Tensions arose when the Prime Minister said at the meeting “very clearly that our goal is not to be purists of sovereignty but to find solutions that work in practice.” A source in the Brexit cabinet claimed that Mr Gove had “fought hard for the Protocol bill to keep the EU in line”. A second source said it was “still a good bill … but not 100 percent, which is unnecessary and a shame”. However, a source close to Mr Sunak and Mr Gove said the meeting was marked by “many of these wings fluttering from unpredictable leaders” seeking to impress the Tory party’s Eurosceptic base. A Downing St source defended the new legislation, insisting that the result had to be balanced to protect North-South as well as East-West trade. Ministers hope that the new bill will be enough to persuade the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – which is kept up to date by the Northern Ireland Bureau – to allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to be restored.
“Naked move against Brexit”
Separately, Tory Eurosceptic lawmakers threatened to vote against the measures if they were too weak to quell the DUP’s anger at the Irish Sea border. Sir Bernard Jenkin, a pro-Brexite veteran, warned: “If the government does not submit a bill that provides a serious prospect of restoring the distribution of power in Northern Ireland and restoring the Good Friday agreement, I will vote against it.” Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, added: “The Good Friday Agreement is also an international agreement and it is a top priority for the Good Friday Agreement to be a priority above all else.” DUP’s Jim Shannon said the government had to “keep its word” to remove the Protocol barriers to trade between Britain and Northern Ireland. He accused the government of calling on Northern Ireland to “watch its operations collapse” just to “pacify those who remain in this room who will not accept democracy and are willing to sacrifice peace in Northern Ireland”. The threat of insurgency came as government sources denied reports that the government had not asked Sir James Eadie, the Treasury Secretary’s first adviser, for legal advice on whether the bill would violate international law, as is standard practice. A cabinet source said the allegation was “a naked move against Brexit”.
