Katy Balls Katy Balls

Has Rishi Sunak pulled this off?

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacts during a visit with Microsoft founder Bill Gates at Imperial College University, in central London, on February 15, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ahead of Rishi Sunak unveiling his revised deal on the Protocol, there was no shortage of Tory MPs – including some close allies – warning him to stay away from the issue. The thinking was that a row over Brexit would risk reopening old wounds and give Boris Johnson the chance to mount a comeback by depicting Sunak as weak on a key issue. Now this scenario could still come to pass. but a few hours after Sunak’s announcement, things are going better than many in No. 10 dared hope.

Despite reports that Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker has been on resignation watch in recent days, the eurosceptic MP has come out in favour of Sunak’s, deal hailing it a huge achievement. Former Brexit secretary David Davis agrees. He has waxed lyrical in the Commons debate on the ‘Windsor Framework’, describing it as a ‘remarkable success’ which means the Prime Minister has ‘done much better than his predecessors’.

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