A summary of today's developments
Rishi Sunak told Tory MPs to give the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) the “time and space” to consider his Brexit deal as they were warned it was the best offer they would get. The prime minister said he was “confident” the DUP would back it as he urged colleagues not to create another “Westminster drama” after his new Windsor agreement for Northern Ireland was broadly welcomed. But Conservatives were waiting with “bated breath” to see if the DUP would back the deal which is hoped will restore power sharing to Stormont after a year-long absence, according to Steve Baker MP. Sunak, who addressed Tory backbenchers at the 1922 Committee in the Commons after a visit to Northern Ireland, was understood to have told colleagues he had “spent a lot of time” with the DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, as he seeks to break the deadlock in the region.
Peter Robinson, the former DUP leader and former first minister of Northern Ireland, has urged his party colleagues to take their time deciding whether or not to support the PM’s protocol deal. Rishi Sunak has told Tory MPs to give the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) the “time and space” to consider his Brexit deal as they were warned it is the best offer they will get.
As Suzanne Breen reports in the Belfast Telegraph, Robinson provided his advice in a post on Facebook in which he did not declare himself to be for or against the deal.
The SNP has said Rishi Sunak’s comments today about Northern Ireland getting the advantage of unfettered access to the UK market and the EU single market (see 9.07am and 11.11am) shows that Scotland is losing out. In a response, Alyn Smith MP, the SNP’s Europe and EU accession spokesperson, said: “Rishi Sunak is moonlighting as a remainer as he perfectly outlines how Scotland will be at a competitive disadvantage under Westminster control and outside the European Union.”
At an Onward event to debate the future of the Conservative party in central London, Michael Gove suggested that parents who fail to ensure their children attend school regularly could have their child benefit payments stopped. The levelling up secretary suggested the idea, which was originally considered by the coalition government under David Cameron but blocked by the Liberal Democrats, could now be reconsidered to help restore “an ethic of responsibility”.
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has rejected claims the king was drawn into political matters when meeting the European Commission president after a new Brexit deal was agreed.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said Rishi Sunak’s comments this morning about Northern Ireland benefiting from being in the EU single market (see 9.07am and 11.11am) did not mean he thought the whole of the UK should be in it.
That’s all from us today. Thank you again for following along – here’s our end-of-day story:
Updated
An MP received “faeces through their letterbox” after a political row over the Conservatives’ response to sewage discharges, parliament has heard.
Tory Simon Jupp hit out at the Liberal Democrats for “accusing Conservative MPs of voting to pollute our waters and seas”, which he said was “ridiculous” and had led to “colleagues facing threats and abuse in the street”.
He described how an MP “recently received faeces through their letterbox as a result of this politics”.
Lib Dem environment spokesperson Tim Farron told PA: “This kind of behaviour is completely abhorrent and no MP or staff should have to put up with it. I feel for Simon and his staff as I too have been on the receiving end of abusive behaviour.
“However, it is not right to blame people who are holding the government to account for their actions.
“Millions of people across the country have voiced their dismay at sewage being dumped into rivers and coastlines, and the Liberal Democrats have been championing their cause.
“The basic fact is that Conservative MPs have voted to allow water companies to discharge sewage into rivers. Community groups, swimmers and political parties have held Conservative MPs to account in a sensible and grown-up manner. This is the way public debate should be conducted.”
Updated
Rishi Sunak’s meeting with the 1922 Committee was the first time there were no hostile questions in 18 years, according to MP Daniel Kawczynski.
Kawczynski, a Brexiter, told Sky News: “I think all Conservative MPs who stood up to ask questions recognised the extraordinary [measures] that the prime minister has implemented over the last few months in trying to secure this agreement and he seems to have pulled off something which had been impossible for Boris Johnson and impossible for Theresa May.”
Steve Baker MP said everybody realised the deal was “as good as we’re going to get” and the prime minister “won’t be losing any votes on this”.
Updated
Sunak: last thing public want is another Westminster drama
Rishi Sunak has told Tory MPs to give the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) the “time and space” to consider his Brexit deal as they were warned it is the best offer they will get.
The prime minister said he was “confident” the DUP would back it as he urged colleagues not to create another “Westminster drama” after his new Windsor agreement for Northern Ireland was broadly welcomed.
But Conservatives were waiting with “bated breath” to see if the DUP would back the deal which is hoped will restore power sharing to Stormont after a year-long absence.
Sunak, who addressed Tory backbenchers at the 1922 Committee in the Commons on Tuesday evening after a visit to Northern Ireland, was understood to have told colleagues he had “spent a lot of time” with the DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, as he seeks to break the deadlock in the region.
“And I would just say one thing to you all: we should give him and the DUP time and space,” Sunak said as he acknowledged a “spectrum of views” within the unionist party.
“So let’s not pressure them for an instant answer,” the PM added.
“Let’s also remember that the last thing the public want is another Westminster drama.”
Updated
The SNP has been criticised over the decision to exclude journalists from leadership hustings in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as party leader and Scottish first minister.
