Eu deal ‘useless’
Brexiteers slam sunak’s stormont brake
RISHI Sunak was dealt a fresh blow yesterday as hardline Tory Brexiteer MPs branded a key part of his EU deal “practically useless”.
The European Research Group’s verdict came as the Prime Minister prepares for a showdown in the Commons today over the Brexit pact’s Windsor Framework.
The ERG hasn’t revealed how its bloc of MPs will vote but their damning report out yesterday is a strong sign they will rebel.
Publishing advice from a so-called “star chamber” of lawyers to consider the deal, the ERG claimed EU law in Northern Ireland will “still be supreme”. It said the “Stormont brake” negotiated by Sunak is “practically useless”.
The mechanism is meant to give Northern Ireland politicians the power to stop new EU laws but it can only be used in special circumstances.
Yesterday, the DUP said its MPs would oppose the deal, adding that the agreement does not deal with the “fundamental” issues. ERG chief and Tory MP Mark Francois declined to say how the group would vote.
But he told the Daily Telegraph: “It breaks Northern Ireland off from the United Kingdom and sets up a new regulatory environment around the European Union.
“It’s just not acceptable and, to be frank, I don’t know how they thought it ever could be.”
Given Labour’s support, the proposal is all but certain to pass the Commons but the PM will be humiliated if he is forced to rely on Labour MPs to get it through.
Downing Street rejected the comments from the ERG yesterday.
The PM’s official spokesman said. “The brake addresses the democratic deficit and provides a clear, democratic safeguard for Northern Ireland.”
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris claimed the deal represented a “turning point” for the people of Northern Ireland.