The Prime Minister claimed he had "achieved the impossible" as he told the House of Commons his Brexit deal restored full sovereignty to Northern Ireland.
Rishi Sunak said the Windsor Framework “permanently removes the border in the Irish Sea” and was both radical and legally binding, ending the threat of "endless dynamic alignment" with the EU.
And as his predecessor Boris Johnson and the Democratic Unionist Party considered whether to back the deal, he insisted he believed passionately with his "head and heart” that the Windsor Framework is the right way forward.
He told the Commons: “We’ve achieved free-flowing trade with a green lane for goods, no burdensome customs bureaucracy, no routine checks on trade, no paperwork whatsoever for Northern Irish goods moving into Great Britain and no border in the Irish Sea.
“We’ve protected Northern Ireland’s place in the Union with state aid reach-back fixed, the same tax rules applying everywhere, vet certificates for food lorries gone, the ban on British sausages gone, parcel paperwork gone, pet paperwork gone, garden centres now selling the same trees, supermarkets selling the same food, and pharmacies selling the same medicines.
“And we’ve safeguarded sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland with the democratic deficit closed, the Vienna Convention confirmed, thousands of pages of EU law scrapped and with the Stormont brake we have safeguarded democracy and sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.
“So that is the choice before us. Let us 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 – that is what the people of Northern Ireland deserve, that is what the Windsor Framework delivers.
“As a Conservative, a Brexiteer and a unionist, I believe passionately with my head and my heart that this is the right way forward – right for Northern Ireland, right for our United Kingdom.”
Brexit breakthrough: Labour leader Keir Starmer said he would support the deal
House of Commons
The Windsor Framework also addresses the so-called “reach-back” of EU state aid law by imposing “stringent new tests”.
Mr Sunak added: “Because we now have control over VAT policy, we can make sure that the EU’s plan to reduce the VAT threshold by £10,000 will not apply in Northern Ireland and nor will the SME VAT directive that would have brought huge amounts of EU red tape for small businesses.
“We are also making subsidy control provisions work as intended. Already just 2% of subsidy measures in Northern Ireland fall within the scope of the EU approval under the protocol. Nevertheless, today’s agreement goes further, addressing the so-called ‘reach-back’ of EU state aid law.
“It does this by imposing stringent new tests.
"For the EU to argue we are in breach of their rules, they now have to demonstrate that there is a real, genuine and material impact on Northern Ireland’s trade with the EU.”
He went on: “The commitment to establish the green lane is achieved by a legally binding amendment to the text of the treaty itself. This is fundamental, far-reaching change and it permanently removes the border in the Irish Sea.”
Laying out some of the detail in the deal on border checks, Mr Sunak said: “The only checks will be those required to stop smugglers and criminals and our new green lane will be open to a broad, comprehensive range of businesses across the United Kingdom.
“I am pleased to say we have also permanently protected tariff-free movement of all types of steel into Northern Ireland, and for goods going the other way from Northern Ireland to Great Britain we have scrapped export declarations, delivering finally completely unfettered trade.”
Mr Sunak agreed the deal with Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor
PA
The deal - agreed by Mr Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor earlier today - is intended to dramatically cut trade bureaucracy and reduce the role of EU law and the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, as well as giving the region’s assembly at Stormont a say over new EU rules.
The Brexit treaty will be changed, something the EU had repeatedly insisted was impossible, to include a "hard brake" which will allowing the UK, if demanded by 30 members from at least two parties in the Northern Ireland legislative assembly, to oppose updates to new EU goods law.
The UK has agreed to scrap legislation introduced by Boris Johnson which threatened to unilaterally rewrite the protocol.
Brussels has agreed to restart co-operation with Britain under the €95bn Horizon science project, with von der Leyen hailing “good news for scientists and researchers” in the UK.
France and Britain are also expected to increase cooperation to stop cross-Channel migration.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would support the deal and committed not to “play political games”.
Sir Keir said: "I have been clear for some time that if the Prime Minister were to get an agreement with the EU, and if their agreement is in the interest of this country and Northern Ireland, then Labour would support it.
“And we will stick to our word. We will not snipe, we will not seek to play political games, and when the Prime Minister puts this deal forward for a vote, Labour will support it and vote for it.”
He added: "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.
“And now that it has been agreed we all have an obligation to make it work.” Support from the Democratic Unionist Party is seen as critical to making the deal work, but there was a mixed response.
DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr, speaking exclusively to GB News, said his "gut instinct is this does not cut the mustard."
He added: "One cannot underestimate that His Majesty's government and Rishi Sunak have worked incredibly hard to try and move things in an environment where we were told there would be not an inch, not a single dot or comma would be changed to the existing Protocol.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that the EU had moved “a lot”
Niall Carson
"And it now appears that it can be changed.
"Has it been changed sufficiently? Does it meet our seven test? Obviously we are going to continue to assess the legal framework, and it's important that we do look at the legal issues which come forward, but I think it falls some way short in satisfying those tests."