Labour and the Conservatives condemned the decision to bar media from a series of hustings where the three candidates will debate their views in front of party members.
A spokesperson for the SNP’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) said the events had been designed as a “safe space” where party members can question the candidates.
However, Kate Forbes, the Scottish finance secretary who is running to replace Sturgeon, said it would be “positive” for the hustings events to be broadcast live online as she called for the press to be allowed access.
The Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, claimed the party was “once again hiding from proper scrutiny”, tweeting: “The public deserve to hear the priorities of candidates standing to be the next first minister of Scotland.”
With the the first hustings event due in Cumbernauld on Wednesday, the Tories said the SNP should “urgently” reconsider.
Ian Murray, the shadow Scottish secretary, has written to the SNP chief executive, Peter Murrell – who is married to Sturgeon – also telling him: “It is completely unacceptable that such an important contest can be conducted in secrecy.”
Updated
From the Guardian’s Aubrey Allegretti. Lord Frost resigned as Brexit minister in December 2021.
David Frost makes an appearance at tonight’s busy meeting of the European Research Group.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) February 28, 2023
According to the Sun’s Harry Cole, at his meeting with the 1922 Committee Rishi Sunak ridiculed a poll finding suggesting that people think Labour would implement Brexit better than the Conservatives.
PM tells the 1922 public sick of Brexit "drama" and takes swing at Starmer: "A poll the other day had Labour having a lead on who would best manage Brexit. That is crazy. Mr 2nd referendum is no more the best person to implement Brexit than Mr Fox is to look after the hen house."
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) February 28, 2023
If Sunak was suggesting that this finding means the polls are implausible, then he may have been drawing the wrong conclusion. Polls do show that voters trust Labour (a party that opposed Brexit) more to get Brexit done than the Conservatives. Polls also show that voters think Labour would do a better job of passing a law to stop small boats (which Labour is not even proposing) than the Conservative party (which is proposing this).
What these polls really show is that, almost regardless of what the policy is, people don’t trust the Tories to deliver.
Or, to paraphrase Sunak, when chickens think even the fox will do a better job of looking after the hen house, then the farmer really has screwed up.
On that note, I’m off, and handing over to my colleague
Steve Baker admits Tories concerned over DUP answer to deal after 1922 Committee meets
Rishi Sunak has finished his meeting with the 1922 Committee. As my colleague Aubrey Allegretti reports, afterwards Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, said Tory MPs were supporting the PM with a sense of relief.
Steve Baker says Tory MPs “wait with baited breath” to find out if DUP will support the Windsor Framework.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) February 28, 2023
He tells journos after the PM addressed the 1922 Committee that “I believe in the end they will agree with me this is a good deal”.
Baker admitted that “people are worried about the DUP” but stressed there was “a genuine sense of support and relief” among Tory MPs at Sunak’s protocol breakthrough.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) February 28, 2023
“It wouldn’t be sensible to drop it,” said Baker. “There isn’t another deal available.”
Updated
Rishi Sunak has highlighted the Stormont brake as one of the features ofr his protocol deal that should make it most attractive to unionists.
Stormont Brake
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 28, 2023
❌ Before: Rules set by EU
✅ Now: Can stop new EU rules
The new agreement introduces a Stormont Brake.
This goes further than just giving Northern Ireland a say over new EU rules, it means they can block them altogether. pic.twitter.com/feJot2A2Th
But the legal commentator David Allen Green is more sceptical. In a post on his blog, he says the conditions attached to the brake mean that it is very unlikely to ever be used. He says:
The small-print of the documents published yesterday show that the conditions and process for the brake are such that, in practice, it will be difficult-to-impossible to apply.
Former DUP leader Peter Robinson says party should resist pressure to come to early decision on protocol deal
Peter Robinson, the former DUP leader and former first minister of Northern Ireland, has urged his party colleagues to take their time deciding whether or not to support the PM’s protocol deal.
As Suzanne Breen reports in the Belfast Telegraph, Robinson provided his advice in a post on Facebook in which he did not declare himself to be for or against the deal.
On timing, Robinson said:
While there will be endless pressure to come to an early decision, the party should resist timetabling its response.
Meetings with government, seeking assurances and guarantees, requiring clarification, and having discussions with stakeholders are not a waste of time, they are an indispensable component when seeking to reach a wise, prudent, and defendable outcome.
He also said the party needed to consider whether a better deal might be available in the future, or whether rejecting the deal could put unionism on “perilous ground”. He said:
Do not make perfection the enemy of a good deal nor should the fear of isolation induce colleagues to accept a bad one.
In common with any of the many previous agreements reached, and those that were not completed, serious thought must be given as to whether a better deal could be attained in the future if we do not react positively to this one.
However, it is important to also consider whether in rejecting the framework (whether improved by clarifications, or not) we place unionism and Northern Ireland on more perilous ground.
Updated
Rishi Sunak is addressing the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee in private. As ITV’s Anushka Asthana and the Sun on Sunday’s Kate Ferguson report, he got a warm reception.
