Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker will have a heavy interest in how Rishi Sunak's post-Brexit agreement will play out.

The leading Brexiteer has twice been chair of the influential Tory European Research Group (ERG). Yesterday, he described tearful relief at breakthrough in post-Brexit talks.

"This in an important moment for me personally because I can authentically say, it's done," he says.

Jessica Parker
Brussels correspondent

As Rishi Sunak works hard to sell his deal and highlight UK negotiating “wins”, expect a rather more muted approach from the EU.

They want to help the prime minister sell this deal and move the wider relationship on.

It’s also not clear that the European Commission would be remotely prepared to re-enter talks over this long-running dispute, should Sunak face pressure to do so.

There is a lot the PM can point to and say that the operation of this treaty will be significantly different to the original. But there are headline claims that, upon closer reading, are a little more nuanced.

For example, is the “Stormont Brake” really a veto? Not quite.

Yes, the UK would be able to block updated EU law applying in Northern Ireland but that block could be challenged by Brussels through arbitration.

Commission officials are also very clear; this isn’t, in their view, designed to be some widely used rolling mechanism.

Rather, it’s only to be triggered as a “last resort” and in “exceptional circumstances.”

Image source, Getty Images/ Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo

Businesses in Northern Ireland have been giving their initial reaction to the terms of the new Windsor Framework which is intended to ease some of the post-Brexit trade problems.

"We actually felt that this is good news and that its further reaching than expected," said Sarah Hards, who works for the haulage firm AM Logistics.

The company is based in Larne Harbour in County Antrim, one of the ports which became part of the Irish Sea trade border after Brexit, where hauliers faced new goods inspections and lots of paperwork.

"I think what has come across [in the deal] is more beneficial than what was previously thought," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"So this simplified information that is now required – it almost takes us back to pre-Brexit times, it just has to be uploaded to the correct portal.

"And the fact that there’s no supplementary declarations required is really good news because this was so onerous on the importer."

Sunak's pitch shifts to Northern Ireland and DUPpublished at 09:04 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

09:04 GMT 28 February 2023

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

After the big sell in Parliament last night, Rishi Sunak’s pitch today will be to the people of Northern Ireland.

The prime minister has been arguing this morning on the BBC that the deal works for its people; making trade easier and giving them more of a say over which European laws apply.

The PM’s argument on the Today programme earlier was this isn’t about personalities or political battles at Westminster, but “the people of Northern Ireland and what's best for them".

But the politics will loom large over the next few days.

Can Sunak persuade the DUP to re-enter power sharing after a long boycott over post-Brexit arrangements?

No 10 wants to give the DUP time to process the deal.

But the PM believes he has delivered their key demands – on trade and sovereignty. And he wants them to get back around the table now.

He also told Today that the "most important democratic deficit" currently is that "people here in Northern Ireland don’t have a functioning government" in Stormont.

Remember too that the “Stormont Brake” applies to the Northern Ireland Assembly – it will need to be sitting for its politicians to trigger the mechanism.

That’s an incentive for the DUP, as the debate on its next steps begins.

As you may have guessed by now, it's set to be another busy day of Brexit-focused conversations - specifically reaction to the new deal arranged for Northern Ireland.

Coming up at 09:00 GMT, BBC Radio 5 Live's Nicky Campbell will be asking his phone-in listeners: "Is Brexit done at last?"

We'll bring you some of the opinions we hear that you may be interested in. You'll also be able to listen live at the top of this page.

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Some of its MPs have said it doesn't go far enough - but the leadership is studying the deal just now before reaching a verdict.

The prime minister though said he is confident what he's agreed will address the concerns the DUP had.

He's described the new offering as a "huge step forward".

The prime minister spoke for around 10 minutes in his live interview from Belfast with BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Let's digest his main points:

• Sunak said the new agreement addressed "key challenges" with the original Brexit deal
• He insisted the new framework was not about individuals or parties but about what is best for people in Northern Ireland
• He insisted his deal with the UK "restores and safeguards sovereignty" so that the people of Northern Ireland will be in control of their destiny
• He described the Stormont Brake as a "huge step forward", saying it would give the NI Assembly the ability to block EU law
• He admitted EU laws will still play a role in Northern Ireland - but said this will be small and limited
• He said there shouldn't be routine physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK

• The PM said Northern Ireland would be in "an unbelievably special position" for investment because it would have "priveleged" access to both the EU and UK markets

He is trying to secure support for his deal in Belfast today in a push to restore power sharing in the devolved government. Some MPs from the DUP, which is currently boycotting power sharing over the original Brexit deal, say the deal does not go far enough. But its leadership says it is still studying the deal. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein has repeated its call for the DUP to return to power sharing.

This post has been updated to clarify that Rishi Sunak was speaking about checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK

Sunak finished the interview by saying that "ultimately this is about Northern Ireland".

The Windsor Framework, he said, means "goods can flow freely within the UK, we can protect Northern Ireland's place in the union, and crucially the Stormont brake - this incredibly powerful new measure - will mean the Assembly and people of Northern Ireland are in control".

