Rishi Sunak is to hold talks with European leaders in a bid to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, despite reservations among Eurosceptic Tory backbenchers. There is mounting speculation that the UK and EU could unveil a deal aimed at breaking the impasse over the contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements early next week.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the fringes of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to try to get an agreement over the line. But ahead of his trip to Germany, Mr Sunak stressed that “there’s more work to do” as he vowed to continue “intensely” negotiating with the EU.
“We have not got a deal yet,” he told reporters in Downing Street on Friday. “That’s why both the Foreign Secretary and I, but also the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will continue talking to the European Union to try and find solutions to protect Northern Ireland’s place in our internal market and the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, resolve the practical issues and address the democratic deficit.”