Rishi Sunak gets a very warm response from Tory members at the 1922 backbench committee- lots of banging. Will be a little cooler when the ERG meet after this (without the pm)
— Anushka Asthana (@AnushkaAsthana) February 28, 2023
Rishi Sunak has arrived for the 1922 committee
— Kate Ferguson (@kateferguson4) February 28, 2023
Lots of banging on tables
Asked how he is feeling, PM flashes big grin and says - well!
Updated
Sunak accused of 'moonlighting as a remainer' by SNP after highlighting advantages to NI of being in EU single market
The SNP has said Rishi Sunak’s comments today about Northern Ireland getting the advantage of unfettered access to the UK market and the EU single market (see 9.07am and 11.11am) shows that Scotland is losing out. In a response, Alyn Smith MP, the SNP’s Europe and EU accession spokesperson, said:
Rishi Sunak is moonlighting as a remainer as he perfectly outlines how Scotland will be at a competitive disadvantage under Westminster control and outside the European Union.
Northern Ireland voted to stay within the European Union and it is getting its wishes. However, Scotland voted overwhelmingly to reject Brexit but we are living with the economic consequences every single day.
Throughout the Brexit process the SNP Scottish government made sensible suggestions so Scotland’s choice could be respected by remaining inside the single market and customs union. Those proposals were thrown in the bin and Scotland was taken along for the ride as we were dragged out of Europe against our will.
Updated
Gove suggests government should consider removing child benefit from parents if children regularly miss school
At an Onward event to debate the future of the Conservative party in central London, Michael Gove suggested that parents who fail to ensure their children attend school regularly could have their child benefit payments stopped.
The levelling up secretary suggested the idea, which was originally considered by the coalition government under David Cameron but blocked by the Liberal Democrats, could now be reconsidered to help restore “an ethic of responsibility”.
He told the audience:
We need to, particularly after Covid, get back to an absolute rigorous focus on school attendance, on supporting children to be in school. It is often the case that it is truanting or persistent absenteeism that leads to involvement in antisocial behaviour.
So one of the ideas that we floated in the coalition years, which the Liberal Democrats rejected, is the idea that if children are persistently absent then child benefit should be stopped. I think what we do need to do is to think radically about restoring an ethic of responsibility.
Updated
How Sunak credits university roommate with teaching him about complexities of Northern Ireland
Apart from what he had to say about the single market (see 10.27am and 11.11am), what was most interesting about what Rishi Sunak said at his Q&A this morning was probably what he said about learning about Northern Ireland.
Most English politicians know very little about Northern Ireland, and Sunak never had much experience of the place as a minister before becoming PM. But he told his audience that having a roommate who was from Omagh when he was at university had a big influence. He said:
I went to university in 1998, so the time of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, that’s when I became an adult, my room-mate at university was from Omagh, and I came from Southampton, I didn’t know anyone very well from Northern Ireland, he, as it turned out, didn’t really know any Indian people, so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other and learning about each other’s backgrounds.
It was eye-opening to me how he had grown up, what he had grown up having to deal with, and live with. I’m passionately committed to making sure that the Good Friday agreement works because it brought peace and stability to Northern Ireland, and that is so precious, and we are reminded of how precious just in the past week.
Sunak also claimed that half his office staff at No 10 were from Northern Ireland.
Updated
Sir Bill Cash, the veteran Tory Eurosceptic and European Research Group members, was one of the Conservative MPs who sounded most sceptical of Rishi Sunak’s protocol deal during the Commons statement last night. Cash said he wanted the government to clarify a range of points, covering “the making of EU laws and the European court, the joint committee and its procedures, and the Stormont brake, not to mention the whole context of sovereignty in this entire process under section 38 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020”.
Theresa May, the former PM, offered a demonstration in the Commons earlier to show how enthusiastic his colleagues are to hear Cash’s interventions. She was responding when the mentioned the Maastricht treaty during the tributes to Betty Boothroyd. James Heale from the Spectator has the clip.
Love Theresa May’s reaction to Bill Cash mentioning the Maastricht Treaty pic.twitter.com/5HPoS7WbWC
— James Heale (@JAHeale) February 28, 2023
King Charles hosting Ursula von der Leyen ‘not unusual’, insists Cleverly
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has rejected claims the king was drawn into political matters when meeting the European Commission president after a new Brexit deal was agreed, my colleague Aletha Adu reports.
Updated
TUV leader Jim Allister says there will still be border in Irish Sea under Sunak's protocol deal
Yesterday Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), a small, hardline unionist party in Northern Ireland, gave an initial response to Rishi Sunak’s protocol deal, saying that he was still looking at the detail but that he was concerned that it did not mean the current protocol being removed.
In an interview with Stephen Nolan on Radio Ulster, Allister sounded like he was coming down more firmly against the deal. He said it would leave a border in the Irish Sea. He told the programme:
This is a deal which does not address the fundamental constitution affront of the protocol because it still leaves Northern Ireland the only part of the United Kingdom in a foreign single market for goods, and therefore subject of all the plethora of EU laws that govern that, and the European court of justice overseeing that. It still leaves us in a foreign customs code, and that’s why there will still be, despite what the prime minister has said, an Irish Sea border.
