London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Boris Johnson hints he may not support Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal

Boris Johnson hints he may not support Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal

Ex-PM says controversial bill is best way forward as lawyers advising Tory Eurosceptics submit fresh proposal
Boris Johnson has hinted he may not support a proposed deal over the Northern Ireland protocol from Rishi Sunak, heaping pressure on the prime minister to revive a controversial bill that would unilaterally override parts of the Brexit treaty.

His intervention came on Thursday as it emerged that lawyers advising Eurosceptics in the Conservative party submitted fresh proposals to Sunak to end the rule of EU law in Northern Ireland, one of the major sticking points in the UK-EU negotiations over the protocol.

The proposals were sent to Downing Street, senior ministers and the European Commission as the Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, travelled to Brussels for more talks with the commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič.

In an interview with Sky News, Johnson said it was “important that we wait to see what there may be” in Sunak’s deal. But the former prime minister went on to say: “I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the government, is the Northern Ireland bill, which, you know, cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office only a few months ago. So I think that’s the best way forwards.”

The bill, which would allow the UK to unilaterally rip up some Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, has been paused amid the EU-UK discussions.

Johnson said: “It’s a very good bill. It fixes all the problems. It solves the problems that we have in the Irish Sea, solves the problems of paperwork, VAT and so on. It’s an excellent bill and doesn’t set up any other problems in the economy of the whole island of Ireland. So I’d go with that one.”

The bill would allow the UK government to ignore parts of the protocol disliked by traders with Northern Ireland, but critics say that this would breach international law and that, if the UK government ever tried to use it, the EU could retaliate by imposing tariffs on imports from Britain.

The proposals to Sunak from Eurosceptics’ legal advisers suggested a system that would mean any businesses exporting to the EU that breached European regulations would be prosecuted in British courts rather than the European court of justice.

To work, the government would pass special legislation creating a new export certification and tariff collection system for exporters to the EU. By signing up to the certification, exporters in Northern Ireland would agree to pay tariffs if applicable and follow all EU laws relevant to their products.

The Democratic Unionist party told the BBC on Wednesday night: “Sir Jeffrey [Donaldson, the DUP leader] did not approve this document but was advised it was being sent.”

It is understood the document, seen by the Guardian, was written by some senior figures in Lawyers for Britain – a group of lawyers and academics who backed the leave campaign and are part of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs’ “star chamber” of legal advisers – along with Jamie Bryson, the Northern Ireland policy director at the Centre for the Union thinktank.

Christopher Howarth, an adviser to the ERG, told BBC Northern Ireland’s Nolan Live: “When we saw this proposal we thought it was incredibly interesting because it raises a way of solving the problem of the Northern Ireland protocol in a way we think could solve the needs of all the major parties to it – the EU and Ireland’s needs, the needs to remove EU law and [create] democratic consent in Northern Ireland – and do it in a way that leaves an invisible border, and non-compliant goods don’t get into the EU’s market.”

Both the DUP and the ERG stressed they were not authors of the document but Howarth told Nolan Live he had discussed it with Donaldson. “I have discussed this with him and I think he would share the view that it is a very interesting proposal that deserves to be discussed because it is a potential solution,” Howarth said.

Under the proposals, British prosecutors could take companies in Great Britain to court if they were sending components to Northern Ireland that failed to comply with EU law but ended up in finished products exported from the region to the single market.

“EU law would not itself directly apply within the territory of Northern Ireland, and would only arise at or beyond entry to the Republic [of Ireland], at which point EU law could be enforced by the EU/Irish government,” says the letter.

The document suggests the EU and Ireland would apply a similar system in reverse with their own export certification to comply with UK law.

Under the system, companies in Great Britain sending products, including components, to Northern Ireland that would end up being exported to the EU, would have to go through “red lane” checks in transit on the ferry or on arrival at the port in Belfast or Larne.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
×