by Sachin Ravikumar and Kylie MacLellan
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Northern Ireland on Tuesday to promote his new deal with the European Union to ease post-Brexit trade, a move he hopes will break the political deadlock in the province.
The British leader is working to win the support of all parties in Northern Ireland to restore relations with the EU – and the US – without provoking the ire of his own party and Belfast, which are the more committed to Brexit.
The deal aims to resolve tensions caused by post-Brexit 2020 arrangements governing Northern Ireland and its open border with the EU member Republic of Ireland.
The success of this deal will depend in part on Rishi Sunak’s ability to convince the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its boycott of power-sharing deals in Northern Ireland, which ended three decades violence in the province.
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said he was reassured by the first reading of the deal, with the Northern Irish parliament having the power on paper to reject EU rules it does not want.
Asked about the possibility of imposing the agreement without the endorsement of the DUP, Rishi Sunak replied that it was not about “this or that political party” but about what was best for the Northern Irish people and their businesses. “This agreement will make an extremely positive difference for them,” he added.
Officials in London and Belfast say Rishi Sunak is seeking to convince Northern Ireland ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in April, which could be marked by a visit from Joe Biden.
The US president welcomed the agreement on Monday, while his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, highlighted “the opportunity, certainty and stability provided by the agreement”.
British newspapers, including those who support a tougher line against Brussels, believe that Rishi Sunak has chosen to favor friendlier relations with the EU, unlike his predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, who took a more combative.
(Written by Kate Holton, with contributions from Padraic Halpin in Dublin; French version Kate Entringer, editing by Tangi Salaün)
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