Conservative MPs have called on Rishi Sunak to continue talks with the DUP. Photo: TS/GoffPhotos.com
Rishi Sunak has faced a backlash from Brexiteers over his deal with the DUP over fears it will prevent the UK from freeing itself from EU rules.
Prime Minister unveils deal , under which all new laws will be checked to ensure they do not create additional trade barriers with Northern Ireland.
Boris Johnson has led criticism of the pact, warning that it would be a “disaster” if the UK effectively abandoned attempts to set their own standards.
Conservative MPs also expressed concern that the agreement would leave Northern Ireland subject to EU rules over which it has no say, and urged Mr Sunak to continue negotiations.
Under the agreement, all new laws applicable to the UK will be checked by Whitehall officials to ensure they do not create trade barriers in the Irish Sea.
Ministers will have to make a statement in Parliament if the bill is passed. would have «significant adverse effects on Northern Ireland's place in the UK domestic market».
Eurosceptics fear the requirement will mean any attempts to deviate from EU rules will be rejected by civil servants before they even reach the House of Commons.< /p>
Mr Johnson warned against «artificial fears» that that a hard border on the island of Ireland «is being used to ensure that the whole of the UK complies with EU rules.»
“We must maintain our appetite and courage. move away from the European model of low growth and high regulation,” said the former prime minister.
Four years after Brexit, we celebrate the economic recovery of this country. democratic power to make its own laws and rules. Thanks to the freedoms of Brexit, we have introduced improved animal welfare standards, reduced taxes on sanitary products, created greater flexibility to cut…
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 31, 2024
Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, said the UK «needs a huge scale of deregulation and market-oriented reform if it is to start growing again», adding: «Brexit has given us the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and, albeit with difficulty, it has actually already begun. It should not be slowed down any further.»
Dame Priti Patel, the former home secretary, also raised concerns, telling a Commons debate on the pact: «It is vital that we ensure we can diverge.»
Other Eurosceptic MPs have complained that the agreement does not go far enough before it leaves Northern Ireland subject to EU rules. Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland minister, said: “The Government needs to continue negotiations with the EU to ensure Northern Ireland is no longer subject to single market rules on which it has no say.”
Richard Drax, a senior Conservative MP, added: “Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and remains subject to EU law. So it's still a very sharp ax that we have to get rid of.»
Despite concerns, pro-Brexit MPs were prepared to back the deal after ministers and the DUP told them it would do no harm Great Britain to disperse.
Members of the European Study Group met in Westminster on Wednesday to discuss concerns about the pact but did not agree to oppose it. The Telegraph understands Dame Preeti told the assembly the bill would pass and Brexiteers should focus on «holding the government to account» for its promises on the differences.
Dame Priti Patel told a House of Commons debate that it was “very important to ensure we can diverge”. Photo: Victor Shimanovich/Anadolu Agency
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, told the House of Commons the deal «will not change the freedoms and powers» the UK has and «will not reduce our ability to stay apart.»
MPs will debate and vote on the deal on Thursday , allowing the DUP to end its two-year boycott of the Stormont assembly on Saturday.
Rishi Sunak told MPs that getting the region's government back up and running was crucial to securing a «bright future» for Northern Ireland.
Ministers will put forward legislation to reaffirm Northern Ireland's place in the UK and guarantee it unfettered access to the British market. They will pledge to no longer sign any agreements with the EU that would create further regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the UK.
Routine post-Brexit checks on goods sent from the UK to final destinations in Northern Ireland are to be scrapped. be removed as part of the transaction.
British goods destined for Northern Ireland will pass through the Windsor structure's green lane, which has been renamed the UK Internal Market Lane.
The proportion of goods subject to full customs control in the “red zone” (that is, for goods at risk of onward travel to the EU) will be reduced to 20 percent. Brussels, whose consent will be needed for some of the check cuts, said it would «carefully scrutinize» the details of the agreement.
Sir Geoffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, has secured his party's support to accept the deal. government proposal and return to Stormont.
“There should be no border in the UK domestic market. These proposals blur that line,” he said, but admitted the deal was not “ideal.”
“Boris Johnson promised us a lot of things. He didn't deliver them. «To be fair, and to Rishi Sunak's credit, he has achieved what others haven't,» he said.
But his party was split: Sammy Wilson, one of the most senior MPs, told the House of Commons the agreement would leave Northern Ireland is subject to EU rules on which it has no voting rights. He said: “This is the result of this spineless, weak-hearted, Brexit-betraying Government refusing to take on the challenge of the EU and its interference in Northern Ireland.”
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