Johnson risks being remembered as ‘pound shop Nigel Farage’ over Brexit rebellion, warns minister
Boris Johnson risks being remembered as a “pound shop Nigel Farage” if he votes against Rishi Sunak’s new deal for Northern Ireland, a senior Brexiteer MP has warned.
In a show of blue-on-blue Tory infighting over Wednesday’s vote, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker attacked the former prime minister’s opposition to the Windsor Framework, saying it will “wreck our relations with the European Union and damage our standing internationally”.
In a reference to the former leader of pro-Brexit party UKIP Mr Baker said: “He’s got a choice – he can be remembered for great acts of statecraft that he achieved or he can risk looking like pound shop Nigel Farage. And I hope he choses to be remembered as a statesman.”
Former prime minister Liz Truss will also form part of an expected backbench rebellion against the new deal negotiated with Brussels last month, which aims to change the way the Northern Ireland Protocol operates.
European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative MPs recommended members vote against the government, calling the new agreement “rushed and oversold”.
A crunch vote on the key part of the legislation will take place on Wednesday afternoon, when MPs will decide whether they want to back the Stormont brake or not.
Earlier, Mr Johnson said the proposed new arrangements would mean the “whole of the UK” was unable “properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit”.
And Ms Truss is understood to believe the PM’s pact does not “satisfactorily resolve the issues thrown up by” the protocol and “almost fatally impinges” on the UK’s ability to diverge from EU rules and regulations.
A source close to her said: “After examining the detail of the Stormont brake and Windsor Framework, Liz has decided to vote against the statutory instrument this afternoon.”
Mr Johnson said: “The proposed arrangements would mean either that Northern Ireland remained captured by the EU legal order – and was increasingly divergent from the rest of the UK – or they would mean that the whole of the UK was unable properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit.
“That is not acceptable. I will be voting against the proposed arrangements today.
“Instead, the best course of action is to proceed with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, and make sure that we take back control.”
Mr Johnson has previously expressed doubts about the framework, while conceding he made mistakes in signing his contentious protocol.
Mr Johnson negotiated the protocol as part of his ‘oven ready’ Brexit deal
The mechanism was agreed by Mr Johnson as part of his “oven ready” Brexit deal to prevent a hardening of the land border on the island of Ireland – which all sides agreed was necessary to preserve peace.
But it led to trade barriers being created between Great Britain and NI, effectively creating a customs border down the Irish Sea – something the former prime minister promised would not happen.
As a result Mr Johnson sought to pass the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill – a controversial piece of legislation aimed at overriding parts of the UK’s Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU.
The move soured relations with Brussels, who said it would breach international law, and Mr Sunak paused the bill while attempting to negotiate a new deal after taking office.
The Windsor Framework aims to reduce red tape on goods passing between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK by implementing a green and red lane system, while addressing the so-called “democratic deficit” through the Stormont brake.
This mechanism would allow a minority of politicians in Belfast to formally flag concerns about the imposition of new EU laws in Northern Ireland – a move that could see the UK Government veto their introduction in the region.
This is the only aspect of the framework currently being put to MPs for a vote, with Downing Street saying it is the “most significant” part of the agreement.
‘Government avoiding scrutiny’
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Tory MP Peter Bone tells Kay Burley the Stormont brake is ‘worse than useless’
Conservative backbencher Peter Bone said he was “pretty miffed” about the approach as he signalled he could also rebel against the government.
He told Sky News: “We were promised a full debate on the Windsor Framework. If I get a question at PMQs I’m going to ask the prime minister what happened to our wider vote?
“So I’m really pretty miffed that the government is avoiding scrutiny on this and on the brake itself it seems to fail all the tests.
“If that is the case, I’m going to listen to the debate. I’m going to go meetings this morning, but if I had to vote at this moment in time, I should vote against.”
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
With Labour backing the Windsor Framework agreement Mr Sunak should win the Commons division comfortably, despite criticism from some hardline Tory Brexiteers.
On Tuesday a group of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs described the Stormont brake as “practically useless”, though they stopped short of saying they would vote against it.
But even if the government wins the vote, the prospect of powersharing is up in the air after the DUP said they wouldn’t support the legislation.
The party pulled out of the Northern Ireland Assembly early last year in protest at the protocol, and on Monday said Mr Sunak’s new deal didn’t address the “fundamental problems” it caused.
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
The US president appeared aghast at the conduct of his counterpart in the Kremlin after drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.
Trump criticises Putin – latest updates
Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
Read more from Sky News:
Trump says will postpone 50% tariffs on EU until July
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
The US president had last Friday threatened to bring in the 50% tariffs from 1 June, as European leaders said they were ready to respond with their own measures.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Shortly after, he wrote on Truth Social: “I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so.”
On his so-called “liberation day” last month, Mr Trump unleashed tariffs on many of America’s trade partners. But since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.
Read more from Sky News:
Gail’s backer plots rare move with bid for steak chain Flat Iron
AA owners line up banks to steer path towards £4.5bn exit
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
12 May: US and China reach agreement on tariffs
Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
“We stand ready to defend our interests.”
-
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