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BREXIT BREAKTHROUGH
PM hails landmark Brexit deal which ends hated sausage ban and rips up thousands of pages of EU laws in Northern Ireland
RISHI Sunak tonight hailed his Brexit "breakthrough" as he struck a deal to end a barmy bangers ban and rip up thousands of pages of EU laws.
The jubilant PM insisted he had "taken back control" as was cheered by his rowdy backbenchers in the Commons tonight after sealing a major new deal with Brussels.
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He hailed a "new way forward" for Northern Ireland which will see huge swathes of red tape ripped up, and insisted it would give a "brighter future" to the UK.
In a major win for the PM, an agreement changing the failed Northern Ireland Protocol into the new "Windsor Framework" was reached with EU President Ursula von der Leyen at lunchtime.
The pair met in Windsor this afternoon to thrash out the final details of the "extraordinary" deal, which they say ends the hard border in the Irish Sea and makes it far easier for businesses to trade.
It will see the end of a bonkers sausages and chilled meat ban which saw British bangers unable to be sold in the province.
Mr Sunak said: "This means the ban on British products like sausages entering Northern Ireland has now been scrapped."
And Britain's VAT and duty rules will finally apply in Northern Ireland - making the price of a pint cheaper in the province.
In a joint press conference this afternoon Mr Sunak said it "marks a turning point for the people of Northern Ireland" and hailed it as the "beginning of a new chapter in our relationship".
Speaking side-by-side with the EU chief, he said with a smile: "We may have had our differences in the past but we are allies, trading partners and friends."
He dashed back to Parliament this evening to try and sell the deal to MPs, saying it "puts beyond all doubt that we have now taken back control" - in a nod to the famous referendum slogan.
And he said he believed with his "head and my heart" that the deal was the "right way forward".
He called on MPs to "seize the opportunity of this moment, the certainty of an agreement that fixes the problems we faced, commands broad support and consensus and offers us, at last, the freedom to move forward together".
The PM was cheered when he confirmed that the deal would see "thousands of pages of EU law scrapped" too.
Tonight, ex-PM Theresa May, who failed to get a Brexit deal over the line, hailed the new agreement signed by her successor-but-three as making a "huge difference".
She told MPs: "The best move now is for everybody across this House to support this settlement, because that is what is in the best interests of all the people of Northern Ireland."
The SNP and Labour said they would back the agreement when it comes to a vote.
But there are no firm plans on when that will take place - as No10 stressed they wanted to give all sides time to have a look at it properly.
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Q&A: SO WHY DID IT ALL DRAG ON?
Q) What is the Northern Ireland protocol?
A) It is a deal with the EU to avoid a hard border on the Irish mainland.
The EU insists goods which could enter its single market in the Republic of Ireland comply with its rules.
The protocol allowed some checks to take place on goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Q) What's the problem?
A) The protocol created a border in the Irish Sea, splitting off NI from the rest of the UK.
Sometimes the checks are so onerous businesses on the mainland refuse to sell goods in NI, leading to shortages.
Q) How is PM Rishi Sunak proposing to fix this?
A) The EU will agree to a new system of red and green lanes. Goods from GB destined for NI only would be subject to minimal checks.
There will also be a Stormont lock to give elected politicians in NI a say over which EU rules they follow.
Q) Will this end the row?
A) Unlikely. Anything requiring NI to still follow EU rules on product standards will be unacceptable to many.
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Ms von Der Leyen said as she signed off the agreement: "This new framework will allow us to begin a new chapter. It provides for long lasting solutions that both of us are confident will work for all people and businesses in Northern Ireland."
The EU chief went on to have tea with the King after her victory lap of Windsor.
Brussels and Britain have been striving to secure a new arrangement before the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement in April to smooth trade problems over the border and get the government in Stormont back up and running.
Following hundreds of hours of negotiations, Brussels agreed to a new system of red and green lanes for goods crossing from Britain into the province.
Products destined for NI only will be subject to minimal checks in the green lane, while those heading to the Republic will go through customs checks in the red lane.
Mr Sunak said: "If food is available on supermarket shelves in Great Britain, then it will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland."
People sending parcels to friends or shopping online will no longer have to complete customs paperwork.
And chilled meats such as sausages, which were banned under the Protocol, can now move freely into Northern Ireland.
There will also be a "Stormont break" to give elected politicians in NI a say over which EU trade rules they follow.
So the democratically elected Northern Ireland Assembly will be able to block new EU goods rules that "would have significant and lasting effects on everyday lives".
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The pound surged upwards after Mr Sunak announced the Windsor Framework this afternoon.
Sterling leaped 0.7% higher to 1.20 US dollars and was 0.3% up at 1.14 euros.
But despite the positive market reaction, Mr Sunak's new deal won't get a tick of approval from everyone.
Some hardline members of the DUP, and Brexiteer Tory Mps have marked any involvement of the European Court of Justice in the province as a red line.
But the DUP said tonight they would have to read the fine print of the deal before they decided whether to back it.
All eyes will also be on ex-PM Boris Johnson, who over the past week spoke out against Mr Sunak's efforts to end the dispute.
In a major move against his predecessor, the PM today agreed to drop the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
The controversial legislation would have enabled Westminster to override parts of the old Protocol deal it didn't believe were working.
How Boris reacts could influence levels of Tory backlash in response to the new deal.
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Most read in The Sun
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to lend the PM Labour votes when the vote goes ahead.
He told the Commons: "The protocol will never be perfect - it's a compromise.
"But I've always been clear that if implemented correctly it is an agreement that can work in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.
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"And now that it has been agreed we all have an obligation to make it work."
Sinn Fein also welcomed the deal, with the party's President Mary Lou McDonald saying: “We are now at a turning point and that is good news for business and wider society. People in the north want and deserve certainty and stability.
“The economic possibilities the Protocol opens up must be seized to benefit people in the north. The onus is now on the DUP to end its blockade of Stormont and join with the rest of us and make politics work."
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