Progress made on NI Brexit deal, says Raab

1. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab says there has been progress in talks with the EU over arrangements for trade with Northern Ireland
2. Mr Raab adds no deal is done until the whole deal is done and says MPs will get a say in Parliament over whatever is agreed
3. Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy says his party will give Rishi Sunak credit if he "we might get a deal in the coming days"
4. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he is "giving it everything" to get a deal on the flow of goods to Northern Ireland from Great Britain
5. It is unclear whether he will get the backing of his party's Brexiteers and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists for the agreement

Thanks for joining us

That brings our coverage of this morning's Sunday political programmes to an end.

We're still not 100% clear on when we can expect announcement on a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, but it does seem like it could be in the next few days.

You can read more on developments here

Rob Corp has edited today's coverage, which was written by Jen Meierhans and Jamie Whitehead.

Thank you for joining us.

Where we are with the Northern Ireland Protocol?

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We'll be bringing our morning's live coverage to a close soon. But before we do, let's have a quick look at where we are on the Northern Ireland protocol.

• The day began with an interview with the prime minister in the Sunday Times, where he said getting a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol will finally "get the job done", and that there is "unfinished business" when it comes to Brexit
• "We've made progress. But there is no deal until there is a whole deal" said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab earlier when he appeared on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
• Raab was asked by Kuenssberg if internal Tory politics will decide if any new Northern Ireland deal with the EU gets through or not, he responded by saying they were working "to protect all communities in Northern Ireland"
• For Labour, David Lammy says the PM should get "all credit" if he pulls a deal off and that he is "pleased that it finally looks like we might get that deal in a few days"
• Earlier in the week Rishi Sunak has said he was "giving everything" to finalise a deal to fix the issues with the current protocol

You can read more here

No need to rush to a vote on NI Brexit deal, says Lammy

BBC

Let's get more from Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, who has been speaking for the party on the Sunday morning shows this week.

On Sophy Ridge's show over on Sky News, Lammy said he didn't think the prime minister should rush into a Parliament vote on the revised Northern Ireland Protocol terms, adding any deal should "ease any friction and minimise any sort of customs checks".

"There was always more to build on," Lammy said. "That's why it is important for all sides to consider that carefully."

Once he got to Kuenssberg's programme on the BBC, the shadow foreign security said he was pleased it looked like a deal might come in the next few days and that Rishi Sunak would deserve "all credit" if he pulls it off.

Vegetable shortages to last 'another 3-4 weeks' - Eustice

Supermarkets limiting how many tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers we can buy was a hot topic on today's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, with Tory MP George Eustice saying the shortages will continue for 3-4 weeks.

The former environment secretary said there was “not much different the government could have done in recent months” and “there’s nothing they can do immediately”.

Industry insiders and the government say the shortages are caused by extreme weather affecting imports from Spain and Morocco and Eustice acknowledged that action was needed “longer term.”

“We should be committing to onshore production – so glasshouse production of cucumbers and tomatoes – we should be trying to build that here,” he said.

He also called for “a more enlightened approach to labour.”

He defended the government’s record, saying: "We’ve now got nearly half of farmers in what we call Countryside Stewardship doing exactly the sort of regenerative agriculture" that fellow panellist and chef Thomasina Miers had spoken of.

How close is a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol?

BBC

It's been a busy morning for Dominic Raab, first appearing on Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme as well as Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

He was asked on both shows about the Northern Ireland protocol: "I think there is real progress, we want to make sure all pieces are in place."

He then added "I think, hopefully, there will be good news in a matter of days, not weeks"

He then hot-footed his way over to the BBC's HQ at Broadcasting House, where he told Laura Kuenssberg: "We're on the cusp, we've made great progress. But we're not there yet - this would be a really important deal."

During his time with Kuenssberg, Raab more or less confirmed that MPs would get a vote on any any deal, which Rishi Sunak says he is "giving everything" to get done.

WATCH: Are you trying to wind-up Jeremy Corbyn supporters?

Here's what Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy had to say about his boss Sir Keir Starmer's attempts to distance himself from the party's former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Lammy's comments came after former Labour MP Luciana Berger,who quit the party during Corbyn's tenure in protest at the handling of antisemitism allegations, said she was rejoining.

Are you trying to wind up Jeremy Corbyn supporters?

What are Labour’s five ‘missions’?

Reuters

During Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy was asked about the priorities at the centre of his party’s offer to voters at the next election. So what are they?

Earlier in the week Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer outlined these as five “missions”.

During the speech in Manchester Sir Keir said these would form "the backbone of the Labour manifesto and the pillars of the next Labour government".

