Rishi Sunak is heading to Northern Ireland this evening amid growing speculation that a Brexit deal is edging closer.

It is understood the prime minister is making the visit to meet with local political parties as reports mount that an agreement between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol could soon be unveiled.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “Whilst talks with the EU are ongoing, ministers continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure any solution fixes the practical problems on the ground, meets our overarching objectives, and safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the UK’s internal market.

“The prime minister and secretary of state for Northern Ireland are travelling to Northern Ireland this evening to speak to political parties as part of this engagement process.”

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Mr Sunak last visited Northern Ireland in December where he met Stormont party leaders to discuss the protocol.

The mechanism has left Northern Ireland without a devolved powersharing executive since early last year.

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The protocol has overshadowed Northern Irish politics since it was agreed upon as part of the Brexit deal in a bid to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Members of the unionist community are unhappy with the difficulties it creates for trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to cooperate with forming a devolved Executive in Stormont until the issues are resolved.

The UK government says the protocol is not working and wants to override it with new legislation if the EU does not agree to changes – a move Brussels has warned is “illegal and unrealistic”.

However, tensions have cooled in recent months, with both sides pledging to work together to find a way forward.

Last month, the EU and the UK said there was a “new basis” for resolving the Northern Ireland Protocol row after an agreement was reached in sharing trade data.

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Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris met EU chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic in London as part of continued efforts to find a way forward over post-Brexit arrangements in the region.

The agreement, which will allow the EU to access UK IT system which will provide detailed information about goods flowing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, was hailed by both sides as a key step in resolving the deadlock over the protocol.

But, following the meeting in January, the PM’s official spokesperson stressed: “There are still significant issues at the heart of the protocol that need addressing.”

Read More:
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Meanwhile, a DUP senior figure has warned that failure to end the imposition of EU law in Northern Ireland in any new UK/EU deal on post-Brexit trade will ensure Stormont’s powersharing impasse continues

The DUP is currently blocking the functioning of the devolved institutions in Belfast in protest at the protocol.

Lord Nigel Dodds, former deputy leader of the DUP, insisted his party would maintain its block on devolution if an agreement falls short of the measures contained within the UK Government’s own stalled draft legislation to unilaterally rip up the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol.

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The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill includes provisions that would remove the oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the region.

While it is understood the EU and UK are close to signing off a deal that would reduce protocol red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, there is no expectation that Brussels is willing to agree to end the application of EU law in the region.

The EU contends that a fundamental plank of the protocol – namely that Northern Ireland traders can sell freely into the European single market – is dependent on the operation of EU rules in the region.

The prime minister is set to join European leaders in Germany this weekend for the Munich Security Conference and the protocol is likely to feature in discussions.

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