He said he hoped people could see what an achievement this is.

The prime minister was asked whether he believed this new framework helps secure a new kind of relationship between the UK and the EU, specifically one where "friction-free trade" can take place.

The PM said it was important that the UK is able to cooperate with its "nearest ally and trading partner".

He said a good example of the two working together recently has been their shared vision of helping Ukraine during the war with Russia.

Sunak also listed some shared challenges the UK and EU have, including illegal migration, which he said made a good relationship between them extremely important.

The prime minister's interview on the Today programme has now finished but we're still bringing you the main lines.

"What businesses here want is stability," Sunak says, adding he's spoken to a number of business people in Northern Ireland.

He says that if trade issues can be resolved, it could create a huge amount of investment for Northern Ireland, which has the "very special position" of having access to both the UK and the EU markets.

People in Northern Ireland "need and deserve" their government to be up and running, the prime minister says as he addresses a "power vacuum".

He notes that the recent shooting of PSNI's Det Ch Insp John Caldwell is a reminder that security and stability is really important in Northern Ireland.

"There will be those who want to take us back to the past," Sunak says.

"We have got to look forward. At the heart of the Good Friday Agreement was balance.

"The Windsor Framework restores that balance."

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

It's interesting that Rishi Sunak is talking a lot about fixing the protocol.

Remember it was a Conservative PM in Boris Johnson who signed up to it. Rishi Sunak was chancellor at the time and was signed up to the arrangements.

But Sunak is being open that there were "challenges" that needed to be sorted out since he won the key to No 10.

Asked about whether he has spoken to Boris Johnson amid reports he and other Tory sceptics are unhappy with the deal behind the scenes, Sunak says "of course" he has spoken former PM but adds "this is not about Westminster".

The prime minister says this is about what is best for the people of Northern Ireland, adding he hopes people will focus on that rather than the political personalities involved.

The prime minister is asked, will the framework go ahead without DUP backing?

We've agreed the framework with the EU, says Sunak.

But can it be imposed on the DUP?

"This isn't about me or any political party, it's about what's best for people in Northern Ireland... This agreement will be positive difference for all of them," the PM responds.

Sunak's is still being grilled on the Today programme. He says he respects the fact members of all Stormont parties, including unionists, will need "the time and the space to consider the detail" of the Windsor Framework.

But, he adds, he looks forward to having conversations with them.

"I'm confident that when they go through it they will see that this deal, I believe, does address the concerns they've had - and is a huge step forward for the people of Northern Ireland," the PM says.

The prime minister is emphasising the Stormont brake clause in his new agreement.

The plan aims to give a future Northern Ireland Assembly a greater say on how EU laws apply to Northern Ireland - a key demand of the Democratic Unionist Party's before it will end its boycott of power-sharing.

Rishi Sunak says it means Stormont will be able to block EU law but yesterday EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen made clear she only expected this to be used in emergency cases.

Read more on the brake here.

Asked about concerns that Northern Ireland is still subject to some EU laws and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, Sunak says the new deal is about finding the "delicate balance" of respecting the identities of communities at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement.

He adds that remaining EU laws will play a "small and limited" role in NI, all of which are to preserve the historic peace agreement - with the PM arguing the laws represent less than 3% of the total which could apply.

The PM says it's essential businesses in NI have access to the EU single market as well.

Sunak is asked if border posts are still planned.

He says that one of the key achievements of the Windsor framework is that it removes any sense of an Irish Sea border.

It was feared that introducing cameras or border posts as part of checks on goods could lead to instability - a land border was a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's troubled political history.

"So when goods move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland they will now move without customs bureaucracy and without routine checks and the same goods will be available in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK," Sunak says.

He adds that border checks are very specifically for the red lane. "If goods are going into the Republic of Ireland, i.e. the EU, that's not our country and it's reasonable we have checks for those goods and also against smuggling and criminality."

He says there won't be routine checks for goods moving down the green channel - for goods moving from GB to NI - only when criminality or smuggling is suspected.

"The crucial thing is there shouldn't be physical checks for ordinary goods between GB and Northern Ireland, this framework ensues that isn't the case," Sunak says.

The BBC's Martha Kearney asks Sunak whether - considering it was his government that signed the Northern Ireland Protocol - he'll now apologise to the people of Northern Ireland.

Sunak says he's been clear, both in Belfast and beyond, that there were issues and that people's lives were affected.

Kearney suggests that isn't quite an apology, to which Sunak says he's been "explicit about it".

He says the new deal is about helping the people of Northern Ireland, including businesses and families.

The prime minister starts by answering a question on what is different for people in Northern Ireland under the new Windsor Framework.

Rishi Sunak says he believes "hand on heart" the new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland will solve issues, meaning goods will flow freely and means NI's place in the UK is "secure".

"Crucially it restores and safeguards sovereignty for Northern Ireland," he adds.