Although it lacked policy details, Sir Keir promised these would come later in the year.The pledges include:

• Securing the "highest sustained growth" in the G7 group of rich nations, made up of the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, by the end of Labour's first term.
• Making Britain a "clean energy superpower" - removing fossil fuels from all of Britain's electricity generation by 2030
• Improving the NHS
• Reforming the justice system
• Raising education standards

WATCH: I am not a bully, says Raab

If you missed it, here's the moment Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab denied allegations of bullying by civil servants.

Senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC is investigating these claims.

I'm not a bully, says Dominic Raab

What did Dominic Raab say?

BBC

Let's recap on some of the top lines from Laura Kuenssberg's interview with Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab:

On the Northern Ireland Brexit deal

• "There's no deal done until the whole deal is done, but I think we've made progress", he says.
• He wants to shift away from checking every consignment going from Britain to Northern Ireland to an intelligence-based model.
• He more or less confirmed MPs will get a vote, saying they will "have the opportunity to express themselves".

On bullying allegations

• He says there is not an "institutional systemic problem" with ministers bullying civil servants.
• Asked "Is Dominic Raab a bully?" he replies "No."
• He says "we do need to have some pretty direct conversations to deliver for the British people" but they should be "respectful and professional".

On parole for Joanna Simpson's killer

• Raab says he will meet the mother of Joanna Simpson, who was killed by her ex-husband Robert Brown, to talk about his planned release from prison half way through his 26-year sentence.

Yousaf frustrated over how SNP leader race is unfolding

Laura Kuenssberg

Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Humza Yousaf, who is running to be the next First Minister of Scotland, also told us that he was "frustrated" by how the race for the job is unfolding, after several days of a heated debate about equal marriage.

He again said that suggestions he deliberately missed a Scottish Parliament vote on the issue were untrue, questioning the "motivations" of those spreading the claims, including senior SNP figure Alex Neil.

He defended his own record at running health and justice for the Scottish Government, citing the Hate Crime Bill he introduced, which, it’s worth mentioning is still not fully in force.

Yousaf also told us he would delay the start of the controversial recycling deposit scheme for small businesses in Scotland, many of whom have warned about the serious cost.

For SNP members though, it’s perhaps his words on independence which will be closely watched – he is clearly pursuing a more gradual approach than some might wish for, talking about a "settled will" for independence that could be built up over time, not using the general election as a vote for yes or no.

PA Media

Raab allegations are serious for the PM if true

Laura Kuenssberg

Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

What might raise more eyebrows today however was how Dominic Raab answered questions about his own conduct and bullying.

As we’ve been reporting, civil service union the FDA suggests there’s little confidence complaints are fairly dealt with, and that more than one in six of its members have witnessed ministers behaving in an unacceptable way.

You’ll also know that Raab himself is facing multiple claims of bullying that are being investigated right now.

Asked if he was a bully, he denied this was so. But he went on to suggest that in fact, rather than being less robust, more people in government should be willing to speak plainly.

The investigation into his conduct may have a couple more weeks to run. Dominic Raab has always denied that he did anything wrong. But don’t be in any doubt about how serious it could be for one of the prime minister’s most senior colleagues.

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Parliament will vote on NI Protocol

Laura Kuenssberg

Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

The rumour mill is in overdrive. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his team are hugely hopeful that they can, perhaps tomorrow, announce a deal with the EU to sort out the nasty hangover of Brexit that has so affected Northern Ireland.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab didn’t want to promise, but seemed confident they’ll be able to do so, and that the deal will satisfy many of his former Brexiteer friends on the Tory backbenches who had the kind of concerns that he quit over several years ago.

He also, more or less confirmed - which wasn't clear until now - that there will be a vote in Parliament. It was notable too that his old cabinet colleague George Eustice, also a Brexiteer, hinted the deal was not likely to provoke the kind of outrage we’ve seen in the recent years.

Not everyone in the Tory party agrees – watch this space.

We should eat more seasonably, says Thomasina Miers

BBC

Thomasina Miers, centre, with fellow panelists Dave Penman and George Eustice

And just before Kuenssberg closes the programme we have a moment for a quick turnip recipe from Thomasina Miers - following Environment Secretary Therese Coffey's championing of the seasonal root vegetable amidst the current shortage of foreign-grown salad items.

"Turnips can be delicious," Wahaca founder Miers says.

"Caramelise them in butter, add some salt and pepper, cover them with water for 10 minutes, they're delicious.

"We have to give people the skills to cook then they can do anything with all our seasonal vegetables. Which is better for the environment, people and it's fun"

"The way we expect any ingredient to be flown in at any stage is having a diabolical effect on biodiversity and it's killing our souls.

