Northern Ireland Protocol: UK on ‘cusp of deal’ over post-Brexit trade rules, says Dominic Raab
Britain is “on the cusp of a deal” to resolve the long-running dispute over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said.
Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the cabinet minister said he hoped for an agreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol in “a matter of days not weeks”.
The justice secretary also indicated what the revamped deal could contain, including a “green lane” for GB goods into Northern Ireland to smooth friction on trade.
Raab ‘will resign’ if found guilty of bullying – politics latest
Mr Raab suggested the reduction in regulatory checks would involve a “substantial scaling back” of the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the region, which has been a major sticking point for Unionists and Tory Eurosceptics.
In addition, he signalled a mechanism had been negotiated to tackle the “democratic deficit” in the protocol, giving Stormont a say over any new EU rules that would affect Northern Ireland – a key test of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Mr Raab made his comments after Rishi Sunak said the government was “giving it everything” to strike a deal.
Meanwhile, Labour has said it expects to back any pact reached in the national interest.
The DUP has refused to take part in devolved power-sharing at Stormont with Sinn Fein in protest at the impact the Brexit treaty has had on trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Read more:
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why does it matter?
On the likelihood of a breakthrough in talks, Mr Raab said: “We are not there yet. But we are obviously in a position where we are on the cusp of a deal.
“I am reasonably confident. We wouldn’t be talking about it if we didn’t think there was a good momentum… but we have got to get all the pieces in place.”
He added: “But I think, hopefully, there will be good news in a matter of days, not weeks.
“Hopefully, there will be good news in a matter of days not weeks.”
He added: “If we can scale back some of the regulatory checks that apply and some of the paperwork that applies, that would in itself involve a significant and substantial scaling back of the role of the ECJ.
“In the irreducible core areas where the EU insists that EU rules need to apply to protect the integrity of the single market, we need to make sure if there are any new rules in the future there’s a proper democratic check and a proper check coming out of the institutions in Stormont.”
Labour ‘expect to support deal’
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said he expected his party to back any deal.
He told Ridge: “Labour is determined to act in the national interest of our country and of Northern Ireland.
“It’s very likely that if a deal does emerge it will be an improvement on the Northern Ireland protocol deal that was struck by Boris Johnson just a few years ago.
“And for that reason, we have indicated that we expect to support this deal when it emerges, I suspect in the next few days.”
People ‘entitled to look at small print’
Mr Lammy added: “If he (Rishi Sunak) does get a deal then credit to him because this is hugely important for the national interest of our country and for the people of Northern Ireland.
“We want power-sharing to get back, we want Stormont to get back and certainly businesses and the community in Northern Ireland do not want unnecessary friction at the border.”
But he cautioned: “There should be no rush, I think, on any vote in parliament.
“People are entitled to look at the small print in detail.
“I hope now that all of us can come together and vote through any deal, and get back to Stormont, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement, and move on from this episode that has now gone on for many years indeed.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘We want EU law expunged from NI’
Deal ‘not going to fly’ without DUP approval
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Mark Francois, chairman of the Tory Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) told Ridge any deal would need the support of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party.
He said: “That’s just a practical reality, because if the DUP don’t consent to the deal, then it’s simply not going to fly. And that’s been absolutely obvious right from the word go.”
The former minister also warned a reduced role for the ECJ over Northern Ireland was not “good enough”.
Mr Francois said: “Less of a role is not enough. Just putting a couple of intermediate phases in, but in a situation where you still end up with the European Court of Justice, is effectively sophistry. I mean, we’re not stupid.
“What we want is a situation where EU law is expunged from Northern Ireland, so it is treated on the same basis as England, Scotland and Wales.”
He added: “We have left the European Union. It doesn’t have that role now in England or in Scotland or in Wales.
“So, if we’re going to treat Northern Ireland as an integral part of the United Kingdom, then we have to get rid of the EU law in Northern Ireland. We’ve been absolutely consistent on this.”
Casinos sponsoring two Premier League clubs are accepting UK customers without a licence, putting club officers at risk of prosecution, Sky News has learned.
The gambling websites, BC.Game and DEBET, are the matchday shirt sponsors of Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
But an investigation by anti-gambling advert campaigners, shared with Sky News, suggests the casinos have continued to accept UK customers – despite this becoming unlawful after they lost their licences to operate in the UK.
DEBET lost its licence on 15 May, while BC.Game lost its licence in December 2024.
Neither club has indicated that they intend to end the sponsorships, despite criticism from campaigners and warnings from the Gambling Commission.
With the end of the 2024/25 season this weekend, both clubs are now half-way through two-year sponsorship deals with the casinos – putting them in a difficult position for next season.
The campaign group Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA) told Sky News it was able to make deposits on both gambling websites, despite the sites having no licence to accept UK customers.
CEGA also successfully deposited cash on Burnley FC sponsor 96.com. Burnley are due to be promoted to the Premier League next season.
The findings come one week after the Gambling Commission warned five football clubs, including Wolverhampton and Burnley, that their officers “may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain”.
The Commission had issued a similar warning to Leicester City in February.
It made clear then that the clubs must either cut ties with the casinos or ensure they are not accessible to UK customers “by any means” – including virtual private networks (VPNs) – software used to hide a user’s real location.
Other than the need to use a VPN, CEGA director Will Prochaska says it “really wasn’t very difficult” to access the sites.
