London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Northern Ireland Protocol: Sunak wants to get job done on new Brexit deal

Northern Ireland Protocol: Sunak wants to get job done on new Brexit deal

Rishi Sunak says he is "giving everything" this weekend to secure a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, and he wants "to get the job done".

But the prime minister said no agreement had yet been made between the UK and the European Union.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the deal over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland was "inching towards a conclusion".

A No 10 source has described the negotiations as positive.

The taoiseach said an agreement could come within days but this was "by no means guaranteed" as negotiators still had a gap to close.

He urged politicians from the UK, Brussels and Northern Ireland to "go the extra mile" to get it over the line.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the UK formally left the European Union, and came into force in 2021.

It sees Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws to avoid the need for checks at the border with the Republic of Ireland. But the arrangement has been an ongoing source of tension.

It means that goods arriving from England, Scotland and Wales are checked when they arrive at Northern Irish ports.

Some including Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) feel this undermines the nation's position within the rest of the UK as well as impacting trade.

The DUP is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland over its concerns about the treaty.

The UK and EU have been negotiating on a way forward and appear to be on the brink of completing a new deal - for which the prime minister has been trying to win support.

Speaking to the Sunday Times from Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: "I'm here all weekend trying to get it done... We're giving it everything we've got."

He said he wanted to show that Brexit "works for every part of the United Kingdom", continuing: "There's unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done."

The prime minister said "the idea that the EU can impose laws on Northern Ireland without them having any say isn't acceptable", adding that ensuring stability for the people of Northern Ireland was key.

"It's about the people and communities of Northern Ireland," he told the newspaper. "It's about what's best for them and that's what everyone should have in the uppermost of their minds."

There had been plans for King Charles to meet the president of the European Commission in the UK on Saturday, the BBC understands.

The planned meeting between the King and Ursula von der Leyen, originally reported by Sky News, was not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU and multiple sources said her visit was cancelled due to operational reasons.

It is not known when she will now come to the UK, but the fact a meeting was planned appears to indicate a deal was about to be done - and publicly presented - while she was in the UK.

Some had also suggested a new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be called the Windsor Agreement.

Earlier, a source from the DUP told the BBC they had no meetings scheduled over the weekend over the protocol.

Sammy Wilson MP, the DUP's shadow spokesperson for Brexit, told Sky News his party would only accept a new deal if EU law "imposed" on Northern Ireland was removed, adding: "We expect British law should apply in Northern Ireland, not Brussels law imposed on us."

The prime minister has also been facing pressure from some Conservative MPs over Northern Ireland's current obligation to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice.

Eurosceptic Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: "The UK needs to hold out over the EU imposing laws on Northern Ireland. The EU needs to get the Unionists on side."


What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?


The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks.

Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries.

The land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's troubled political history. It was feared that cameras or border posts - as part of these checks - could lead to instability.

The UK and the EU agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday agreement - was an absolute priority.

So, both sides signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

It is now part of international law.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×