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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.

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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.”

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‘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.”

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League table of foreign criminals awaiting deportation and their offences set to be published

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League table of foreign criminals awaiting deportation and their offences set to be published

A league table of foreign criminals and their offences is set to be published for the first time.

The plans, due to be announced on Tuesday, will reportedly focus on those offenders awaiting deportation from the UK.

The latest data shows there were 19,244 foreign offenders awaiting deportation at the end of 2024, a rise from 17,907 when the Conservatives left office in July and 14,640 at the end of 2022.

Despite more offenders being deported since Labour came to power, the number waiting to be removed from the UK has been growing.

Factors are understood to include the early release of inmates due to prison overcrowding, instability and diplomatic problems in some countries and a backlog of legal cases appealing deportation.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the decision to publish the nationalities of foreign criminals showed Labour had “buckled” under pressure from the Conservatives to disclose the data.

The latest government statistics show there were 10,355 foreign nationals held in custody in England and Wales at the end of 2024, representing 12% of the prison population.

More on Crime

The most common nationalities after British nationals were Albanian (11%), Polish (8%), Romanian (7%), which also represented the top three nationalities who were deported from the UK in 2024, according to Home Office figures.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have ordered officials to release the details by the end of the year, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper reported Ms Cooper overruled Home Office officials, who previously claimed it was too difficult to provide quality data on foreign criminals.

A Home Office source said: “Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did.”

The source added that ministers wanted “to ensure the public is kept better informed about the number of foreign criminals awaiting deportation, where they are from and the crimes they have committed”.

In March, the government announced £5m in funding to deploy staff to 80 jails in England and Wales to speed up the deportation of foreign offenders.

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Foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation, but the home secretary can also remove criminals if their presence in the UK is not considered desirable.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the news, saying: “We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country… Frankly, the public deserved to know this [detail on foreign criminals] long ago.”

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Rachel Reeves to head to Washington amid hopes of US trade deal

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Rachel Reeves to head to Washington amid hopes of US trade deal

Rachel Reeves will pledge to “stand up for Britain’s national interest” as she heads to Washington DC amid hopes of a UK/US trade deal.

The chancellor will fly to the US capital for her spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the first of which began on Sunday.

During her three-day visit, Ms Reeves is set to hold meetings with G7, G20 and IMF counterparts about the changing global economy and is expected to make the case for open trade.

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Her visit comes after Donald Trump imposed blanket 10% tariffs on all imports into the US, including from the UK, and as talks about reaching a trade deal intensified.

The chancellor will also hold her first in-person meeting with her US counterpart, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, about striking a new trade agreement, which the UK hopes will take the sting out of Mr Trump’s tariffs.

In addition to the 10% levy on all goods imported to America from the UK, Mr Trump enacted a 25% levy on car imports.

Ms Reeves will also be hoping to encourage fellow European finance ministers to increase their defence spending and discuss the best ways to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Read more:
Mission: Impossible? Chancellor heads to the IMF

Starmer and the King pay tribute to Pope Francis

Speaking ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “The world has changed, and we are in a new era of global trade. I am in no doubt that the imposition of tariffs will have a profound impact on the global economy and the economy at home.

“This changing world is unsettling for families who are worried about the cost of living and businesses concerned about what tariffs will mean for them. But our task as a government is not to be knocked off course or to take rash action which risks undermining people’s security.

“Instead, we must rise to meet the moment and I will always act to defend British interests as part of our plan for change.

“We need a world economy that provides stability and fairness for businesses wanting to invest and trade, more trade and global partnerships between nations with shared interests, and security for working people who want to get on with their lives.”

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Murder arrest after woman stabbed to death in Enfield – as victim named

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Murder arrest after woman stabbed to death in Enfield - as victim named

A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.

“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”

GVs from SN footage on 20/04/2025 at scene of murder on 19/04/2025 of woman at Gainsborough House, Ayley Croft, Enfield in north London.
Ingest 25 NM25 SKY SAF ENFIELD MURDER GVS ENFIELD 2045
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Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield

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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.

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