Northern Ireland Democratic Unionists to vote against UK’s new Brexit trade plan

In Northern Ireland, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson announced that the party would vote against the British government’s new Brexit trade agreements for the province.

The Windsor Framework, as you know, was designed to strengthen the Northern Ireland Protocol and lead to reconciliation between Brussels and London.

Hardline unionists see the new deal as an improvement on the old protocol but say it still doesn’t solve their concerns over trade agreements with the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

Sir Geoffrey said the DUP had made the decision to vote against the structure in its current form at Monday’s meeting.

He added that the party will continue to work with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government on outstanding issues.

The Northern Ireland Protocol removed nearly all customs controls between Northern Ireland and the UK and was intended to avoid any hard trade boundaries on the island of Ireland.

But this led to divisions between London and Brussels and angered Northern Ireland trade unionists who did not like the idea of ​​an effective border in the Irish Sea.

After recent talks with Brussels, Sunak signed the Windsor Framework with the president of the European Commission and hoped the trade unions would join him.

British MPs are due to vote on the structure on Wednesday.