from ishi sunak Brexit deal for Northern Ireland will be formally signed off on Friday at an official meeting in Londonamid hopes that better relations between the UK and the EU could bring benefits in other areas.
Minister of Foreign Affairs James smart and that of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic will co-chair a meeting where the UK and the EU will formally adopt the new arrangements for Northern Ireland, after the government won MPs’ support for the Windsor Framework earlier this week.
The vote by MPs for regulations to implement the Stormont brake, a key part of the Windsor deal, came despite former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss joining the Democratic Unionist Party and hard Brexit backing Tory- MPs who voted against the deal.
The formal signing comes as Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s party continues to oppose the government-brokered deal, with no sign of the DUP willing to return to power-sharing.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris warned the DUP there was no prospect of renegotiating the deal ahead of Friday’s meeting, which comes after Brussels also formally agreed key elements of the Windsor Framework at a Council meeting of the EU.
The formal signing will take place during a meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, where the Foreign Minister and Mr Sefcovic will also attend a meeting of the Partnership Council – one of the implementing bodies of the Brexit deal.
“By formally adopting the Windsor Framework, we are fulfilling our commitment to provide stability and security for Northern Ireland,” said Cleverly.
“The framework is the best deal for Northern Ireland, securing its place in the Union and protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
“I look forward to further effective cooperation with the EU on important issues, such as security and energy.”
The UK hopes the new agreement on the protocol could mark a step towards UK participation in the EU’s €100bn Horizon programme, with science and research likely to feature in official talks between the pair.
Mr Cleverly and Mr Sefcovic will also discuss a recent agreement between the UK, Ireland and the EU on Peace Plus, the cross-border peace financing programme.
The ongoing deadlock over Stormont suggests that prospects for a return to power-sharing at Stormont in time for the 25th anniversary next month of the Good Friday Agreement remain bleak.
The executive and the Assembly have been suspended since the DUP walked out last year in protest at the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated by Johnson.