The U.K.-EU agreement on post-Brexit trading regulations in Northern Ireland is not supported by former Prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, dealing a setback to Rishi Sunak's efforts to rally his Conservative Party behind the pact.
Before Wednesday's first parliamentary vote on the agreement, Johnson claimed Sunak's Windsor framework "is not acceptable" in a statement to POLITICO London Playbook. He's already been referred to as a "pound shop Nigel Farage" by Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, a reflection of continuing Tory acrimony over Brexit.
Johnson warned that the agreement will either result in Northern Ireland being "captured by the EU legal order" or it'll mean "the whole of the U.K. was unable properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit".
Talking about a now-canceled U.K. plan to unilaterally revoke the disputed Northern Ireland protocol, which kept the area subjected to EU standards for commodities; Johnson said in a statement, “That is not acceptable. Instead, the best course of action is to proceed with Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, and make sure that we take back control.”
Later, on Wednesday morning, a representative for Truss issued the following statement: "After examining the detail of the Stormont Brake and Windsor Framework, Liz has decided to vote against the Statutory Instrument this afternoon."
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