# Northern Ireland Protocol
This month
March 2023
# Brexit
Boris Johnson says he wishes he had cut corporation tax to 'outbid the Irish' when he was PM
Johnson also challenged Rishi Sunak to cut corporation tax to ‘Irish levels or lower’.
Last month
February 2023
# windsor framework
Sunak pleads with MPs to give DUP 'time and space' to consider Brexit deal
The view of the DUP will be crucial if the deal is to help restore power-sharing at Stormont.
The British Prime Minister saoid "the last thing the public want is another Westminster drama".
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party will take its time to study the deal before coming to a conclusion on it.
Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O'Neill said "the deal is now done" and that getting Stormont up and running must now be the priority.
# bye bye protocol
Explainer: Pets, potatoes and the 'Stormont brake', what's the deal with the Windsor Framework?
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the new deal effectively removes “any sense of a border in the Irish Sea”.
# Northern Ireland
Joe Biden hails Protocol deal as 'essential step' in protecting Good Friday Agreement
The US president has long taken a close interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland.
# Backlash
King Charles III criticised for ‘constitutionally unwise’ tea with EU chief after Protocol deal
Former DUP leader Arlene Foster called the move ‘tone deaf’.
# Explainer
What does the 'breakthrough' Windsor Framework mean for Northern Ireland?
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen finalised the deal this afternoon.
# Endgame
NI Protocol: Von der Leyen to visit Sunak tomorrow to discuss 'complex challenges'
A new system for custom checks may be adopted as negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol appear to be near a resolution.
# Protocol
Varadkar: Talks over Northern Ireland Protocol ‘inching towards conclusion’
The Taoiseach warned, however, that there is still a ‘gap to be closed’ in the UK-EU talks.
# NI Protocol
New British government may be needed to reach protocol deal, says Bertie Ahern
The former Taoiseach was speaking during a panel discussion with Tony Blair’s former press secretary Alastair Campbell.
# NI Protocol
Protocol talks: Sunak promises to be 'resolute', says MPs will get chance to 'express view'
The UK Government and the EU are still negotiating changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
# Deal or no deal
'Huge progress' made in Protocol talks but Varadkar plays down prospect of a deal this week
The Taoiseach told reporters that he wanted to avoid commentary that would make a deal harder to reach.
# Northern Ireland
Protocol stand-off: Sunak faces resignation threats ahead of high stakes Cabinet
The Times reported some ministers could be prepared to resign if Sunak’s solution risks the place of the North within the UK.
# Brexit
EU and UK hold 'productive' NI Protocol talks as DUP dampens hopes of supporting a deal
Senior DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: “We are British and we expect to be governed by British law, not Brussels law.”
Senior DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: "We are British and we expect to be governed by British law, not Brussels law."
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly agreed to meet again in the coming days.
According to a report in The Times, British PM Rishi Sunak is willing to go ahead with a UK-EU accord even without the DUP’s support.
# inching closer
Taoiseach speaks to EU chief ahead of Protocol talks towards possible deal
Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen are meeting today on the fringes of a security conference in Munich.
# Brexit
Analysis: Protocol deal seems to be within reach but will DUP say 'No'?
There has been a flurry of activity in Northern Ireland and Brussels in recent days, with a new Protocol deal in sight.
# Brexit
Rishi Sunak arrives in Northern Ireland amid speculation of imminent protocol deal
The British Prime Minister will discuss the NI Protocol negotiations with political parties.
# Brexit
Progress being made to hammer out NI Protocol deal but difficulties remain, says Sefcovic
The European Commission vice president said Brussels would ‘spare no effort’ to reach a settlement.
January
January 2023
# Northern Ireland Committee
Protocol row ‘isn’t rocket science’, says Bertie Ahern in call for solution
The former Taoiseach was speaking today at the Northern Ireland Committee at Westminster.
# Stormont
'We're on a positive trajectory': Politicians hope EU and UK talks on NI protocol can move forward
Micheál Martin has urged patience with the negotiations to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol dispute.
# Northern Ireland Protocol
Protocol dispute must be resolved through a 'negotiated settlement', says Blinken
Speculation had mounted in recent days that the two sides could be edging towards a breakthrough.
# Northern Ireland
Sinn Féin should reconsider stance on all-party talks with UK Govt, says Donaldson
The decision to exclude McDonald from the talks has been criticised by the Government and Sinn Féin.
# eu-uk relations
Explainer: What's the latest with Brexit and Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations?
An agreement on data sharing was reached by the UK and EU yesterday.
Last year
2022
# Northern Ireland Protocol
Sunak and von der Leyen agree to ‘work together’ to find way forward on NI Protocol
There are hopes that improved relations between London and Brussels could lead to a breakthrough
# Northern Ireland
NI Protocol issues can be fixed ahead of Good Friday Agreement landmark, says Bertie Ahern
The former Taoiseach said he understands that unionists and loyalists have concerns about the constitutional position.
# Brexit
'Important discussions' on Northern Ireland Protocol continue in Brussels
Westminster is progressing controversial legislation on the Protocol.
# Brexit
NI Secretary a 'glass half-full man' on Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations
The UK and EU are hoping to strike a compromise deal on the contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements.
# Northern Ireland Protocol
Irish MEPs 'positive' about resolving Northern Ireland Protocol issues
The UK had previously signalled it would act unilaterally on the Protocol.
# Northern Ireland
Coveney says UK-EU post-Brexit deal is 'doable' by the end of the year
It comes after the European Commission vice president said a deal could happen within weeks with the right “political will”.
# Northern Ireland Protocol
Debunked: No, the NI Protocol has not impacted on heart surgeries in Northern Ireland
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said the Protocol is responsible for delays to cardiac services.
# Protocol
DUP leader says debris of protocol must be cleared for Stormont to return
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson will meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin later today.
# DUP
DUP will not return to powersharing without changes to Protocol, says Donaldson
The DUP leader told its annual conference that changes must be secured to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
# NI Protocol
Labour says it would deliver ‘rapid deals’ with the EU on NI trade issues if it wins power
Peter Kyle said there are ‘problems’ with the Northern Ireland Protocol.
# Northern Ireland
Ireland’s ambassador to the UK urges negotiations to resolve Northern Ireland Protocol row
Martin Fraser said he was an optimist about the chances of resolving the issues around the Protocol.
# us uk relations
Biden and Truss discuss Northern Ireland Protocol and Russia in New York meeting
The leaders met to talk in New York today.
# Europe
Almost two thirds of people in Ireland are in favour of Ukraine joining the EU, poll shows
That’s according to the latest annual European Movement Ireland ‘Ireland and the EU’ poll.
# Pain in the Head
NI Protocol debacle can't be allowed to become 'huge headache' for farmers - Coveney
The minister discussed the issue at the Ploughing Championships, where 90,000 people descended on Co Laois today.
# Protocol
UK risks angering EU further with response to post-Brexit legal threats over NI Protocol
The UK Government is understood to have told Brussels it will continue with the grace periods relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
# NI Protocol
EU Brexit chief considers reducing Northern Ireland border checks
Sefcovic said physical checks would only be made on suspicion of smuggling.
# Northern Ireland
Michelle O'Neill tells new Northern Ireland Secretary executive is ‘desperately’ needed
Chris Heaton-Harris met Sinn Féin’s deputy leader in Dungannon today.
# liz truss
Taoiseach says he 'takes heart' from UK PM's comments about Northern Ireland Protocol
Liz Truss said a negotiated solution with the EU would have to deliver ‘all of the things we set out in the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill’
