NI Protocol deal by no means done, says Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said a deal with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol is "by no means done".

The UK government is making preparations to announce a new agreement on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland early next week.

But speaking at a summit in Germany on Saturday, Mr Sunak said there were still "challenges to work through".

He added: "There isn't a deal that has been done - there is an understanding of what needs to be done."

Some government insiders expect a debate and vote in the House of Commons next week.

Tuesday is seen as the most likely day, although the indeed plans are said to remain "fluid".

The prime minister is due to hold talks about the protocol with European Commission President Ursula von de Leyen in Munich on Saturday.

The commission Vice-President Frans Timmerman said "things are progressing quite well" between the UK and the EU.

"There's a willingness on both sides to find a compromise, to find a way out," he said.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar spoke to Ms von der Leyen on Saturday morning, saying he hoped for a "positive outcome that provides a new foundation for relations between the EU and the UK".

"Most importantly he hoped for an agreement that can pave the way for restoration of the institutions under the Good Friday Agreement," said his spokesman.

The Northern Ireland Protocol is the trade deal that was agreed to ensure the free movement of goods across the Irish land border after Brexit.

It is at the heart of a political impasse in Northern Ireland, with unionist parties arguing that placing an effective trade border across the Irish Sea undermines Northern Ireland's place within the UK.

The largest of those parties is the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which refuses to take part in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government unless its concerns are resolved.

But a majority of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are in favour of the protocol in some form remaining in place.

Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party and the SDLP have said improvements to the protocol are needed to ease its implementation.