European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had been expected to travel to Britain on Saturday amid speculation a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol is near. UK Government sources confirmed Ms von der Leyen’s trip was called off but it is likely Downing Street and Buckingham Palace worked together on the reported arrangements. Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle said Downing Street should have realised utilising the King would have “constitutional implications” and been “highly insensitive to the politics of Northern Ireland”. No 10 said Mr Sunak will be spending the weekend speaking to “relevant stakeholders” as he looks to get a protocol deal over the line. The Northern Ireland Protocol has created trade barriers within the UK and sparked Unionist tensions (Liam McBurney/PA)But the treaty has incensed unionists due to the trade barriers it created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Source: The Times February 25, 2023 12:29 UTC