"We should eat more seasonably. The only way we will do that is educating kids feeding them better food and thinking real food is important, not just for fun, but for health and climate".

What did the panel make of what they heard this week?

One final chat with the Kuenssberg panel before the show ends.

On the Northern Ireland Protocol, she asks former Conservative cabinet minister George Eustice if it's "nuts" to think it could be over for Rishi Sunak if he gets this wrong?

"We've had enough of chopping and changing leaders," he says,

"Rishi has made a good start and we need to get behind him. He is going to have to address DUP concerns. This is not about the Tories, this is about the people of Northern Ireland."

I'm not wedded to election as independence referendum - Yousaf

The interview moves to the issue of Scottish independence with Kuenssberg saying that SNP voters want to know when could Yousaf deliver it and how.

He says if they can increase support for independence and make it the sustainable majority then those political obstacles put in the way by opponents would crumble.

She asks if he is dropping the idea of using the next general election as a de facto referendum. Yousaf says he is "not wedded to the idea".

"Let me be clear - every single election the SNP fights under my leadership will be about the issue of independence," he says.

But Yousaf adds that if they get the sustained majority then independence "will absolutely be inevitable".

Scotland has not had any nurse or ambulance strikes - Yousaf

Kuenssberg moves the interview with Yousaf on to his record on running the NHS in Scotland which by many measures, she says, has been getting worse.

The target of recruiting 800 GPs is not on track, according to an independent report recently and hospitals have recorded their worst ever A&E times.

Kuenssberg asks why people should trust Yousaf to be first minister when his critics say his record of running the NHS is not great.

He says it would be foolish for anybody to dismiss Covid as a huge factor in the current struggles within the NHS.

He says Scotland has not had a single strike by nurses or ambulance crews because he has meaningfully engaged with them and resolved disputes.

"I think those kinds of skills can be very useful for the job of first minister," he says.

Yousaf quizzed over missing Scots equal marriage vote

PA Media

Next up is Scotland's Health Secretary, and SNP leadership contender, Humza Yousaf.

Kuenssberg asks if there's been intolerance in the SNP after the Scottish Association of Mosques said it would not be endorsing any of the three candidates.

Yousaf says he is a Muslim and it's fine to hold religious views but he doesn't use his faith as a basis for legislating - that's not a politician's job. The issue of religion has become key in the contest as one of Yousaf's rivals, Kate Forbes, is a committed Christian who has been quizzed about her views on equal marriage.

Yousaf has also been accused of missing a Holyrood vote on gay marriage.

Kuenssberg asks if it would be acceptable for Scotland to have a first minister who did not believe in gay marriage. He says they must not row back on it but says the people of Scotland need to know that their first minister will stand up for those rights and advance them.

SNP MSP Alex Neil has said in public that Yousaf had asked not to take part in the vote on equal marriage because he was facing pressure from religious leaders.

Yousaf repeats his previous denial and says his reason for missing the final vote was because he had an unavoidable meeting with the Pakistani government about a Scottish prisoner on death row.

He says Neil is backing another candidate for first minister and suggests this could be his motivation for making the claim.

Lammy on Labour's "five missions"

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is asked by Kuenssberg about the "five missions" laid out by labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this week.

He says when the party is at its best, it delivers progressive change.

After listing what the five missions are, Lammy says: "This is the ambition Britain deserves. Labour was in power for 23 years in the 20th Century.

"It's my job, and those of my colleagues, to deliver more for the country in the 21st."

We need to review UK's EU deal in 2025 - Lammy

Kuenssberg asks Lammy what politicians including top Tories like Michael Gove were doing at the Oxfordshire stately home Ditchley Park for an event called "How to make Brexit work better".

He says Ditchley Park is one of our great foreign policy think tanks. He says the meeting was carried out under Chatham House rules - meaning everything said there was confidential.

Lammy says there will be a review in 2025 of the post-Brexit trade deal struck with the EU and that Labour wants a structured dialogue with "friends" in Europe.

He says they need to look through each part of the deal and where there is friction see if we can make progress with European allies.

All credit to Sunak if he pulls off NI Brexit deal - Lammy

Next into the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg hot seat is Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy.

First question is on the potential for a deal with the EU on Northern Ireland.

"I'm pleased of course that finally it looks like we might get that deal in the coming days," he says.

He says if the PM is able to pull off a deal they will support it because he thinks it will be better than what we've got currently and "all credit to Rishi Sunak if he does that."

He says he is worried that Northern Ireland's DUP hasn't been kept in the loop but he hopes they will be able to support the deal

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