Negotiations between the UK and the EU on revising post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland have been intensifying in recent weeks, with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying that talks are “inching towards a conclusion”. The Northern Ireland Protocol, signed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, was designed to prevent a hard border between British-administered Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom by keeping the province in the EU’s single market. However, it has been met with strong opposition from pro-British Unionists due to the trade barriers it created.
Varadkar has encouraged London, Brussels and Northern Irish politicians to “go the extra mile” to reach an agreement, saying the benefits would be “huge”. According to The Times, the current offer on the table would mean an overhauled protocol that would remove almost all checks and most paperwork on goods crossing the Irish Sea.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised that the House of Commons will be able to “express its view” on his new protocol terms, which he hopes will get Northern Ireland’s largest Unionist party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to restore power-sharing in the regional parliament. 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 without having a say on them.
The outcome of these negotiations will be critical for the future of Northern Ireland, as well as the UK’s relationship with the EU. If an agreement is reached, it could bring an end to a two-year standoff between the two sides and provide much-needed relief to those affected by the trade barriers. However, Sunak could still face a battle with pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers and pro-British Northern Irish politicians to make the deal work.