The TUV has only one seat in the assembly, and it is not considered a main party in Northern Ireland politics. But it is influential because it has been taking votes from the DUP, just as Ukip started taking votes from the Conservative party around 10 years ago (which alarmed David Cameron, and helped to persuade him to call a referendum).
Sunak deal with EU "does not address the fundamental constitutional affront of the protocol" - @JimAllister
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) February 28, 2023
Podcast 📲 @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/tf9MUx8Tmc
Michel Barnier, who was the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator during the Brexit process, has used a message on Twitter to say that Rishi Sunak’s protocol deal shows what can be achieved by “trust in European relations”. When Boris Johnson was prime minister and the terms of Brexit were being agreed, trust was not a strong feature of the London/Brussels relationship.
A new chapter in #Brexit and 🇪🇺-🇬🇧 relations, finally.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) February 28, 2023
Goes to show how much you gain by trust in European relations rather than zero sum game of past govts. In politics, always believe in dynamic compromises.
NI Protocol needs to safeguard peace & stability and single market.
It’s with time and proper implementation that this positive agreement will have to prove its worth to Northern Ireland / United Kingdom as well as to Ireland / EU.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) February 28, 2023
Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland and first minister designate, spoke to Rishi Sunak by phone today. Afterwards she issued a statement saying she urged him to keep pushing for the restoration of power sharing. She said:
The deal is done. People are now clearly focused on getting an executive up and running and want all parties around the table working together to deliver for workers, families and local businesses …
It’s time the DUP ended its blockade of the executive and worked with the rest of us to fix the health service, tackle waiting lists and help businesses, workers and families who are struggling with rising costs.
Updated
Boris Johnson was not in the Commons chamber yesterday for the statement on the Northern Ireland protocol deal. But he was there today for energy questions, my colleague John Crace reports.
This is from the i’s Paul Waugh.
.@Ed_Miliband jibes @BorisJohnson for finally turning up to work today (after being absent yesterday for @RishiSunak Windsor deal).
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) February 28, 2023
"It's important to welcome ex-party leaders to their place...My only piece of advice is: it's important not to want your old job back." pic.twitter.com/VtxDpf08W3
No 10 claims UK 'seeing the benefits' of Brexit as it clarifies PM's comments on NI and single market
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said Rishi Sunak’s comments this morning about Northern Ireland benefiting from being in the EU single market (see 9.07am and 11.11am) did not mean he thought the whole of the UK should be in it. The spokesperson said:
The British people made a decision in 2016 and we are seeing the benefits of that decision, whether that’s in the ability to change our environment laws, some of the tax elements the prime minister talked about just today, in fact.
With regards to Northern Ireland, it is simply a fact that because of our respect for the Good Friday agreement and the central importance; Northern Ireland’s unique position means it needs to have access to both markets, not least to avoid a border on the island of Ireland, which nobody wants to see.
That puts it in a unique position and what the framework does is finally cement those capabilities.
Updated
PCS says more civil servants joining strike over pay on 15 March
The Public and Commercial Services union has announced that a further 33,000 civil servants will be joining a strike planned for 15 March over pay.
🚨🚨𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀! 🚨🚨
— PCS Union (@pcs_union) February 28, 2023
33,000 more PCS Union members return a massive 𝗬𝗘𝗦 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗘 and will join the Big PCS Walkout on 15 March.
Well done everyone for all the hard work and dedication. #PCSonStrike #BlameTheGovt #WalkoutWednesday pic.twitter.com/UQan5iWaCy
PCS members working for dozens of government bodies were already planning to strike on 15 March, after voting for industrial action last year.
Last year strike ballots affecting nine groups of workers did not reach the 50% turnout threshold required by law for a strike vote to be valid. But the union reballoted those members, and it said today they will be joining the strikes.
The government bodies affected are: the Care Quality Commission, Companies House, HMRC, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Museum of Wales, the Office of Rail and Road, UK Export Finance, the Valuation Office Agency and the Welsh government.
The PCS said:
These votes in favour of action represent a significant escalation of the dispute as these members are also now able to join targeted strike action when called, which has had a big impact over the past few month and demonstrated to the government that it needs to take our demands seriously. We are determined to keep the pressure on until the government improves its offer to members.
PCS members working for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Forestry Commission, the Marine Maritime Organisation and the Rural Payments Agency have also voted to take industrial action short of going on strike.
The PCS wants a pay rise of at least 10% for its members.
Sunak says he wants talks with parties to codify when London would veto EU law under Stormont brake
In an interview for broadcasters in Northern Ireland, Rishi Sunak played down concerns that the NI assembly would not really have a veto over new EU single market legislation under the “Stormont brake” procedure.
Under the details of the plan, Stormont would be able to propose blocking a new EU law. But the UK government would the final say.
