“We should have done it differently,” the British ex-prime minister complained regarding the Brexit deal regarding his party leader Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland issue with the EU. If the agreement passed Parliament, Johnson would lose his strongest ace up his sleeve.
British ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson sharply criticized the agreement between London and Brussels on new Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. “It’s going to be very difficult for me to vote for something like this myself because I think we should have done it differently,” he said Johnson in a speech in London on Thursday.
The current British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, together with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, presented an agreement earlier this week that is intended to end a year-long dispute and simplify trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. But much depends on whether the agreement will appeal to the unionist party DUP in the British province of Northern Ireland. Supporters of the union with Great Britain are blocking the formation of a government in protest at the previous regulations.
“Take Back Control” cannot work like that
Looking at Sunak’s deal said Johnson: “This is not how Britain regains control.” The promise to gain complete control over the rules in one’s own country (“Take Back Control”) was the central slogan of the Brexit supporters. The ex-PM’s word carries weight in the Tory party, Johnson still has many loyal followers.
Johnson negotiated the original Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit deal. It provides for a customs border between Great Britain and the EU in the Irish Sea. This is to prevent border controls between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. But the rule brought difficulties, for example with sending parcels, medicines and bringing pets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Sunak wants parliament to vote on his agreement. A date for this has not yet been determined. Meanwhile, the DUP wants to examine the text in detail. Representatives of the party-affiliated think tank Center for the Union reported doubts in the “Belfast Telegraph”.
Damper for Johnson’s comeback ambitions
Prime Minister Sunak’s success in securing a new deal for Northern Ireland with the European Union has dashed any remaining prospects of Johnson’s return to British power.
Ahead of Sunak’s announcement of the deal on Monday, the former prime minister refused to support his efforts, instead pointing to the legislation he is proposing as prime minister as the “best way forward” to solve the post-Brexit problem. So far, however, Sunak’s agreement has been well received by Tory MPs, including some staunch Brexiteers.
Johnson’s standing in the group has never been lower, Conservative MPs said on Wednesday. One joked that it was time to sell Johnson shares, while another said a comeback was now a long way off. The MPs asked not to be known to speak regarding the dynamics within the party, Bloomberg news agency reported.
(APA/dpa/bloomberg)
