London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

MPs back Rishi Sunak's new Brexit Northern Ireland deal

MPs back Rishi Sunak's new Brexit Northern Ireland deal

Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland has been passed by MPs, despite a rebellion from 22 of his backbenchers.

Ex-PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were among Tories joining Northern Ireland's DUP in voting against the agreement.

But it passed by 515 to 29 overall, with the backing of other Tories, Labour and the SNP.

The deal, unveiled last month, rewrites the Brexit accord agreed by Mr Johnson in 2019.

Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker denounced the two former PMs for opposing it, saying he thought "they're both better than this".

Mr Johnson risks "looking like a pound shop Nigel Farage" by voting against the deal, added Mr Baker, who supported the UK's EU exit in 2016.

Former Brexit leader Nigel Farage fired back on Twitter, saying Mr Baker had betrayed his Brexiteer credentials and was a "weasel" for supporting the deal.

Mark Francois, the chair of the ERG group of Eurosceptic Tories, confirmed earlier its "strong recommendation" was for Tory MPs to defy orders from party managers and reject the deal.

As well as Mr Johnson and Ms Truss, Tory MPs voting against the deal included former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Priti Patel, who was home secretary under Mr Johnson, also voted against, writing in the Telegraph before the vote that Mr Sunak should "negotiate a better deal".

The vote is on a key part of the deal, known as the Stormont brake, that would give a future Northern Ireland Assembly a way to challenge new EU goods legislation.

The vote is likely to be the only vote MPs get on Mr Sunak's renegotiated deal, known as the Windsor Framework.

Around 100 MPs didn't take part in the vote. This number will include those who abstained, along with those who did not vote for another reason or were given permission not to.

The original Brexit withdrawal deal negotiated by Mr Johnson introduced a series of checks on goods sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, in order to avoid a border with the Irish Republic.

Despite originally billing the agreement as a "great deal for our country," Mr Johnson went on to join Tory Brexiters in bemoaning the economic impact of the checks it introduced.

The changes negotiated by Mr Sunak aim to streamline the checks process, which have also proved highly unpopular among unionists in Northern Ireland.


Speaking in the Commons, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the Stormont brake would give assembly members in Northern Ireland "robust" powers to challenge EU laws.

But in a statement issued before the vote, Mr Johnson said it was "unacceptable".

"The proposed arrangements would mean either that Northern Ireland remained captured by the EU legal order - and was increasingly divergent from the rest of the UK - or they would mean that the whole of the U.K. was unable properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit," he added.

He said it would be better to proceed with controversial legislation giving British ministers the power to override the original deal, which Mr Sunak has shelved due to his new agreement.

Ms Truss is also said to believe the new framework "fatally impinges" on the UK's ability to diverge from EU rules.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he will continue to work with the government on "outstanding issues" - even though Downing Street said there are no plans for any substantial change to the deal.

The European Research Group (ERG) of Eurosceptic Tory MPs has criticised the Stormont brake, with legal experts advising them it was "practically useless".

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Watchdog Recommends Expanding Acceptable ID for Voting
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
House of Lords Warns UK Must Address Unsustainable Debt
Victims Unaware of Offenders' Early Release in England and Wales
Top Former US Military Leaders Endorse Kamala Harris, Criticize Trump
Kate Middleton Completes Chemotherapy, Gains New Perspective
Australia Implements Minimum Age for Social Media Use
Kim Jong Un Announces Increase in North Korea's Nuclear Arsenal
Chancellor Faces Labour MPs Over Winter Fuel Allowance Cut
Report Criticizes Sunak and Braverman for Comments on Met Police
Peter Nygard Sentenced to 11 Years for Sexual Assault
Princess Kate Resumes Public Duties Amid Cancer Treatment
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE UK COULDN'T SINK ANY LOWER… NOW UK WANT TO SUMMON ELON MUSK OVER "TOO MUCH FREE SPEECH" ON X
What Democrats hiding? CNBC SLAMS KAMALA FOR AVOIDING INTERVIEWS
Significant Corruption Concerns in Covid Contracts
Swiss politician lectures a German politician about democracy
Germany has just announced that they will be closing their borders and introducing border controls to protect the country
Greece to Impose Levy on Cruise Passengers Visiting Santorini and Mykonos
Former VP Cheney Endorses Kamala Harris for President
The Second Time Led Zeppelin Brought Steven Tyler to Tears
King Charles and Queen Camilla Commemorate the Second Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s Passing
Harris and Walz Pledge to Reinstate 1994 Assault Weapons Ban
Balaji Srinivasan Launches Revolutionary Technocapitalist School on Private Island
IT'S HAPPENING: Absolutely massive protest in Brazil today for free speech, against their corrupt Supreme Court judge
Huawei Poised for Major AI Chip Unveil at Shenzhen Event
CIA and MI6 Chiefs Unite Amid Global Crises
UK Tycoon Mike Lynch's Cause of Death Revealed: Autopsy Report
Mass Protests Erupt Across France Against New Prime Minister Barnier
Iranian Plots to Kill Jews in Europe Unveiled
Nvidia’s AI chips are cheaper to rent in China than US
China ends tariffs on all goods exported to China from the poorest countries in the world it has diplomatic ties with, including 33 African nations
Blinken May Not Seek Another Term Due To Family Priorities
Labour Pushes for Special Tribunal Against Russia for Ukraine Invasion
Oil Companies to Contest Judicial Review of North Sea Projects
Ed Balls Urges Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to Address Winter Fuel Payments Controversy
British Army Major General Dismissed for Unwanted Advances
Campaigners Urge Bold Actions to Combat Rising Heart Disease in UK
UK Requires One Trillion Pounds Investment for Economic Growth
Plan to House Asylum Seekers at Former Dambusters Home Dropped
UK Drops Indecent Assault Charges Against Harvey Weinstein
Return of Brazilian Artworks to Bahia
UK Signs Landmark International AI Treaty
Demand for Justice After Death of Ugandan Runner Set on Fire
Ukraine's Major Government Reshuffle: Andrii Sybiha Appointed New Foreign Minister
North Korea Executes Officials Over Flood Response
French Woman Testifies in Landmark Rape Trial
Sicily Yacht Disaster: Fatal Asphyxiation Claimed More Lives
Michel Barnier Appointed as Prime Minister of France
The art technique of Grandma Mei Ling, age 82
Mongolia Refuses to Arrest Putin Despite ICC Warrant
×