Asked to explain in what circumstances London would exercise this veto, Sunak stressed the value of the brake – but would not say in what circumstances the UK government would apply it. He said he wanted further talks with the Northern Ireland parties to codify this.
He replied:
The Stormont brake is an incredibly powerful new cross-community safeguard. What it means is that the people and institutions of Northern Ireland are in control of their destiny.
If there is a significant new EU law that comes along that will have lasting and significant impact on everyday lives of people here in Northern Ireland, then the assembly will be allowed to pull the emergency brake.
Once that is done it is crystal clear the UK government then does have an unequivocal veto. The UK government wants to sit down with the parties in Northern Ireland to codify how the UK government would use that veto to make sure everyone has reassurance that it will work properly.
Updated
Jeffrey Donaldson denies DUP split over protocol deal, but refuses to say how long agreeing joint response will take
The DUP MPs Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley have consistenly been more intransigent in their comments on Brexit, and the Northern Ireland protocol, than colleagues, and that was apparent again yesterday. While Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the party leader, said “significant progress” had been made, Paisley said the deal “does not cut the mustard”, while Wilson asked Rishi Sunak in the Commons: “Can he understand why … we still fear that our position within the United Kingdom will not be restored by this agreement?
But in an interview with Radio Ulster this morning Donaldson said the party was “absolutely not” split on the issue. He said:
Let me be clear, our party officers, our assembly members, our members of parliament, and ultimately, our party executive, will determine the party’s approach on this issue.
We will consult and we will take our time. We will talk to people. We will listen to what people are saying, they will articulate their views. Of course, there will be a diversity and a range of views.
People will react in different ways. But the DUP will come to a collective decision on this agreement.
When asked how long it would take for the party to reach a conclusion on what had been agreed, he said “it will take as long as it takes”.
The Times’s Steven Swinford says the European Research Group, which represents the most pro-Brexit Tory MPs, is likely to reserve judgment on the Northern Ireland protocol deal until its “star chamber” of pro-Brexit lawyers has analysed the deal. But ERG members have concerns, he says.
Expect a period of relative silence from ERG as its 'Star Chamber' examines the deal
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 28, 2023
Senior members of ERG area already concerned by differences in language between EU & UK
They point to Commission saying Stormont Brake will only be triggered in 'most exceptional circumstances'
Martin Lewis, the consumer champion and MoneySavingExpert founder, thinks it is more likely than not that the govermment will abandon plans to raise energy bills in April, my colleague Graeme Wearden reports on his business live blog.
Sunak accused of inconsistency after talking up benefits of Northern Ireland being in single market
This is what Rishi Sunak said in his Q&A about Northern Ireland being “the world’s most exciting economic zone” because it is in the EU single market and the UK.
If we get this right, if we get this framework implemented, if we get the executive back up and running here, Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position – unique position in the entire world, European continent – in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, the fifth biggest in the world, but also the European Union single market. Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys. Only here. And that is the prize.
I can tell you, when I go around the world and talk to businesses, they know. They’re like, ‘That’s interesting, if you guys get this sorted, then we want to invest in Northern Ireland.’
Because nowhere else does that that exist. That’s like the world’s most exciting economic zone.
He also said, if the power sharing executive is restored, it can focus on attracting more inward investment.
Obviously, prior to Brexit, the whole of the UK, not just Northern Ireland, enjoyed the benefits of unfettered access to the single market and to the UK domestic market. Commentators and anti-Brexit campaigners have been making that argument on Twitter this morning. I quoted some earlier. (See 9.07am.) Here are some more people accusing Sunak of inconsistency.
From Alastair Campbell, the leading podcaster and former communications chief for Tony Blair
Listening to Sunak waxing lyrical about how much easier life and business are without endless form filling and unnecessary borders takes me back to the days when Thatcher waxed lyrical about the single market. What we have remains so much worse than what we had. 1/2
— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) February 27, 2023
From the Labour MP Chris Bryant
Sunak says how wonderful it is that Northern Ireland gets privileged access to the single market. I’d like that for the rest of the UK.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) February 27, 2023
(Bryant is not going to get single market membership from a Labour government. Keir Starmer has ruled out rejoining.)
Sunak’s argument only makes sense if you believe that being outside the EU will make the UK domestic market a much more attractive one for firms than it was when the UK was a member. Perhaps that might be the case if Brexit were to turbo-charge the economy in some way that would make it outperform the EU. But there is no evidence at all for this happening; instead, so far, most economists believe Brexit has been a drag on economic performance.
But Sunak does seem to genuinely believe in the economic benefits of Brexit. Unlike other Brexiters, who voted to leave the EU in 2016 because they primarily wanted the government to be able to halt free movement EU immigration, or because they thought it would deliver a shock to an establishment that had ignored left-behind communities, Sunak voted leave because he thought it would be good for trade and growth. In an article for the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend on the protocol, he started by saying: “I voted for Brexit and I believe in Brexit, because it offers vast opportunities for families and businesses across our whole country.”
Updated
My colleague John Crace points out that, in his comments criticising the original Northern Ireland protocol this morning, Rishi Sunak glossed over who was responsible for it.
