The Northern Ireland Protocol row could undo Rishi Sunak ➡️ The last thing Sunak needs is a disagreement that Boris Johnson supporters can weaponise and use to push angry MPs toward their man ✒️ katyballs
It’s understood that Sunak would prefer to find an agreement rather than head for a legal showdown. During his time as chancellor, Sunak was the figure on the Protocol subcommittee who warned about the dangers of sparking a trade war. It means he is viewed by Tory MPs as a leader looking for compromise rather than confrontation on the issue.
However, any compromise is racked with potential pitfalls and risks reopening old Brexit wounds within the Tory party. “I fear it will fail,” says one downbeat former minister of the likelihood of an agreement that can win the backing of the DUP and unite the Tories. First off, it’s not at all clear the DUP will back the type of arrangement the UK Government could make with Brussels. If they don’t, then it won’t offer a solution to the deadlock at Stormont. In a sign of awareness of this, Cleverly said this week that “having the parties coming back to Stormont and getting resolution on the Northern Ireland Protocol are not necessarily interlinked”.
Second, any changes could fall short of the standard of Tory Brexiteers. When Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt made the final two in the second Tory leadership contest of the 2022, the European Research Group met to discuss endorsing a candidate – but no agreement could be found.
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