Labor leader Keir Starmer promises the ‘prime minister’ his parliamentary group will support a deal between London and Brussels on the Irish Protocol
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that his group will support a deal between London and Brussels on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Starmer’s reassurance came on Friday after three days of meetings in Northern Ireland following Monday’s announcement that the UK and the European Union are close to agreeing on a new customs regime.
Media analysts have suggested that the progress of negotiations could lead to the bankruptcy of the Conservative parliamentary group. A faction that supported Boris Johnson also backs the former prime minister’s strategy to challenge the EU to a trade war and unilaterally change Northern Ireland’s status, as agreed in the Withdrawal Agreement.
Consideration of Johnson’s treaty-breaching bill progressed in parliament, but there has been no movement on the bill since November 7, which is stuck in the final stages of scrutiny and amendments in the House of Lords. Instead, “a change of music” has been encouraged in relations with Brussels, said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
The melody is not danced in Ulster. The union leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has stated that “we are not close” to an agreement. According to him, the agreement announced on Monday deals with technical issues and other, more political issues still need to be resolved. His party, the DUP, will boycott shared self-government for Northern Ireland until a deal is reached to their satisfaction.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar warned after meetings with parties and business associations that an agreement may be reached between London and Brussels, but that this will not lead to the restoration of autonomy. He, Cleverly and Ireland’s Foreign Secretary Michéal Martin, who met with UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris, deny there is a deadline.
Labor Starmer is more adventurous. He claims there is “a short window of opportunity” for the deal. It must be reached before April 10, the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. He invoked the spirit of that negotiation to support Sunak against his rebels because, according to Starmer, “it’s time to put Northern Ireland over a Brexit cult that is never satisfied”.
The succession of meetings and statements over the past three days began with a surprise. Minister Cleverly called a meeting with the Northern parties, but did not invite Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Only Michelle O’Neill, leader of the party in the North. O’Neill resigned from the assembly and so did Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood.
Sinn Féin is the only island-wide Irish party with a presence in Parliament in Dublin and Belfast. McDonald called his exclusion the result of “conservative irritability.” Smart aides argued that McDonald is the leader of the opposition in Dublin or that it is diplomatically inappropriate to meet her in front of the Irish foreign minister. The second part of this game is eagerly awaited.
Source: La Verdad
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