Brexit news - live: Boris Johnson tries to sabotage NI breakthrough as MPs pave way for Stormont return
Former PM – who has repeatedly criticised Mr Sunak since he was kicked out of No 10 – called on his successor to have the ‘courage’ to ditch more Brussels regulations
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Boris Johnson has attacked Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal with the DUP – warning that it could tie the UK to EU trade rules in future.
Mr Sunak’s government revealed new arrangements to remove routine checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in a bid to restore power-sharing at Stormont.
Checks required under the previous so-called “green lane” will be further reduced – a tweak aimed at fixing some of the unresolved mess left by Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal.
The former PM – who has repeatedly criticised Mr Sunak since he was kicked out of No 10 – called on his successor to have the “courage” to ditch more Brussels regulations.
“We must retain the appetite and the courage to diverge from the low-growth high-regulation European model,” said Mr Johnson on X, formerly Twitter.
Last night Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, said his party was not split on the new deal and that support for it was “absolutely decisive”.
Later, MPs will pass statutory instruments that pave the way for Stormont to finally get a functioning government after nearly two years of impasse over the post-Brexit arrangements.
EU will have ‘some questions’ on government deal with DUP on post-Brexit trade
The EU has “some questions” about a UK government deal to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland that pledges significant changes to post-Brexit trading arrangements, Ireland’s premier has said.
Leo Varadkar said that while the European Commission would have queries about the command paper, there were no suggestions on an initial assessment that it contained any “red flags”.
Full report:
EU will have ‘some questions’ on Government deal with DUP on post-Brexit trade
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said he did not think there were any ‘red flags’ in the package struck to restore powersharing.
Tory MP hits out at ‘overzealous French officials’ over export issues
A Tory MP has hit out at “overzealous French officials” and called for an improved arbitration process to challenge “ridiculous” export issues.
Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall said one of his Totnes constituents found himself in a “completely ridiculous situation” when his shipment was seized after he missed out one word on a certificate.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said a “proportionate approach” should be taken on these issues.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Mangnall said: “A constituent of mine had his entire shipment seized in France for missing a single word on the export health certificate by overzealous French officials.
“Can the Secretary of State please reassure me that we are going to find arbitration methods to actually speed up the process to challenge these completely ridiculous situations?”
Mr Barclay said the MP had raised the issue with the farming minister (Mark Spencer) who he said is “actively engaged”, adding: “Of course, a proportionate approach should always be taken on these issues.”
Full report: Government to fast-track legislation through Commons to deliver on Stormont deal
The government aims to fast-track two pieces of legislation through parliament on Thursday to deliver on the commitments made in its package aimed at restoring powersharing at Stormont.
It comes a day after the publication of measures that would end routine post-Brexit checks on goods shipped from Great Britain to final destinations in Northern Ireland.
Full report:
Government to fast-track legislation through Commons to deliver on Stormont deal
Two statutory instruments will be introduced in Parliament on Thursday as part of the deal with the DUP.
I wouldn’t change ‘anything' about Brexit, says Priti Patel
Priti Patel has said she wouldn’t change “anything” about Brexit despite studies showing it has damaged the economy.
"I wouldn’t change anything around Brexit,” the former home secretary told Nigel Farage’s GB News show. “The campaigns we held. And the case that we made"
She added: “You’ve asked four years on, where are we. If you look at the health and wellbeing of our economy: highest levels of employment. We’re doing trade outside of the EU"
“The world is also changing. It’s important we can stand on our own two feet. And I think we are doing that”.
ICYMI: Tory Brexiteer dismisses cost of new food checks as ‘price you pay’ for Brexit
Conservative minister Andrea Leadsom has dismissed the concerns of business chiefs over the costly new checks imposed on imports from the EU as the “price you pay” for Brexit.
The leading Brexiteer defended the “friction” in the new system for physical checks at the border – describing it as “the costs of doing business”.
Full report:
Tory Brexiteer dismisses cost of new food checks as ‘price you pay’ for Brexit
Expense of fresh red tape on EU imports is simply ‘cost of doing business’, says Tory minister Andrea Leadsom
MPs to pass statutory instruments to pave way for Stormont return
MPs will later today pass two statutory instruments that will pave the way for Stormont to return.
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary and Steve Baker, the NI minister, will lead two 90-minute debates on tweaks to the Windsor Framework.
These concern good moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and were scheduled to start at around 11.30am.
Recap: DUP agrees deal to end boycott of Northern Ireland government and restore powersharing
Northern Ireland’s top unionist party have announced they will end their boycott of the government after more than 700 days following a mammoth overnight meeting.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, emerged after 1am this morning to announce he had secured the “decisive” backing of his executive to resume power sharing with the nationalists.
Full report:
DUP agrees deal to end boycott of Northern Ireland government
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says deal is subject to government passing new legislation over post-Brexit trade
Full report: Now Boris tries to sabotage his own bungled Brexit deal with new attack on Sunak
Mr Johnson’s former Brexit negotiator Lord David Frost – believed to be part of a small cabal of right-wing MPs and ex-advisers plotting to bring down Mr Sunak – said he agreed with the former PM.
The trouble-making Tory peer warned that the new agreement with the DUP should not “slow” the push to diverge from the EU.
Under the new deal set out in Mr Sunak’s “Safeguarding the Union” paper, the “red lane” for transporting goods from GB to NI, and then on into the EU single market in the Republic of Ireland, will remain.
Full report:
Boris Johnson tries to sabotage his bungled Brexit deal in new attack on Sunak
Former PM launches astonishing intervention as Sunak agrees frictionless border for Northern Ireland – on the day new EU import checks come into force
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s rolling Brexit coverage.
MP will today pave the way for Stormont to return after the DUP agreed a new Brexit deal.
Stay tuned for the latest updates.
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