British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Northern Ireland on Thursday night to meet local political leaders, a sign that the UK and the European Union may be moving closer to a settlement of the post-Brexit trade dispute. that has brought economic headaches and political turmoil to the region. .
Sunak and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris are making the trip to speak to people on all sides of the issue and ensure that any solution resolves “the practical issues on the ground, meets our overall objectives and safeguards the Northern Ireland’s place in UK domestic politics”. market,” the prime minister’s office said.
In other signs that a deal may be imminent, British media reported that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly would travel to Brussels on Friday to meet the bloc’s chief negotiator, Maros Sefcovic.
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Any deal faces a tough audience: Unionist politicians who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK collapsed the region’s power-sharing government nearly a year ago over their opposition to existing trade deals with the EU, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol. They say they will not return to government until the protocol is substantially changed.
The protocol was an effort to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland by preserving the free flow of trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which share the only land border between the UK and the EU.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Northern Ireland on Thursday, leading some to speculate that talks are underway to improve trade relations with the European Union. (James Glossop/Pool Photo via AP)
When the UK left the bloc, the UK government and the EU agreed to keep the border clear of customs checks and other obstacles because the free movement of goods and people is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in North Ireland. . But that raised concerns about how the EU would protect its market from British products that might not meet the bloc’s regulatory standards.
Instead, there are checks on some goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. Unionists say that effectively creates a border in the middle of the Irish Sea, undermining Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.
The protocol has become a major political headache for the UK government and a thorn in the country’s relations with the EU. The two sides have sparred since the divorce became final in 2020, with Britain threatening to unilaterally tear up parts of the Brexit deal, and the EU accusing the UK of failing to abide by the legally binding treaty it had signed.
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But the mood has improved since Sunak, a pragmatic Brexiteer, took office at the end of October.
The UK government hopes to resolve the EU trade dispute and break the political deadlock before the 25th anniversary in April of Northern Ireland’s 1998 Good Friday peace deal. He is pinning his hopes on reaching an agreement with the EU that will ease controls and cajole unionists into returning to government.
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However, any compromise from Sunak will be a hard sell for unionists in Northern Ireland and will surely infuriate staunch Brexit supporters who form a powerful faction within the ruling Conservative Party.