But David Davis MP, the former Brexit Secretary, said he thought it was a "very good deal indeed".
He stressed: "I suspect the DUP will end up abstaining rather than supporting this deal, but that will still be massive.
"This is going to be a motion that gets 95 per cent support in the House of Commons.
"It's a big success for Rishi and may be a turning point for the Conservative government. "Now he can turn to domestic issues, from supply-side reforms to sorting out growth."
And Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson told Jacob Rees-Mogg on his new GB News show, State of the Nation, there was "a buzz" in the House of Commons and that he believed Brexit had finally been achieved.
He said: "I think Rishi today has achieved something that the previous three Prime Ministers have failed to achieve.
"It's pretty incredible. He's going to get plenty of brownie points and fair play to him."
Conservative former Prime Minister Theresa May urged all MPs to back Rishi Sunak’s deal.
Mrs May told the Commons: “The Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated and signed by the Government in December 2019 adopted the European Union’s preferred proposal of a border down the Irish Sea.
“Can I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Foreign Secretary, and all their teams, for all the work they have done to achieve this negotiated settlement which will make a huge difference.”
She added: “Does he agree with me that 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 Prime Minister replied: “I agree with her. What all of us should have at this moment at the top of our minds is the people of Northern Ireland and what is in their interest.
“I hope when people have the time and space to consider the Windsor Framework, that they will see that this is the best way to move forward and build that better future in Northern Ireland.”
King Charles met with Ms von der Leyen after the deal was signed
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SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said “broadly speaking, I am fully supportive” of the Windsor Framework but insisted “we cannot and we should not forget the damage which has been done by leaving the European Union”.
Mr Flynn went on: “I just find it astonishing that we have a situation where the leader of the Labour Party and the leader of the Conservative Party are hand in glove when it comes to their position on Brexit.”
The SNP Westminster leader also argued “what this deal does not do is create parity for the nations of these islands”, adding: “It means that businesses in Northern Ireland have access to the single market, whereas businesses in Scotland do not.
“I do not begrudge the people and businesses of Northern Ireland but I regret that Scotland does not have those same opportunities. So on that point, can the Prime Minister just clarify why Scotland is at a significant disadvantage in that regard on his watch?”
Rishi Sunak replied: “I am a passionate unionist and I will always believe that our Union is stronger when we are together.
"And Scotland will always, alongside Northern Ireland, Wales, be part of what makes this country great and we will fight, we will fight day in and day out to protect that Union.”
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson sought an assurance in the Commons that the application of EU law would not put barriers in the way of trading with the rest of the United Kingdom.
“Ultimately, my party will now assess all these proposed outcomes and arrangements against our seven tests,” he said, adding “and whether it respects and restores Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom”.
Speaking about goods manufactured in Northern Ireland, he said: “The overwhelming majority of what we produce we sell within our own internal market.
“And I want an assurance from the Prime Minister that not just now but in the future, the Government of the United Kingdom will protect Northern Ireland’s place within that internal market and will not allow the application of EU law to put barriers in the way of our ability to trade with the rest of our own country.”
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that the EU had moved “a lot” to facilitate a deal to improve the Northern Ireland protocol, and that negotiations would be difficult to reopen.
Mr Varadkar stayed quiet on what would happen if the DUP were to reject the Windsor Framework, saying the party should be given time to study the text of what had been agreed.
He said the free flow of goods and people on the island of Ireland had been maintained and the EU’s single market had been protected as part of the revised protocol.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis told Jacob Rees-Mogg it was an excellent deal
GB News
“What is different is that there will be no restrictions on trade when it comes to goods moving from Britain into Northern Ireland, or goods moving from Northern Ireland to Britain,” he said.
“It’s a uniquely positive arrangement for Northern Ireland businesses in particular, that trade can flow freely back and forth from Britain to Northern Ireland, without any need for any checks or complications, provided those goods stay in Northern Ireland.”
The Fine Gael leader also said that relations between the EU and UK had not been so positive for years, helped by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his team building up trust, and by negotiations being kept confidential.
The Taoiseach was speaking outside Government Buildings in Dublin as Mr Sunak defended his deal in the House of Commons, including in response to questions from some unionist MPs. Ireland’s deputy leader said the EU-UK deal represented a “genuine” attempt to address key unionist concerns.
Foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said the new EU-UK deal ensures that Northern Ireland “benefits by having unique access to both the EU single market and the UK’s internal market”.
“I heard first-hand the concerns of many unionists,” he said in a statement after the Windsor Framework deal.
“I believe they will see in this a genuine response to their genuine concerns. “This new framework will, for example, ensure that the same food will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK.
“Medicines will also be available to people in Northern Ireland at the same time and under the same conditions as the rest of the UK.”
Mr Varadkar echoed these comments, saying: “The European Union has moved a lot, moved a lot to facilitate a new agreement for Britain.