Rishi Sunak spent a lot of time this morning trashing the NI protocol. Seems to have forgotten he supported it at 2019 election and in Johnson govt
— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) February 28, 2023
Sunak is now taking two final questions.
Q: How confident are you that this deal will heal the divisions in Northern Ireland?
Sunak says he went to university in 1998. He grew up under the Good Friday agreement. His roommate at university was from Omagh, he says.
He says the protocol disrupted the balance of the Good Friday agrement, which is about respecting all identities. That is why it needed resolving. It is why he has spent so much time on this, he says.
He says the deal is an “enormously positive step forward”.
Q: What can you do to ensure there are more electric charging points in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has the lowest number per person in the UK?
Sunak says he did not know that. Over the UK as a whole, performance is good, he says. He says this shows why Northern Ireland needs a functioning government.
And that’s it. The Q&A is over.
Sunak says he has to be disciplined on public sector pay. He says the worst thing he could do would be to not deliver on his pledge to halve inflation.
Sunak says he wants to give DUP 'time and space' to consider deal, and hopes that will lead to resumption of power sharing
Q: MLAs are elected to do a job. They get paid to do it, but they are not doing it. When is enough enough?
Sunak says that is a good question. It is a “reasonable point”. Salaries have been cut by 27%, he says.
But there was a reason the DUP were boycotting the assembly. And their concerns were valid.
He says the Stormont brake should give the DUP even more incentive to go back. The assembly will have more powers. He says he hopes, with “time and space”, the DUP will agree to resume power sharing. He says he wants to give them that time and space.
Q: My 14-year-old son is a member of the youth assembly here. How can we demonstrate to young people that politics is a force for good, not something that divides us.
Sunak asks if the youth assembly is sitting. The questioner says it is.
Sunak says that is what people need to see.
We have to put the arguments of the past behind us, he says.
He says with the new framework, Northern Ireland can move forward.
Sunak says half the people in his office are from Northern Ireland.
Sunak says being in single market and UK makes Northern Ireland 'world's most exciting economic zone'
Q: With corporation tax going up, how can we ensure Northern Ireland remains an attractive place for investment?
Sunak jokes about being glad he is no longer chancellor.
He says last year we saw what happened when the government had let borrowing get out of control.
He refers to the previous question, and says children facing poverty don’t benefit if the government finances are not under control.
He wants to see businesses invest more, he says. That is how we create jobs.
He says he wants to cut taxes on investment.
He says nowhere else in the world has the advantages Northern Ireland has, being in the EU single market and in the UK.
He says this makes it unique in the world.
It is the same argument he made on the Today programme earlier (see 9.07am), except now he is laying it on very thick. He says this makes Northern Ireland “the world’s most exciting economic zone”.
And he says this is an advantage Ireland does not have.
UPDATE: See 11.11am for the full quote.
Updated
In response to a question about food security, Sunak conceded supermarket shortages were a problem. He said:
The hassle of getting a supermarket lorry from Great Britain to Northern Ireland was enormous, hundreds of certificate, tonnes of bureaucracy to get through.
And worse, what was available in Great Britain on the shelves in the supermarket – which I know is a bit challenging at the moment but is getting better – but more generally, was not available on the shelves in Northern Ireland and that wasn’t right.
And we’ve resolved all those issues, there’s going to be the same things in both places and that’s as it should be.
Q: One in four children in Northern Ireland is in poverty. What more can the government do?
Sunak says he is a parent, with daughters aged nine and 10. It is heartbreaking to think of children in poverty.
He says the best way to get children out of poverty is to have their parents in work.
If your parents are in work, you are four or five times less likely to be in poverty, he says.
Sunak says one of the benefits of leaving the EU is that it will allow the government to redesign schemes supporting farmers. There are opportunities to grow more at home, he says.
Sunak is now taking questions.
Q: You talk a lot about the benefits of the agreement for trade. We are an all-island business. Are there any implications we need to consider?
Sunak says the agreement is a balance. It protects the interests of firms trading with Ireland.
Sunak is now running through what he sees as the advantages of the protocol deal.
It is a version of the speech he gave at his press conference yesterday.
Sunak tells voters in Northern Ireland during Q&A he is 'over the moon' about protocol deal
Rishi Sunak is starting his Q&A. He is at a Coca Cola plant.
He starts by saying they are all thinking of John Caldwell, the police officer shot last week, and praying for his recovery.
Turning to the protocol, he says he knows it was causing problems. That is why he has spent so much time trying to find a resolution. He goes on to say that is why he is “really pleased” – then he corrects himself, no “over the moon” – about being able to strike the deal yesterday.
Here is the scene where people are waiting in Northern Ireland for Rishi Sunak’s PM Connect event.
Rishi Sunak will be holding a PM Connect event in Belfast very shortly.
