What has Rishi Sunak actually achieved with the Windsor Framework?

The ‘Stormont brake’ is a highly significant concession by the EU, writes John Rentoul

This is a mark of the difference Rishi Sunak has made (PA)

The prime minister has achieved something that looked, if not impossible, then highly unlikely: he has persuaded the EU to allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to block future EU law from applying in Northern Ireland, and the treaties will be amended to make this happen.

That is a big concession by the EU, and a mark of the difference Rishi Sunak has made. EU leaders like and trust him – Ursula von der Leyen even called him “dear” at their news conference.

The Democratic Unionist Party will no doubt make the most of its moment in the limelight, but its leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, who did not say “No” today, must know that it is in his interest, his party’s interest, and the interest of the people they represent to accept this unexpectedly good deal.