Rishi Sunak is set for his biggest political test yet as he presses to unveil a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol despite opposition from Boris Johnson and unionists.
Downing Street said talks are underway to reach a deal with the European Union with the aim of breaking the impasse over the contentious post-Brexit trade arrangement.
Number 10 denied reports suggesting Prime Minister has been forced to delay an announcement – widely expected earlier this week – amid backlash from senior Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
dup It has warned that it will not support a deal that would retain the European Court of Justice’s oversight role.
Mr Sunak’s officials are understood to have held talks with their Brussels counterparts on Sunday about how to give local politicians more say in the application of EU law in the region, addressing what unionists call a “democratic deficit”. .
A senior DUP leader said the party had “heard nothing” from the government on this “fundamental issue”.
“The progress made so far is very slim. The fundamental issues have not been addressed,” Sammy Wilson told Channel 4 News.
Mr Sunak has turned his attention to the “democratic deficit” as he hopes to persuade Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party to cast its veto on the formation of a power-sharing executive in Stormont.
But according to The Times, the prime minister would be keen to press ahead on a UK-EU deal even without the DUP’s support.
The newspaper quoted a Whitehall source as saying it would be “unhelpful” to “set a bar that is not necessarily in the interests of the people we are trying to negotiate”.
But pressure on Mr Sunak is mounting after his predecessor – but one – intervened over the weekend to tell him to take a harder line with the EU.
A source close to Mr Johnson said he was of the view that “it would be a big mistake” to abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill – which would give Britain the right to unilaterally scrap part of the treaty.
A senior government official indicated a successful outcome would mean the controversial legislation – introduced at Westminster under Mr Johnson’s leadership but stalled when Mr Sunak entered the 10 – would no longer be needed.
Mr Johnson’s intervention – his first on Brexit since leaving No 10 – has raised concerns over a possible revolt by Eurosceptic Tory backbenchers if Mr Sunak’s changes are voted down in parliament.
Some Tories quickly sided with the former prime minister, with Lord Frost – who negotiated Mr Johnson’s original Brexit deal – urging the government to “press ahead with the protocol bill”.
Other Conservatives criticized Mr Johnson’s announcements. Former Chancellor George Osborne said he was “causing trouble” because he was “interested in becoming Prime Minister again”.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said the ex-prime minister’s intervention was not “totally unhelpful” as it would “remind the EU” that Britain has influence over Brussels.
He also said that any agreement should be supported by the DUP, a view widely held among Brexiteers.
Tory backbenchers at the European Research Group will reportedly meet on Tuesday to discuss any deal, potentially causing trouble for Mr Sunak if they are angered by concessions made by the UK.