunak presses on with NI Protocol deal despite Tory and DUP backlash
Rishi Sunak is set for his biggest political test yet as he presses to unveil a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, despite pushback from Boris Johnson and unionists. Mr Sunak has stressed his focus on the “democratic deficit”, as he hopes to convince Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party to ditch its veto on the formation of a power-sharing executive in Stormont. A source close to Mr Johnson said his view was that “it would be a great mistake to drop the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill” – which would empower the UK to unilaterally scrap parts of the treaty. Mr Johnson’s intervention – his first on Brexit since departing No 10 – has raised concerns over a potential rebellion by Eurosceptic Tory backbenchers if Mr Sunak’s changes are put to a vote in Parliament. Some Tories quickly sided with the former prime minister, with Lord Frost – who negotiated Mr Johnson’s original Brexit deal – urging the Government to “push on with the Protocol Bill”.
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