Tory leadership ‘wannabes’ get tough over Protocol

CABINET ministers Liz Truss and Suella Braverman have been accused of trying to flutter “leadership feathers” by attempting to toughen up plans to replace the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Foreign Secretary and the Attorney General clashed with Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak in tense talks about legislation to replace the Protocol.

It was finally agreed that businesses in Northern Ireland will be subject to “dual regulation” – by UK and EU rules – when the Bill is unveiled next week.

An automatic “sunset clause” demanded by the Brexiteers, which would mean the EU jurisdiction would fall away after a few years, was cut.

The Chancellor won a concession on if the Treasury could alter VAT in the Province, rather than make it Uk-wide.

Ms Truss and Ms Braverman were backed by ministers Kwasi Kwarteng, Dominic Raab and Brandon Lewis against Mr Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, Mr Sunak and Anne-marie Trevelyan, the International Trade Secretary.

Sources spoke of surprise when the Prime Minister sided with Mr Gove and Mr Sunak as the meeting began.

Tensions rose when Boris Johnson told the meeting “that our objective is not to be sovereignty purists but to find solutions that work in practice”.

One Brexiteer Cabinet source said Mr Gove was “fighting hard on the Protocol Bill to keep the EU aligned”.

However, a source close to Mr Sunak and Mr Gove said at the meeting there was “feather fluttering from leadership wannabes” keen to impress Tory Eurosceptics.

A No10 source defended the legislation, saying it had to be balanced to protect north-south and east-west trade.

Ministers were hoping the Bill would persuade the DUP to allow the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Separately, Eurosceptic Tory MPS threatened to vote down measures if they were too weak to appease DUP anger over the Irish Sea border.

Sir Bernard Jenkin, the veteran Brexiteer, said he would vote against the Bill if it did not hold out “the serious prospect of the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, and the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement”.