By Ben Kerrigan-
UK and the European Union appear to be on the brink of completing a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.
A deal between the UK and EU is very close falling into place with The Windsor Agreement being floated as an option. The DUP party is expected to study the fine text of the proposed deal and its legal implications.
Rishi Sunak is said to have been working tirelessly to facilitate a workable deal, with King Charles also committed to the idea of ensuring a deal takes place that prevents Britain from breaking up.
Previous Uk governments have failed to arrange a Brexit deal with the EU, with the latter accusing Westminster of abandoning The Good Friday Agreement in pursuit of its own agenda. Talks have long been stalemate with no positive outcome in sight over the years, making news of a potential breakthrough refreshing.
U.S president Joe Biden has also in past times expressed his strong desire to see a deal agreed, occasionally threatening to compromise the historical good relationship between the Uk and the U.S over the issue.
Last week, Sunak evaded questions in parliament to describe the nature of his proposed deal , but appeared to indicate that Mps will have a say through voting.
However, developments seem to be moving fast.
A No 10 source describes the negotiations as “positive”.
The planned meeting between the King and Ursula von der Leyen, originally reported by Sky News, has been cancelled , but was reportedly not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU, if that is to be believed. Some indication are that the meeting was meant to provide assurances of the deal, but has now been dashed to avoid inaccurate conclusons about the purpose of their meeting.
It is not known when the European Commission president will now come to the UK.
A new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be called the Windsor Agreement and include a moment in front of the cameras involving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms von der Leyen.
The protocol, which was agreed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and came into force in 2021, saw Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws to get round the need for checks at the UK’s border with the Republic of Ireland. Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen spoke by telephone on Friday and Downing Street said the prime minister had made “good progress”.
A source said afterwards that it had been “positive” and negotiations would continue, with the leaders agreeing “to discuss this further in coming days.”
The withdrawal from a trip to the Middle East at the beginning of next week by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, has sparked suspicion that a formal announcement from the UK and Brussels could be days away.
The prime minister has been trying to win support for changes to the controversial protocol.
A source from the DUP told the BBC they had not been involved in any talks with the prime minister on Friday and had no meetings scheduled over the weekend.
Mr Sunak has been trying to win the DUP over to a deal, with the party is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is currently under obligation to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice, which poses complications for the rest of the Uk.