London, 28 Feb. Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that the deal brokered with the EU to reform Northern Ireland’s Brexit protocol “restores and safeguards Northern Ireland’s sovereignty”.
Sunak defended, in statements to BBC Radio 4, the benefits of the changes agreed with Brussels, which he said “secure the place of the British province within the United Kingdom, by removing customs controls imposed by the original protocol on goods from Great Britain.
In addition, the revised text grants the Northern Ireland Home Rule Assembly the power to stop any future EU legislation which it considers contrary to regional interests.
The Tory leader explained that checks will now only be carried out on UK goods destined for Northern Ireland in the event of suspected smuggling, while full checks will be maintained for those traveling to the Republic of Ireland, who continues to be part of the EU and the single market community.
Asked by the presenter, Sunak refused to apologize for having himself supported the previous controversial protocol negotiated by the government of Boris Johnson, with whom he admitted having recently exchanged.
Johnson, who before stepping down promoted a law (now withdrawn) to unilaterally overturn it if Brussels did not agree to renegotiate it, has yet to comment on the changes made by Sunak, whose resignation in July last marked the end of his term.
Elsewhere in the interview, the current head of government acknowledged that, even with the revised protocol, “3%” of EU law remains in Northern Ireland.
This, which annoys the pro-British Unionist community, is necessary, he said, to ‘maintain the delicate balance’ of the province still being included in the European goods market to avoid having to erect a border physically on the island of Ireland, which would violate the 1998 peace accord.
On the other hand, Sunak indicated that the new agreement will continue its way through Parliament whether or not it is approved by the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (DUP), which so far has boycotted self-governing institutions. to protest the rule. .
“It’s not about me or any political party, it’s about what’s best for the people of Northern Ireland… This deal will benefit everyone,” said the Prime Minister.
If the DUP accepts the revised protocol and agrees to govern with nationalist Sinn Féin, who won the election last May, the possibility opens up for US President Joe Biden to pay a 25th anniversary visit on April 10 of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.
In a statement released last night, Biden said the pact announced Monday by Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is “an essential step in ensuring that hard-won peace and progress are preserved and strengthened.” . “, and hoped that the institutions of Northern Ireland would be restored “soon”. EFE
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