Summary

  • PM Rishi Sunak has been giving a statement in the House of Commons after unveiling a deal with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland

  • He says the deal "permanently removes any sense of a border in the Irish Sea"

  • Sir Keir Starmer says Labour will back the deal, which he says will improve the UK's international standing

  • Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says the deal secures "significant progress" but concerns remain

  • Earlier, Sunak and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed a "decisive breakthrough" at a joint news conference

  • Sunak said the NI Assembly would be able to stop some EU laws on goods applying by using what he called a "Stormont Brake"

  • But Von der Leyen stressed this was an "emergency mechanism" and the European Court of Justice would have the final say on single market issues

Live Reporting

Edited by Tom Spender

  1. Labour reaffirms support for any government deal

    Rachel Reeves

    Labour has pledged to support the government over any deal it achieves with Brussels over the future trade status of Northern Ireland - something affirmed by the shadow chancellor.

    The party is "not going to play politics", Rachel Reeves tells BBC Breakfast, describing the issue as being "just too important for that".

    She speaks of the importance of breaking down barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

    Reeves says Labour will offer its support even if any deal is rejected by the DUP in Northern Ireland.

  2. Remind me, what is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

    A lorry being checked at a port in Northern IrelandGetty Images

    The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks, that was brought into force at the start of 2021.

    It allows goods to be smoothly transported across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without checks.

    Before Brexit happened, this was simple because both sides followed the same EU rules.

    But after the UK left the EU, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland borders the Republic of Ireland, which remains part of the EU.

    This became the key sticking point of the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU.

    The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries.

    A land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland’s troubled past and it was feared that cameras or border posts - as part of these checks - could cause fresh instability.

    So, the UK and the EU signed the Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement in order to protect the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday Agreement. It’s now part of international law.

  3. Today's agenda

    File photo of Ursula von der Leyen meeting Rishi SunakPA Media

    Downing Street hasn’t given away exact timings, but here’s what we do know.

    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at “late lunchtime”
    • The purpose of their meeting is described as “final talks” - after which the PM, joined by the foreign secretary and Northern Ireland secretary, will update the cabinet
    • If a deal has been agreed by Sunak and Von der Leyen, the expectation is that the two will hold a short joint press conference in the “late afternoon”
    • The prime minister will then give a statement in the House of Commons
    • The government has not confirmed if MPs would get a vote on any deal, but said they would be able to"express" their view. What remains to be seen is whether any deal earns support

  4. Sunak to meet Von der Leyen over NI deal

    Jeremy Gahagan
    Live reporter

    Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage as we look ahead to the meeting in the UK later today of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

    Downing Street and Brussels say the pair are meeting “to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland”.

    But it’s possible the pair are going to put the final touches to a new deal between the EU and UK on the flow of goods between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

    Joining me this morning are my colleagues James FitzGerald and Eimear Flanagan.

    Stay with us as we await more updates on whether we‘re going to get an announcement today.