Rishi Sunak said his administration is “giving it everything we’ve got” to finalise a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol but insists a pact has not yet been secured. He is keen to ensure the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is on side with his final agreement as he looks to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland. Mr Sunak, speaking to The Sunday Times newspaper, pledged that “anything that we do will tick all of those boxes” in terms of Unionist concerns. A protocol deal has looked close to being announced for almost a week. No 10 denies that but reports suggest Mr Sunak has secured concessions that will ease the flow of trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain — a major bugbear for Unionists.

Source: Irish Examiner February 26, 2023 01:46 UTC