Watch my PM Connect event live from Belfast where I will be answering questions on The Windsor Agreement.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 28, 2023
10am exclusively on my YouTube channel. https://t.co/eRhj5Wjkdk pic.twitter.com/shjC2AXXqP
PM Connect is Sunak’s term for a Q&As with voters. David Cameron used to call them PM Direct when he did them.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, was also interviewed on the Today programme this morning. Most of what he said about the protocol deal echoed what he said in the statement he released yesterday, and when the presenter, Justin Webb, put it to him that he was being “cautiously positive”, Donaldson did not object. Donaldson told the programme:
We’re reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the prime minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself, can it deliver on the areas of concern that we set out in our seven tests?
What happens next for NI protocol deal to be implemented
In his Today interview Rishi Sunak was asked if the Windsor framework would be implemented anyway, even if the DUP did not back it and refused to restore power sharing at Stormont. In his response, he did not use the word “yes”, but that is what he implied. He said:
The framework is what we have agreed with the European Union. It’s an incredibly positive and comprehensive agreement, ensures that we have smooth flowing trade within the UK internal market … This is not necessarily about me or any one political party. This is about what’s best for the people in communities and businesses in Northern Ireland.
The deal has not yet been implemented. In the command paper published yesterday, the government explained what would have to happen next. It said:
We have set out above the instruments that make up this package overall. These will be approved at the next meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee, which we expect to take place next month. After that, the UK and EU will respectively take forward legislative measures to translate the solutions into law in both legal orders, providing the basis for these new arrangements to enter into force.
The document does not say the deal is conditional upon Stormont, or the DUP, agreeing to it.
Sunak says being in single market will make Northern Ireland 'incredibly attractive place to invest'
In his Today interview Rishi Sunak said that Northern Ireland was an “incredibly attractive” place to invest because it was within the UK, but also within the EU single market. It is an argument ministers are regularly made over the past three years to try to persuade unionists of the benefits of the protocol, and Sunak indicated that he will be reviving it again today when he speaks to people in Northern Ireland. He said:
I’ve spent a lot of time engaging with business group [in Northern Ireland]. I thank them, actually, for that engagement and this agreement ensures that they will have a continuing role.
But they all say to me, if we can get this resolved in the way that we have, that will unlock an enormous amount of invesment.
Remember this – Northern Ireland has this very special position where it has access to the UK market, has access to the EU market, which makes it an incredibly attractive place to invest for businesses. And that’s sitting there waiting to happen if we can move forward and get the government up and running.
But this is a dangerous argument for Brexiters like Sunak to make because it highlights the value of single market membership, as various commentators have been pointing out this morning. Under Brexit, firms based in Great Britain do not have the same unfettered access to the single market as the Northern Ireland counterparts.
This is from Will Hutton, the Observer columnist.
The near universal welcome to Sunak’s deal - credit to him - recognising it gives NI full access to both UK and EU single markets is telling. An implicit recognition of the catastrophic error of Brexit, the urgent need for a reset and repudiation of Johnson et al. A good day.
— Will Hutton (@williamnhutton) February 28, 2023
This is from Jennifer Rankin, the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent.
Northern Ireland is an "incredibly attractive place to invest" for businesses because it has access to the EU and UK market, said Rishi Sunak. Once again, Brexit supporter speaks in favour of the single market access the whole UK once had.
— Jennifer Rankin (@JenniferMerode) February 28, 2023
And this is from Gavin Essler, the journalist and anti-Brexit campaigner.
Personally I think Rishi Sunak’s “Windsor framework” is so good it should be extended to Windsor and indeed the entire UK. We could call it something catchy like “membership of the Single Market and Customs Union.”
— Gavin Esler (@gavinesler) February 28, 2023
How the papers are covering Sunak's Northern Ireland deal
Newspapers have much smaller readerships than they did in the days when the late Sir Bernard Ingham masterminded the No 10 spin operation, but they are still influential, particularly within the Conservative party. That’s because, while voters at large may not pay much attention to Daily Mail editorials, Tory MPs certainly do.
Rishi Sunak will be pleased with what the papers are saying this morning. My colleague Graham Russell has a round-up.
Q: Businesses here say the rise in corporation tax will make it hard to compete with Ireland.
Sunak says businesses want stability and certainty.
He has spent a lot of time engaging with business groups. They say if the protocol issue is resolved, that will unlock a lot of investment. Because Northern Ireland is in the single market, it is an attractive location for businesses.
Q: Do you hope this will open up a new relationship with the EU?
Sunak says it is important to have a good relationship with our closest neighbour. He says we have lots of shared challenges. Cooperation with countries like France is yielding benefits.
He ends by describing the Stormont brake as “an incredibly powerful measure”.
The interview is over.
Updated
Q: Have you talked to Boris Johnson about this?
Sunak says of course he talks to “the former prime minister”.
Sunak suggests new deal will go ahead anyway, regardless of whether or not DUP back it
Q: If the DUP decide not to go ahead with power sharing, will the framework still go ahead?
Sunak says it is what the government has agreed with the EU.
It is about what is best for the people of Northern Ireland, he says.
That is what he will be talking about to people in Northern Ireland today.
