Tory MPs are holding Rishi Sunak hostage over Brexit

The Tory Left wants Rishi Sunak to take a leaf out of Theresa May’s book by unilaterally giving up British leverage in a dispute with Brussels. Where May boxed in her country and her successor by accepting the UK must do nothing in pursuit of Brexit that would lead the EU to think it needed to impose a ‘hard border’ on the island of Ireland, the issue now is the passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill which is currently paused in the House of Lords.

The Bill, which would give the Government legal power to walk away from onerous aspects of the Protocol, has undoubtedly helped concentrate minds at the European Commission as regards the need for that instrument to be made more flexible.

Yet the Remainer rump among Tory MPs and peers is pressing for the Bill to be dumped as part of any new fix on the Protocol agreed between Sunak and Brussels rather than have it passed and then held in reserve as a power that could be deployed in the event of future disputes.