After having “positive” discussions with Rishi Sunak on Friday, Ursula von der Leyen was expected to arrive in Britain on Saturday for further talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol. But UK Government sources confirmed Ms von der Leyen was no longer scheduled to make the journey to the UK. Baroness Hoey, a Northern Irish Brexit supporter and former Labour MP, tweeted: “If true, I cannot believe that even the advisers around Rishi Sunak, who clearly don’t understand Northern Ireland, could have even contemplated this. But the treaty has incensed unionists due to the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the “democratic deficit” of Northern Ireland being subject to EU rules while not having a say on them.

Source: The Times February 25, 2023 00:50 UTC