UK PM Rishi Sunak faces potential rebellion from Tory MPs over Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

Barely four months have passed since his ascension and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is already facing a potential rebellion from the Tory MPs over the post-Brexit arrangements.

According to Guardian, 100 MPs have expressed their disapproval of a deal with the European Union to help break the post-Brexit deadlock in Northern Ireland.

Hardline Brexit supporters within the Conservative party are reportedly suspicious of concessions made by the UK.

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It comes following an intervention from his predecessor Boris Johnson who was against Sunak's plans of abandoning the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill that grants powers to ministers to ignore EU rules and rip up parts of the protocol.

"His general thinking is that it would be a great mistake to drop the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill," a source close to Johnson told Sky News.

The source said that if there is a deal then the bill introduced by Johnson when he was PM would become redundant.

"If we can find a way to satisfactorily resolve the issues with the protocol, then you wouldn't need the bill," the official was quoted as saying. "But we haven't resolved them yet."

According to reports, the UK leader is expected to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Both are likely to discuss the final contours of an agreement to replace the current trading arrangements. He is also likely to meet the leaders of France and Germany.

Leader of the Democratic Unionist party Jeffrey Donaldson has said that Sunak’s proposal “currently falls short of what would be acceptable” to the party, adding that it failed to adhere to its longstanding red lines.

What is Northern Ireland Protocol Bill?

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading dealnegotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish border without the need for checks.

Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

There have been disagreements over the protocol, crippling the functioning of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(With inputs from agencies)

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