Summary

  • Rishi Sunak is seeking to secure support for his deal with the EU over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland

  • He has spoken to the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee in Westminster, and is now addressing a group of Eurosceptic MPs

  • He has already briefed Stormont's biggest political parties including Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

  • The prime minister told the BBC this morning his deal was a “huge step forward” for the people of NI

  • The success of the deal is likely to depend on whether it persuades the DUP to end its power-sharing boycott

  • DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said the proposals go "some way" to addressing concerns, but issues remain

  • Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has welcomed the deal and is calling for the DUP to return to devolved government

  1. Sunak interview on Today programme nowpublished at 08:10 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is appearing on the Today programme now to discuss his new deal with the EU.

    You can listen live in the top of this page and we'll be bringing you the key lines here.

  2. Sunak to speak to BBC shortlypublished at 07:59 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    We are expecting the prime minister to speak shortly to the BBC following the Brexit breakthrough yesterday.

    Rishi Sunak will be on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme at 08:10 and you can listen live at the top of this page.

  3. Government does not want to change deal further - Cleverlypublished at 07:52 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Asked if he'd be prepared to change the deal if the DUP or others object to provisions within it, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hails the Windsor Framework as an "excellent arrangement" removing barriers preventing things like meat products from reaching NI, as well as "more than 1,000 pages" of rules on businesses.

    Cleverly adds the deal is not just about trade, but also about ensuring the people of Northern Ireland have a say, through their elected politicians, over the laws which government them and their relationship with the rest of the UK.

    Pressed by our colleagues on BBC Breakfast as to whether he'd be willing to make changes, he says the government do not want to do that and argues they have negotiated significant concessions from the EU.

  4. Foreign secretary: Businesses will see deal's benefitspublished at 07:49 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    James Cleverly

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said he is "genuinely really pleased" to hear positive reactions from Northern Ireland businesses to the deal.

    Asked on BBC Breakfast about the lack of positive response from the Democratic Unionist Party, he says the government put a lot of time and effort listening to the concerns of unionists, which were "reflected in our negotiating position".

    "This was about the people of Northern Ireland, making sure those businesses are as much a part of the UK as my constituents in Braintree," Cleverly says.

    The minister says he hopes that all NI politicians and stakeholders see the benefit of the deal, which Cleverly says removes bureaucracy hampering trade.

  5. DUP will take time to understand framework fully - leaderpublished at 07:45 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    The DUP has a crucial part to play in the next steps and currently remain undecided on their position.

    Last night party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told MPs "significant progress has been secured across a number of areas", but "key issues of concern" still linger.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme Donaldson says the proposals in the Windsor Framework go "some way" to addressing concerns, but some issues remain and the party will take time to engage with the government.

    He says: "We only received it yesterday afternoon so we'll study it and take a conclusion on it as a whole."

  6. Deal 'doesn't cut the mustard' says DUP's Ian Paisleypublished at 07:41 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Ian PaisleyImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Ian Paisley said the UK government "should have kept pushing" for more concessions from the EU

    The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is still considering whether or not it will support the Windsor Framework and is still digesting the fine details.

    But the party's North Antrim MP Ian Paisley, whose late father founded the DUP, has said he believes the deal does not go far enough to remove the jurisdiction of EU law in Northern Ireland.

    "My gut instinct is that it doesn't cut the mustard, we're not there," Paisley said on Monday night.

    The UK government "certainly has made an effort," he admitted, but added that in his view it had "fallen short on a number of key points".

    "Remember Ursula [von der Leyen] said today very clearly in Windsor that EU law is still the preferred mechanism and is still in place; the European Court of Justice will still be the final arbitrator"," he explained.

    Paisley also criticised the government's decision to drop its own Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, by which it was threatening to unilaterally override many of the rules which were causing problems with trade.

    The DUP MP said the UK government had "now withdrawn their only piece of leverage".

  7. What is the Windsor Framework?published at 07:30 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Truck at a portImage source, Getty Images

    The new deal is aimed at significantly reducing the number of checks for goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

    Two lanes would be created:

    • A green lane for goods which will remain in Northern Ireland
    • A red lane for goods which may be sent on to the EU

    Products going through the green lane would see virtually all checks and paperwork scrapped.

    Red lane goods would still be subject to checks.

    Bans on certain products - like chilled sausages - entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain would be removed.

    Northern Ireland would also no longer have to follow certain EU rules, like on VAT and alcohol duties.

  8. Analysis

    Positive reaction so far but some key players still holding backpublished at 07:18 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Nick Eardley
    Chief political correspondent

    WestminsterImage source, PA Media

    The prime minister is in Belfast today to sell his Brexit deal to businesses and others there.

    He’ll be on Today on Radio 4 just after 08:00 GMT.

    Waking up this morning, the PM is likely to be delighted with the reaction so far.

    He appears to have negotiated some important changes – and won the backing of prominent Brexit supporters in his party.

    But some are still holding back their verdict – waiting to study the legal text.

    Firstly - the DUP and their reaction will be key. Will they get on board and resume power sharing at Stormont? That would be highly significant.

    Some DUP politicians have expressed concern the deal doesn’t go far enough. But the leadership is waiting for now.

    Secondly - the harder line Brexit supporters in the Conservative Party.

    So far, they’ve not explicitly criticised the deal – that’s significant. But they too want to study the detail to make sure there are no “surprises.”

    So the next few days will be important.

    But so far, the reaction is probably as good as No 10 could have hoped.

