Will MPs back the Stormont brake?

The House of Commons will next week debate a motion on the Stormont brake, a month after it was unveiled by Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen. The measure was the centrepiece of Sunak’s ‘Windsor Framework’ and is intended to resolve long-running issues in Northern Ireland by alleviating the worst aspects of the Protocol and aiding the return of power-sharing at Stormont.

Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House, today confirmed that the detail of the legislation will be published on Monday and that there will be a subsequent debate on it on Wednesday. On the Tuesday, EU ministers will likely signed off on the whole agreement with little dispute.

Downing Street have today said that they regard Wednesday’s vote as the defining one on the deal, arguing that three weeks time is enough time for MPs to consider it. The Prime Minister’s spokesman told journalists at this afternoon’s lobby briefing that:

We said Parliament would have its say on the framework.