The Gambling Commission declined to be interviewed by Sky News, but said that “where we have evidence that meets the standard for criminal prosecution we will take appropriate action”.
Head of enforcement at the Commission John Pierce previously said the body would “conduct ongoing spot checks as necessary to ensure they are not accessible to consumers in Great Britain by any means”.
Mr Prochaska, however, said the Commission was taking “far too long” to take action.
“Far too many children, far too many football fans, are seeing these adverts every day,” he said. “It’s got to stop.”
Leicester City’s sponsor has had no UK licence for almost six months
The three sites that appear on the matchday shirts of Leicester, Wolves and Burnley were previously licensed by TGP Europe, a company based on the Isle of Man.
On 15 May, TGP Europe surrendered its UK gambling licence to avoid a £3.3m fine, leaving DEBET and 96.com unable to legally accept UK customers.
Leicester City sponsor BC.Game has been unlicensed in the UK since it parted ways with TGP Europe in December 2024 – almost six months ago.
Jamie Vardy celebrating scoring for Leicester City last December.
Pic: PA
Mr Prochaska said he contacted Leicester City on 13 March to alert them that BC.Game was still accepting UK customers.
“In fact, it was one of the easiest for me to gamble on – there were very few checks whatsoever,” he says. “But Leicester don’t seem to have done anything about it, and it’s still on the front of their shirts.”
Leicester City FC did not respond to a request for comment.
Sky News was able to sign up to every single site
Bournemouth, Fulham and Newcastle United are also sponsored by casinos that were formerly licensed by TGP Europe, but have been unlicensed since 15 May.
These casinos (bj88, SBOTOP and FUN88) are no longer able to legally accept UK customers.
However, Sky News was able to use a VPN to sign up to all three casinos, as well as those sponsoring Leicester City, Wolverhampton and Burnley.
On all six websites, Sky was able to access QR codes for making cryptocurrency deposits. Sky News did not attempt to make any deposits.
All six casinos are forbidden by law from accepting UK customers.
Yet Burnley sponsor 96.com allowed Sky News to sign up using a Telegram account registered to a UK phone number.
The other websites all required phone numbers to be entered upon registration, which could be used as an additional layer of security to filter out UK customers.
However, most of the websites did not check whether the phone number provided was genuine.
Only one website, Leicester City sponsor BC.Game, did check.
However, after confirming the phone number’s authenticity, BC.Game allowed registration to proceed – even though Sky News had provided a UK phone number.
Sky News presented these findings to the football clubs concerned, to TGP Europe and to the Gambling Commission, but did not receive any comment.
Anyone concerned about their gambling, or that of a loved one, can visit BeGambleAware.org for free, confidential advice and support, or The National Gambling Helpline is available on 0808 8020 133 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
Alan Yentob, the former BBC presenter and executive, has died aged 78.
A statement from his family, shared by the BBC, said Yentob died on Saturday.
His wife Philippa Walker said: “For Jacob, Bella and I, every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.
“He was curious, funny, annoying, late, and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”
Read more on Sky News:
First renationalised train service starts
My week with Prince William, the quiet disruptor
Yentob joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and held a number of positions – including controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television, and head of music and art.
He was also the director of BBC drama, entertainment, and children’s TV.
Yentob launched CBBC and CBeebies, and his drama commissions included Pride And Prejudice and Middlemarch.
Alan Yentob (left) with former BBC director general Tony Hall in 2012. Pic: Reuters.
The TV executive was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the King in 2024 for services to the arts and media.
In a tribute, the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.
“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us.”
BBC Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan described him on Instagram as “such a unique and kind man: an improbable impresario from unlikely origins who became a towering figure in the culture of post-war Britain.
“I commend his spirit to the living.”
A mother and three of her children who died in a house fire in northwest London have been named by police.
Warning: This article contains pictures of a fire in which people died
Detectives say Nusrat Usman, 43, Maryam Mikaiel, 15, Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died following the fire in Stonebridge, near Wembley, in the early hours of Saturday.
A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital but has since been released. A 13-year-old girl remains in hospital in a critical condition.
A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has since been bailed. He was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.
The blaze gutted two homes in Stonebridge
Flowers and a blue teddy bear have been left near the scene, where crews wearing helmets and respiratory equipment were seen building scaffolding against the burnt-out buildings.
Neighbour Cecilia Marquis, 60, said she was “stunned by the devastation”.
“This will leave a devastating impact,” Ms Marquis, who witnessed the fire, said.
Witness Mohamed Labidi, 38, said he “can’t even look at the house right now”.
“We used to socialise together.
“They’re very good people, no problems on their side at all. It’s really shocking. It’s a really strong community here, we look after each other.”
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s horrible, we saw people running outside.
“It’s hard to process. I only just moved in, so it’s hard to think about it.”
Read more from Sky News:
Police officer fighting for life after on-duty traffic incident named
Premier League clubs at risk of legal action
Rayner says she ‘never’ wants to be Labour leader
Emergency services on the scene. Pic: PA
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Two terrace houses, each with three floors, were severely damaged in the fire, which was under control by around 3.25am, the fire service added.
Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in northwest London, said: “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.
“Specialist officers are continuing to support the wider family who have asked for privacy at this deeply upsetting time.
“Local officers are working closely with officers from the Specialist Crime Command on what continues to be a very complex investigation.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: “This is devastating news and my thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community of the four people who sadly have lost their lives.
“I remain in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police as they work to establish the cause of the fire and offer support to all those impacted.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
-
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
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway