Status: 02/28/2023 05:39 a.m
The British press celebrated the agreement between Northern Ireland and the EU as a “milestone”. However, it is unclear how much support Prime Minister Sunak has in his Conservative Party.
This agreement is called “historic”, a “milestone” according to the commentaries in English newspapers. But none of this will help Prime Minister Rishi Sunak if resistance within his own party fails.
Sunak spoke for almost half an hour yesterday in the House of Commons and explained why he believes the result of the negotiations represents a breakthrough: “Thousands of pages of EU legislation are being repealed, this is the breakthrough, these are the changes that we are delivering. Now it works regarding moving forward as a united United Kingdom,” the prime minister appealed to MPs.
EU shows concessions
Of course, EU laws will continue to apply, but in principle the European Union has been very accommodating to the British government. Because in future English products may be exported to Northern Ireland, and if these are, for example, vegetables or sausages for Northern Irish supermarkets, EU rules should not apply at all.
Behind Rishi Sunak in the ranks sat Theresa May, the former prime minister who had already failed in 2018 with the demanding task of negotiating an exit agreement and was therefore dumped by her own party in 2019.
Johnson supporters might vote once morest it
But behind him were also the Brexit ideologues, who consider any agreement with the European Union to be a betrayal of voters. Is there enough in this compromise to satisfy them? Sunak, who needed two tries and failed Prime Minister Liz Truss to become head of government, campaigned with veto power for the regional government in Northern Ireland. A special rule allows the members of the regional parliament to block new EU regulations.
It is currently difficult to estimate how great the resistance is in your own party. British media reported there were at most 20 to 30 MPs who would not vote in favor of the deal, mostly Boris Johnson supporters. But that would mean: Sunak gets his own majority together and avoids humiliation in parliament.
Northern Ireland DUP might cause trouble
Labor had already announced that it would vote for the compromise with the EU, arguing out of statesmanship: “This agreement allows us to move forward as a country and not get bogged down in endless debates with our partners,” said Labor leader Keir Starmer. who once wanted to prevent Brexit, but now believes that he can no longer win elections by withdrawing from Brexit.
Open conflict is emerging with Northern Ireland’s DUP, the Unionist party, which had set conditions and actually want the Northern Ireland Protocol to be scrapped entirely: “It cannot be denied that in some areas of Northern Ireland EU law is still in force applies,” said DUP chief Jeffrey Donaldson.
The party has just eight MPs in the UK House of Commons, but the DUP’s opposition is having its biggest impact in Northern Ireland’s regional parliament. The party is blocking the formation of a government there – and has been for months. Many Northern Irish are annoyed by numerous tasks that have to be solved: in view of a peace agreement that was painstakingly negotiated 25 years ago and in view of a conflict that is still casting its shadow into 2023.
Agreement in dispute over Northern Ireland Protocol
Christoph Proessl, ARD London, February 28, 2023 5:46 a.m