  9. What are DUP and Tory politicians saying?published at 07:06 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    While the new deal has been outlined and approved by both the UK government and EU, several key stakeholders have had their say on the Windsor Agreement.

    Perhaps most importantly, the Democratic Unionist Party has warned key issues remain, but has not outright rejected or expressed significant objection to the plan as it has in the past with attempts to resolve its objections to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

    The party has boycotted devolved government at Stormont until its concerns are resolved, while some Tory MPs have said they will only back a deal that has the DUP's backing.

    Some DUP politicians have already expressed reservations about the "Stormont brake", the part of the deal the government says will give the Northern Ireland Assembly a greater say on how new EU laws apply in Northern Ireland.

    But there is no guarantee that it will result in the return of a power-sharing devolved government for Northern Ireland. In a statement, the DUP said "significant progress has been secured across a number of areas" but concerns remain.

    "There can be no disguising the fact that in some sectors of our economy EU law remains applicable in Northern Ireland," it said.

    The party said it would now study the deal and seek "further clarification, reworking or change as required".

    Meanwhile, some Conservative MPs who might have been expected to cause the PM political problems have expressed backing for the detail

    One notable example is Northern Ireland Office Minister and arch-Brexiteer Steve Baker, who said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had "pulled a blinder".

    However, other Tory backbenchers were more cautious, with prominent Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash saying "the devil as ever lies in the detail".

  10. Tuesday's papers: PM hails 'Brexit breakthrough' but 'tensions loom'published at 06:43 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Tuesday's TimesImage source, .

    A deal reached between the UK and the European Union to amend the Northern Ireland protocol dominates Tuesday's front pages.

    • "Brexit Breakthrough", reads the headline in the Times, external. Inside it says the "devil [will be] in the details" of the deal
    • The Daily Mail asks, external: "Has Rishi Done The Impossible?" It says a feared Tory revolt melted away after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled what the paper called a "historic deal"
    • In its editorial comment, external, the Daily Telegraph said Monday was "arguably [Sunak's] best day yet as prime minister", adding that "time will tell if he has pulled off a political triumph"
    • "1,215 days late... Brexit deal is finally done" is how the Metro puts it, external.
    • The Sun's headline, external says: "Got Brexit done... again" - before adding in brackets "hopefully"
    • The Guardian reports, external the deal has been broadly welcomed but the prime minister still faces opposition from hardline Brexiteers.
    • The DUP have "sounded a warning" over the claim that Stormont will be able to veto new European law, according to the i, external
    Tuesday's GuardianImage source, .
  11. The path back to power sharing remains difficultpublished at 06:31 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak will be busy talking up what he sees as his plan's big achievements and the difference it can make.

    How, in the coming months, does any resistance or ongoing scepticism from the DUP respond to such a broad range of political and business voices saying the new deal is an improvement?

    But as this debate plays out, it's worth spelling out a central truth here. Northern Ireland continues to have a different relationship with the EU than the rest of the UK.

    While many in Northern Ireland are comfortable with that, some unionists will probably never be.

    It is why the path to delivering the ultimate prize of these negotiations, restored devolved government, is so sought after, and so difficult.

    Read the full analysis from our political editor here.

  12. Prime Minister in Belfastpublished at 06:09 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has travelled to Belfast as part of efforts to sell his Brexit deal and the ways he believes it will ease the flow of trade between Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

    The government hopes the changes delivered by the agreement will be enough to satisfy the DUP, who have been refusing to take part in power sharing at Stormont until issues with the current arrangements are resolved.

    Sunak is expected to take part in an event at a Coca-Cola facility getting underway at 10:00.

  13. Postpublished at 05:50 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    A map showing the flow of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the old and new trade agreements
  14. So... what happened yesterday?published at 05:34 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    A new Brexit deal...was reached and announced by the UK and EU, concerning trade arrangements in Northern Ireland. The so-called Windsor Framework will effectively replace the Northern Ireland Protocol, which led to major disagreements between the UK and EU.

    Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen...met in Windsor on Monday afternoon, just outside London, to confirm the news and host a joint press conference.

    Sunak said the new deal achieved three things:

    • The removal of “any sense of border in the Irish sea”
    • The enhanced availability of British products in Northern Ireland - including medicines
    • It also "safeguards sovereignty for Northern Ireland" by allowing the NI Assembly to stop EU goods laws applying in Northern Ireland using a mechanism dubbed the Stormont brake
    • But Von der Leyen said the European Court of Justice would have the final say on single market issues

    Reaction has been mixed... with Labour saying they'd back the deal, but reminding the PM it was his party that signed the last one. The DUP, which has refused to sit at Stormont until the Protocol issues are fixed, said it would review the detail of what has been published before deciding on a position.

    Meanwhile...Von der Leyen met King Charles at Windsor Castle, in a controversial meeting that Buckingham Palace said was separate to any Protocol talks.

    What's next? We'll have to wait and see if the deal sways the DUP - Northern Ireland's largest unionist party - to return to the country's power-sharing government.

  15. Welcomepublished at 05:25 Greenwich Mean Time 28 February 2023

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a press conference.Image source, EPA

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of all the latest on the post-Brexit deal reached between the UK and EU on Monday.

    The agreement, designed to ease the flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has been hailed by both sides as a breakthrough, but it remains to be seen whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be able to sell it to his Eurosceptic backbenchers or the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

    Stay with us for updates throughout the day.