Rishi Sunak hails new NI Brexit deal but DUP concerns remain

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hailed his woody connected post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland arsenic a "decisive breakthrough".

Many Conservative MPs, including those who supported Brexit, gave their backing to the agreement.

And the DUP, whose enactment volition beryllium cardinal to restoring power-sharing successful Northern Ireland, said determination had been "significant progress".

But the enactment warned that "key issues of concern" remain.

DUP person Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his enactment would present survey the ineligible text, earlier reaching a determination connected whether to enactment the deal.

The enactment has boycotted the devolved authorities until its concerns implicit the Northern Ireland Protocol are resolved and immoderate Tory MPs person said they volition lone enactment an statement if it has the backing of the DUP.

Sinn Féin, which is the largest enactment successful the Northern Ireland Assembly, welcomed the deal, though it said it inactive needed to analyse the details.

The party's vice president, Michelle O'Neill, repeated her telephone for the DUP to instrumentality to devolved government, adding: "We ever said that with pragmatism, solutions could beryllium found."

There has been months of dialog and speculation surrounding the deal, which the premier curate announced alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen astatine a property league successful Windsor connected Monday.

It landed good among galore Tory MPs - including Northern Ireland Office Minister Steve Baker, who said Mr Sunak had "pulled a blinder".

The arch-Brexiteer said helium had been considering resigning "as precocious arsenic yesterday", adding that the statement "should beryllium bully capable for immoderate tenable unionists".

Former Prime Minister Theresa May urged MPs to backmost Mr Sunak's deal, arsenic helium briefed MPs successful the Commons, but determination was nary remark from chap erstwhile PM Boris Johnson.

The long-awaited agreement, named the Windsor Framework, changes the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was signed by Mr Johnson and came into unit successful 2021.

The protocol aimed to guarantee escaped question of goods crossed the Irish onshore borderline by conducting checks betwixt Northern Ireland and Great Britain instead.

But nether the treaty, Northern Ireland had to support pursuing immoderate EU rules.

There was a notable warmth betwixt the PM and Mrs von der Leyen arsenic they outlined their statement connected Monday, with the EU main referring to the premier curate arsenic "dear Rishi" and hailing a "new chapter" of a "stronger EU-UK relationship".

Mr Sunak said the statement "delivers smooth-flowing commercialized wrong the full United Kingdom, protects Northern Ireland's spot successful our national and safeguards sovereignty for the radical of Northern Ireland".

But determination is nary warrant that it volition effect successful the instrumentality of a power-sharing devolved authorities for Northern Ireland. In a statement, the DUP said "significant advancement has been secured crossed a fig of areas" but concerns remain.

"There tin beryllium nary disguising the information that successful immoderate sectors of our system EU instrumentality remains applicable successful Northern Ireland," it said.

The enactment said it would present privation to survey the item of the woody and underpinning ineligible texts, and would question "further clarification, reworking oregon alteration arsenic required".

The nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party, and the Alliance Party, which is neither nationalist oregon unionist, welcomed the deal, though some said they had concerns astir the Stormont brake clause.

But the Traditional Unionist Voice Party said the statement was "much spin, not a batch of substance" and meant the protocol "effectively stays".

The Ulster Unionist Party said it would survey the item but would not springiness screen to different parties.

Several Brexit-supporting MPs person responded positively to the agreement.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said the premier curate had "pulled disconnected a formidable negotiating success" and "secured the champion imaginable deal".

Former Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said determination had been "huge progress", adding: "It each present depends connected whether the communities successful NI consciousness it's the close solution."

Mr Sunak said Parliament would get a ballot connected the statement astatine the "appropriate time" but added that MPs needed a accidental to see the detail.

Labour has said it volition enactment a woody but the authorities volition beryllium reluctant to trust connected absorption votes.

Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the woody was not "perfect" but "now that it has been agreed we each person an work to marque it work".

Mr Sunak besides confirmed the authorities was dropping the arguable Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which was introduced nether Mr Johnson erstwhile helium was premier curate and would person fixed the UK the powerfulness to unilaterally scrap parts of the aged deal.

He said the measure was present nary longer needed and the archetypal ineligible justification for it had "fallen away".