Tories at war over Brexit ‘sell out’ to the EU: Home Secretary Suella Braverman warns she won’t back agreement giving Brussels a ‘foothold’ in Northern Ireland as Rishi Sunak backs off signing deal amid DUP and backbench resistance
- The Prime Minister had hoped to unveil the new agreement with the EU this week
- A source said it was almost certain that negotiations would slip into next week
One of Rishi Sunak’s most senior ministers has warned she would not accept a ‘sell out’ to the EU in order to solve the Brexit row over Northern Ireland.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she would oppose any agreement with Brussels that gave it a ‘foothold’ in Ulster.
Her intervention came as the Prime Minister tried to woo unionists and Eurosceptics into backing a deal to solve the customs border that has been a running problem since the UK left the bloc.
The PM’s plans are expected to end EU checks on most British goods sent to Northern Ireland and restore Westminster’s right to set tax policy in the Province, which was effectively still left in the EU’s single market after Brexit in order to prevent a hard border with Northern Ireland.
But Northern Ireland is still expected to be subject to some EU trade laws, over which it currently has no say.
Ms Braverman claimed she was not prepared to resign over the issue, but last night she told GB News: ‘I’ve taken a very forthright position in the past because I’ve found the terms of previous agreements intolerable.
‘I don’t support selling out on Northern Ireland and allowing the EU a foothold in the United Kingdom.
‘It’s absolutely vital we safeguard what we’ve gained from the Brexit vote, that we go forward as a United Kingdom where the integrity of our Union is safeguarded and we properly take back control. ‘I know the Prime Minister shares that objective.’
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she would oppose any agreement with Brussels that gave it a ‘foothold’ in Ulster.
The Prime Minister had hoped to unveil the new agreement with the EU this week after flying to Northern Ireland to brief political leaders last Friday
Mrs Braverman (pictured) played down the prospect she could resign, and said she believed Mr Sunak shares her objectives
A Government source said there was now a ‘99.9 per cent’ likelihood that negotiations would slip into next week as the PM tries to calm a backlash by the DUP and his own MPs.
In her interview, Mrs Braverman said the Government was committed to working with the DUP which is refusing to return to powersharing in the Stormont Assembly unless there is fundamental change to the protocol.
‘We have always worked very closely with the DUP. They are unionists. They speak for a significant portion of the community in Northern Ireland and they need to be around the table,’ she said.
‘Ultimately Stormont will only function if the DUP supports any proposal.’
During clashes in the Commons yesterday, the PM insisted he would be ‘resolute’ in defence of the UK’s interests.
He told MPs: ‘I am a Conservative, a Brexiteer and a Unionist, and any agreement that we reach needs to tick all three boxes.
‘It needs to ensure sovereignty for Northern Ireland, to safeguard Northern Ireland’s place in our union, and it needs to find practical solutions to the problems faced by people and businesses.
‘I will be resolute in fighting for what is best for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.’
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson welcomed the PM’s initiative but warned that any new deal must not involve ‘tinkering around the edges’
But, in an ominous sign, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned there would have to be significant changes to the Brexit treaty with the EU, including ending the ‘unacceptable’ situation that leaves Northern Ireland governed by EU trade laws it has no say over.
Sir Jeffrey welcomed the PM’s initiative but warned that any new deal must not involve ‘tinkering around the edges’.
Former Brexit minister Lord Frost said: ‘We have learned we can’t rely on EU commitments that aren’t tied down or rest on good faith or the EU’s acting reasonably. They need to be legally clear and enforceable. If they aren’t, we will be back here again before too long.’
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