Brexit: Rishi Sunak suggests MPs will get vote on Northern Ireland deal
Rishi Sunak has indicated that he would put any new Brexit deal on Northern Ireland to a vote, in a move that risks a showdown with Eurosceptics on the Tory benches.
The prime minister said parliament will get to “express its view” following a grilling from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on what the settlement with Brussels might look like, and whether MPs will have a say on it.
Mr Sunak promised to be “resolute” in defending Northern Ireland as he seeks a deal to rewrite the terms of its post-Brexit arrangements.
He said he was a “Conservative, a Brexiteer and a unionist”, and any agreement over changes to arrangements of the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol must tick those three boxes.
Politics live: Sunak facing Starmer at PMQs as Brexit tensions bubble
However, he would not say if the deal he is discussing would remove the application of EU rules in the region or the oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) – a key sticking point for many Tories and DUP politicians.
Sir Keir said despite cheers from Conservative MPs during PMQS “the prime minister is pulling the wool over their eyes”.
He added: “It’s the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Politics in Northern Ireland is built on trust, not telling people what they want to hear.”
He asked: “Can the prime minister confirm that whatever deal he brings back – this House will get a vote on it?“
Mr Sunak replied “of course parliament will express its view” – which Sir Keir said he took to mean there will be a vote.
However, when asked to confirm if that was the case, the prime minister’s official spokesman cautioned that they would “not get into hypotheticals” adding: “There is nothing to vote on yet, we don’t have a deal.”
Sir Keir once again offered to give his party’s support to a Brexit deal, telling MPs: “Everyone knows the basis of this deal has been agreed for weeks but it’s the same old story: the country has to wait while he plucks up the courage to take on the malcontents, the reckless, the wreckers on his own benches.
“But I’m here to tell him that he doesn’t need to worry about that because we will put country before party and ensure the Labour votes to get it through.
“He should accept our offer, ignore the howls of indignation from those on his side, who will never take ‘yes’ for an answer. Why doesn’t he just get on with it?”
Mr Sunak replied: “What I am doing is talking and listening to the people of Northern Ireland. That is the right thing to do.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer quizzed Mr Sunak over the ongoing talks
Read more:
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why does it matter?
What is the Brexit deal being discussed between UK and EU?
PM holds ‘intensive talks’ with EU
The protocol was put in place as part of Boris Johnson’s “oven-ready” Brexit deal to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, which all sides agreed was necessary to preserve peace.
But unionists are unhappy about the economic barriers it has created on trade being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, with a customs border effectively imposed in the Irish Sea – something the former prime minister promised would not happen
There is also anger over the so-called “democratic deficit” caused by Northern Ireland still being subject to some EU rules so that goods can move freely into the Republic of Ireland – which unionists and Tory MPs see as an erosion of the UK’s sovereignty and incompatible with the aims of Brexit.
The PM’s spokesman said Mr Sunak had engaged in “intensive talks” with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen last night as he battles to reach a new deal, and that the discussions so far have been “very constructive”.
The prime minister is under pressure to meet the “seven tests” of Belfast’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) if he wants power-sharing in Northern Ireland to be restored – after they pulled out of the arrangement early last year in protest at the protocol.
Read More:
Break-up of UK ‘at stake’ if protocol not fixed, warns DUP
Brexit deal ‘not close’: Senior Tory dampens down prospect of resolution
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the party’s leader, said during PMQs the protocol must be “replaced with arrangements that are acceptable and restore our place in the UK and its internal market”.
Mr Sunak insisted he heard “loud and clear” what the party wants and “addressing the democratic deficit is an essential part of the negotiations”.
Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.
Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.
“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
March: ‘We are going to lose children’: Fears over USAID cuts in Kenya
USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.
The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.
Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.
USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Queer HIV activist on Trump and Musk’s USAID cuts
Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.
But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
Read more:
USAID explained
USAID ‘a bowl of worms’ – Musk
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What is USAID?
In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.
The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.
Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.
The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.
Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.
An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.
The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.
Protesters gathered in Bangkok at the weekend. Pic: Reuters
The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.
Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.
Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.
Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.
Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.
The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.
Read more from Sky News:
Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week
Cannes bringing in ‘drastic regulation’ on cruise ships
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.
Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.
Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
Read more from Sky News:
Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite form of transport to be scrapped
How does sunscreen work?
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike