LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is traveling to Northern Ireland to meet local politicians as a deal with the EU on a long-running post-Brexit trade row looms.
Sunak’s visit — ahead of a key meeting with the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen leader this weekend — comes amid expectation an agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol could be announced as early as Tuesday next week after six months of talks.
First and foremost, the U.K. prime minister will need to convince lawmakers in the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that any fix on the protocol meets their list of demands, and then faces the painstaking task of trying to sell any agreement to Conservative Brexiteers.
The DUP is staunchly opposed to the protocol arrangement, and views the introduction of checks on trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as driving a wedge between the region and the rest of the U.K. It also rejects the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in governing disputes under the deal, and is boycotting the power-sharing assembly in the region in opposition to the rules.
It warned in a statement Thursday night: “There will be no restoration of the NI Executive until the Protocol is replaced with arrangements that unionists can support.”
Diplomatic offensive
Sunak has scheduled a weekend meeting with European Commission President von der Leyen on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
No. 10 Downing Street is expected to go public with the agreement soon after the prime minister briefs the Cabinet Tuesday to minimize the window for leaks, according to two U.K. officials, who warned the draft agreement is not finalized and could yet fall apart.
Meanwhile, Downing Street maintains no deal has been done and that technical talks continue.
A No. 10 spokesperson said: “Whilst talks with the EU are ongoing, ministers continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure any solution fixes the practical problems on the ground, meets our overarching objectives, and safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K.’s internal market.
“The prime minister and secretary of state for Northern Ireland are traveling to Northern Ireland this evening to speak to political parties as part of this engagement process.”
This article has been updated to remove a reference to a ministerial meeting initially slated for Friday.
Shawn Pogatchnik contributed reporting.
