In spite of opposition from some of his own MPs and the DUP, Rishi Sunak has succeeded in getting support from the Commons for a portion of his proposed plan on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Regulations to put the Stormont brake component of the Windsor Framework into effect were approved by MPs by a vote of 515 to 29, with a majority of 486.
Almost 20 of the prime minister’s backbenchers, including Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, the two previous prime ministers, rebelled against him.
Additionally, the Conservative MPs’ European Research Group (ERG) announced it was “highly advising” that its members oppose the legislation.
Rishi Sunak wins key vote on post-Brexit deal
Labour offered its backing though, with Keir Starmer previously saying the agreement ‘will allow us to move forward as a country’.
The brake mechanism would allow a minority of MLAs in the Stormont Assembly to formally flag concerns about the imposition of new EU laws in Northern Ireland – a move that could see the UK Government veto their introduction in the region.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, ahead of the vote, told MPs: ‘Without this measure, Northern Ireland would continue to have full and automatic dynamic alignment with EU goods rules with no say for the Northern Ireland Assembly and no veto for amending or replacing those measures.
‘That is an intolerable situation and I urge all MPs to vote to end that full and automatic dynamic alignment.’
Mr Heaton-Harris said the EU could initiate a dispute if it believed the UK had improperly used the brake, and The European Court of Justice would have no role in resolving that dispute.
But DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he cannot commit his party ‘will restore the political institutions’ in Northern Ireland as a result of the deal.
The DUP is currently blocking devolution at Stormont in protest at the terms of the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.
The protocol was designed to prevent a hardening of the land border on the island of Ireland and moved regulatory and customs checks to the Irish Sea, creating economic barriers on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The UK and EU agreed the framework as a way to cut the red tape created by the protocol.
On the day he faces a grilling from MPs over Partygate, Mr Johnson found time to release a statement saying the proposed agreement was ‘unacceptable’.
The former Tory leader, who struck the first Brexit deal in 2020, said: ‘The proposed arrangements would mean either that Northern Ireland remained captured by the EU legal order – and was increasingly divergent from the rest of the UK – or they would mean that the whole of the UK was unable properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit.
‘That is not acceptable. I will be voting against the proposed arrangements today.
‘Instead, the best course of action is to proceed with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, and make sure that we take back control.’
Mr Truss’ spokesperson later confirmed she would also be voting against the Stormont brake section.
Downing Street declined to say whether Rishi Sunak was disappointed that his predecessors were opposing his deal, along with former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
She said Mr Sunak believes ‘this is the best deal for Northern Ireland, for the people of Northern Ireland’.
‘It ensures a smooth flow of trade internally within the UK, safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the union and addresses the democratic deficit’, she added.
Asked if the British leader had spoken to his predecessors, she would not name individuals but said: ‘He has been engaging with colleagues from across the House on this matter.’