Valentine's Day Brexit deal back on the table as Rishi Sunak seeks new opt-outs on Northern Ireland
10 December 2022, 22:58
The government aims to sign a new Brexit deal with the EU on Valentine's Day in a bid to shorten Northern Ireland customs checks.
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Rishi Sunak has also put the new Northern Ireland bill on ice until the new year in an attempt to foster goodwill with Brussels.
The proposed legislation sought to sanction intentional and repeated "opt-outs" of the current Brexit deal to make customs checks in Northern Ireland smoother.
But lawyers and even ministers have said the bill could violate international law, The Sunday Times reported.
Downing Street and the EU are now hoping to reach a harmonious agreement on diluting the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, which lengthens some customs checks and makes trade more expensive.
The February deadline was decided after the government felt issues around the Protocol should not disrupt celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Troubles in April.
The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998.
Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine, who is in charge to shepherding the current Northern Ireland bill through the upper chamber, has reportedly said in private that the legislation could be illegal under international agreements.
He told The Sunday Times he does not recognise such remarks.
Members of the European Research Group (ERG) of hardline Conservative MPs have voiced concerns that Sunak may be willing to give in to the EU on key sovereignty points.
To assuage such fears, Downing Street has hired an ex-Vote Leave staffer to consult the ERG.
This will "reassure them they are being listened to and in the loop", a Downing Street source said.