UPDATE: See 9.27am for more on the process, and the full quote from Sunak.
Updated
Sunak says less than 3% of EU laws will continue to apply in Northern Ireland under deal
Sunak says the deal is about “balance”. That is why some EU laws will still apply in Northern Ireland. But less than 3% of laws will continue to apply there.
And the Stormont brake will allow Northern Ireland to block new EU laws there, he says.
UPDATE: Sunak said:
This is ultimately about balance. At the heart of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement is the delicate balance that needs to exist in Northern Ireland, and that’s about respect for the aspirations and identities of all communities.
In practical terms, something that is important to people in Northern Ireland is not having a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, I think that’s important to everybody in fact, but also it’s important for businesses to have access to the EU single market.
As long as the people of Northern Ireland consent to that arrangement, then that’s why there is a small and limited role for EU law in Northern Ireland – what we are talking about is less than 3% of EU laws that apply in Northern Ireland and they apply very specifically for the purpose that I just mentioned.
Updated
Sunak confirms new deal won't lead to removal of border posts at GB/NI border
Sunak confirms all border posts will not be removed. Border posts will be needed for goods in the red channel, he says.
Q: And there will still be checks in the green lane, won’t there?
Sunak says there won’t be routine checks. But there will be checks when there are suspicions of criminality or smuggling. That is right, he says.
UPDATE: Sunak said:
One of the key achievements of the Windsor framework is it removes any sense of an Irish Sea border, so that when goods move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, they will now move without customs bureaucracy, they will move without routine checks.
The border posts are there very specifically for the red lane. Because as part of having a green lane, where goods flow freely within our UK internal market, if goods are actually going to the Republic of Ireland, i.e. going into the EU, well, that’s not our country and it’s entirely reasonable, that we have checks for those types of goods.
And we also check when we suspect criminality or smuggling. And that’s something that the government’s always said that it would do and has been long-standing practice, actually.
Updated
Sunak declines to apologise for government's decision to sign original NI protocl
Martha Kearney is interviewing Rishi Sunak on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. They are both in Northern Ireland.
Q: What will people in Northern Ireland notice from this?
Sunak says he has spent a lot of time listening to the problems in Northern Ireland. He thinks the Windsor framework will address those. He hopes people will support it when they have had “the time and the space” to read it.
Q: You are admitting that the original protocol was flawed. Will you apologise for it?
Sunak says he has been explicit about the problems. It is just his job to fix it.
UPDATE: Sunak said:
I have spent a lot of time listening to unionist communities from Northern Ireland and indeed all parties that I’ve engaged with, because this is about everybody, and I have taken the time to understand their concerns.
I am confident that the Windsor framework addresses those concerns but I also respect that everybody, including unionist representatives of all parties, will need the time and the space to consider the detail.
Updated
Biden says NI agreement 'essential step to ensuring hard-earned peace is preserved'
Joe Biden, the American president, has welcomed the Northern Ireland protocol deal. Here is an extract from the statement he has released.
Today’s announcement between the United Kingdom and the European Union on the Windsor framework is an essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement is preserved and strengthened. I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Ireland’s place within the UK’s internal market as well as the EU’s single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.
Updated
Rishi Sunak interviewed on Today after UK and EU agree Northern Ireland deal
Good morning. Yesterday, after months of negotiating a deal and days of dithering about how to present it, Rishi Sunak finally announed the “Windsor framework” – the new version of the Northern Ireland protocol agreed with the EU. He was worried about provoking a Conservative Brexiter backlash, but yesterday the announcement landed about as well as he could have expected – or perhaps even better.
Tory MPs were largely supportive and the Brexit hardliners in the ERG, who only a week ago said that any deal that kept Northern Ireland under the remit of the European court of justice (as the Windsor framework does) would be unacceptable, were reserving judgment, and not speaking out in public. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, was reasonably positive (by DUP standards). Outright criticism was coming only from people such as Nigel Farage and the DUP hardliner Ian Paisley, both of whom said the deal “did not cut the mustard”. By Brexiter standards, that is hardly the most damning verdict.
And Boris Johnson? The former PM had been threatening to lead a Tory revolt against the renegotiation. In the event, he did not even attend the Commons statement. (Perhaps he was on another urgent trip to Afghanistan?) As my colleague Aubrey Allegretti reports, sources say he is still considering what to do. But this morning Johnson looks diminished. As Paul Waugh writes in the i, “the real win for Sunak may be that he’s finally weaning his party off its addiction to Boris Johnson”.
Here is our overnight story about the announcement yesterday.
Rishi Sunak is about to give an interview to Today. Here is the agenda for the day.
8.10am: Rishi Sunak is interviewed on the Today programme. He is in Belfast, where later he will be doing a Q&A with workers.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
11.30am: Grant Shapps, the energy secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
12.20pm: Humza Yousaf, the SNP leadership candidate, launches his early years childcare strategy.
12.30pm: Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, gives a speech to the Onward thinktank.
5pm: Sunak is due to address the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee in London.
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