December 25, 2024

Brexit: being in single market and UK makes Northern Ireland ‘world’s most exciting economic zone’, says Sunak – live

Single Market #SingleMarket

Good morning. Yesterday, after months of negotiating a deal and days of dithering about how to present it, Rishi Sunak finally announed the “Windsor framework” – the new version of the Northern Ireland protocol agreed with the EU. He was worried about provoking a Conservative Brexiter backlash, but yesterday the announcement landed about as well as he could have expected – or perhaps even better.

Tory MPs were largely supportive and the Brexit hardliners in the ERG, who only a week ago said that any deal that kept Northern Ireland under the remit of the European court of justice (as the Windsor framework does) would be unacceptable, were reserving judgment, and not speaking out in public. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, was reasonably positive (by DUP standards). Outright criticism was coming only from people such as Nigel Farage and the DUP hardliner Ian Paisley, both of whom said the deal “did not cut the mustard”. By Brexiter standards, that is hardly the most damning verdict.

And Boris Johnson? The former PM had been threatening to lead a Tory revolt against the renegotiation. In the event, he did not even attend the Commons statement. (Perhaps he was on another urgent trip to Afghanistan?) As my colleague Aubrey Allegretti reports, sources say he is still considering what to do. But this morning Johnson looks diminished. As Paul Waugh writes in the i, “the real win for Sunak may be that he’s finally weaning his party off its addiction to Boris Johnson”.

Here is our overnight story about the announcement yesterday.

Related: Sunak hails ‘new chapter’ in UK-EU relations as Northern Ireland deal is agreed

Rishi Sunak is about to give an interview to Today. Here is the agenda for the day.

8.10am: Rishi Sunak is interviewed on the Today programme. He is in Belfast, where later he will be doing a Q&A with workers.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

11.30am: Grant Shapps, the energy secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

12.20pm: Humza Yousaf, the SNP leadership candidate, launches his early years childcare strategy.

12.30pm: Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, gives a speech to the Onward thinktank.

5pm: Sunak is due to address the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee in London.

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