Boris Johnson refused to commit to backing a deal on Northern Ireland being negotiated with the European Union by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his first public comments on the matter.
(Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson refused to commit to backing a deal on Northern Ireland being negotiated with the European Union by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his first public comments on the matter.
When asked about the expected negotiated settlement, the former premier said legislation he introduced last year to allow the government to unilaterally rewrite the part of the Brexit agreement governing Northern Ireland is the best course of action.
“It’s important to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the government, is the Northern Ireland bill,” Johnson said Thursday in a Sky News interview.
While a person close to Johnson briefed similar remarks to the UK press last weekend, it’s the first time the former premier himself has expressed the view, underscoring that he continues to be a thorn in Sunak’s side. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has also urged Sunak to press ahead with the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol bill that could override the UK’s agreement with the EU.
Brexit Critics Team Up to Oppose Sunak’s N. Ireland Deal
The government and unionists in Northern Ireland contend that the existing arrangements are snarling up the UK’s internal trade across the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They are close to unveiling a deal to address the region’s unique position in both the UK and EU’s trading markets.
A deal was expected to be announced this week, but vocal opposition from the Democratic Unionist Party and Brexit hardliners in Sunak’s own Conservative Party scuppered the plan. European Commission President Maros Sefcovic, who is leading negotiations for the EU, met Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in Brussels on Thursday, for further talks to help the agreement over the line.
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