Boris Johnson has urged Rishi Sunak not to abandon the legislation he introduced on how Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade will work in the long term.
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill was introduced when Mr Johnson was prime minister, but Mr Sunak has been meeting EU leaders to agree a new deal.
From 2021, certain trade checks cover certain goods transiting the Irish Sea.
Sources close to Mr Johnson said the former prime minister believed backing out of his plan would be a “huge mistake”.
If it ends up being approved by Parliament, it will give the Westminster government the power to unilaterally decide to break away from the current arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Many Conservative MPs on the backbenches see moving towards that final position as a key bargaining chip whenever Britain tries to wrest concessions from the EU.
The protocol bill is currently stalled in parliament while the UK and the EU try to strike a new deal – aimed once again at resolving long-standing issues such as trade across the Irish Sea and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland. Is.
After the latest round of talks on Saturday, Mr Sunak warned that a deal was “by no means done” and said there were still “challenges to work out”.
The comments from a source close to the former prime minister were initially reported by Mr Johnson’s former employers, the Sunday Telegraph.
But on Mr Sunak’s plans for a new deal, the source said Mr Johnson believed no one could make a decision until the public had seen the text – which the government is expected to release as early as next week. is hoping
Some government insiders expect a debate and vote on a deal in the House of Commons soon, with Tuesday seen as the most likely day – although plans are said to remain “fluid”. .
Mr Johnson’s proposed legislation, which would have allowed Britain to unilaterally abandon parts of the current arrangements negotiated and agreed by the EU, has fueled tensions between Westminster and Brussels. The, which Mr. Sunak is pressing to streamline.
A senior government official said that if issues related to the ongoing arrangements for the protocol could be resolved, then there would be no need to push the bill through Parliament.
Explaining the ongoing negotiations for a new deal, a Cabinet source also told JEE News: “There are tough times ahead, we’re working hard. But that’s not the case at all. The hardest issues are always They’re the ones you have to reach out to. The end.”
As well as finding a compromise that is acceptable to the EU, Mr Sunak wants the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Belfast and Tory MPs in Westminster.
Both would welcome a deal that reduces trade barriers across the Irish Sea – a key objection from unionists and Eurosceptics to the Northern Ireland protocol.
