Rishi Sunak Says New Brexit Deal With EU Will Allow UK 'To Take Back Control': Key Takeaways

UK P MSunak has struck a deal with the European Union ending a dispute over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol.

Northern Irelands Deal: The United Kingdom has finally struck a deal with the European Union ending a dispute over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol with leaders of both sides hailing the new beginning. 

The 26-page “Windsor Framework” lays out the plans for trade, movement of goods and future legislation, reported Independent.

Here Are Key Takeaways From The Deal

• According to Reuters, the deal seeks to resolve the tensions caused by the Northern Ireland protocol, a complex agreement that set the trading rules for the British-ruled region that London agreed to before it left the EU but now says are unworkable.  

 

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referred to the finalising of Northern Ireland deal as a ‘new chapter’ in his country’s relationship with the EU. Sunak claimed the changes would allow the UK to ‘take back control’ 

 

• Sunak said, “Today’s agreement is written in the language of laws and treaties. But really it’s about much more than that.” As per the report, he added, “It’s about stability in Northern Ireland. It’s about real people and real businesses. It’s about showing that our union that has lasted for centuries can and will endure.” 

 

• Prime Minister Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, described a “decisive breakthrough” at a joint news conference in Windsor after four months of intense negotiations, reported The Guardian. 

 

• Von der Leyen hinted that the deal would open the door to a closer and more constructive relationship with the EU including, as its first steps, closer participation to Brussels programmes, as well as working together on Ukraine and the climate crisis, reported The Guardian. 

 

• The two sides reportedly agreed to remove "any sense of a border" between Britain and its province - a situation that had angered politicians on both sides, as per a Reuters report. 

 

• The agreement comes just four months after Sunak took office as he looks forward to securing improved relations with Brussels, and the United States, without angering the wing of his party most wedded to Brexit.  

 

• As per The Guardian’s report, the agreement will create a new green lane for traders, scrapping all trade restrictions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It will give new freedoms for medicines, chilled meats and pets to move over the Irish Sea. It also re-writes parts of the existing protocol to allow Westminster to set VAT rates in Northern Ireland, The Guardian added. 

 

• The deal was welcomed by the main UK opposition parties – with the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, saying that while it was “not perfect” he understood there was an obligation to make it work. Notably, reported The Guardian, many Conservative MPs have been desperate for the prime minister to resolve the dispute before the next general election. 

 

• UK PM Sunak still faces discord from the hardline Brexiter wing of his party amid concerns over the continued role of EU law in Northern Ireland. The report suggests that people inside the Government believe he can limit any rebellion to about 20 Tory MPs when the Commons is eventually given a vote, not expected to be this week.