Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meeting Stormont leaders over Northern Ireland Protocol

The Prime Minister is meeting with Stormont leader as speculation mounts that a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be close.

Rishi Sunak and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris are meeting the politicians near Belfast to discuss the contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Following his visit to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak is set to join European leaders in Germany this weekend for the Munich Security Conference and the protocol is likely to feature in discussions on the margins.

There is mounting speculation that a deal between the EU and UK could be unveiled early next week.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has cautioned that he believes there is a "distance to go yet" before an agreement between the UK and the EU is over the line.

In another apparent sign of progress, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will travel to Brussels for a meeting with European Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič.

The Alliance Party was the first in to meet Mr Sunak on Friday morning. Meetings are also scheduled with the DUP, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Ulster Unionists.

Speaking after her meeting with the Prime Minister, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said he is in listening mode, and that there is "some heavy lifting still to be done" to secure a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol.

She added that it was "a very constructive and very positive meeting".

"He was very much in listening mode and keen to hear our views. It seems apparent that while he was not in a position to brief us about the details, that things are gradually moving in the direction of a potential deal.

"But we are not over the line yet. That doesn't mean that we won't be very soon, but there's clearly some heavy lifting still to be done."

The UK and the EU have been engaged in substantive negotiations over the workings of the protocol, agreed to ensure the free movement of goods across the Irish land border after Brexit.

The protocol instead created economic barriers on trade being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

It has proven to be deeply unpopular with unionists, who claim it has weakened Northern Ireland's place within the UK, and the DUP has collapsed the power-sharing institutions at Stormont in protest at the arrangements.

A number 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister was meeting Northern Ireland parties as part of the "engagement process".

She added: "Whilst talks with the EU are ongoing, ministers continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure any solution fixes the practical problems on the ground, meets our overarching objectives, and safeguards Northern Ireland's place in the UK's internal market."

The Foreign Office also confirmed Mr Cleverly's Brussels meeting with Mr Šefčovič, saying it was part of "ongoing engagement and constructive dialogue with the EU to find practical solutions that work for the people of Northern Ireland".

Mr Martin said he believed the UK Government wanted a consultation with the Northern Ireland parties on the negotiations.

Senior figures within the DUP and the European Research Group of the Tory party have warned that any deal must remove the oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland as well as dealing with trading difficulties.

While it is understood the EU and the UK are close to signing off a deal that would reduce protocol red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, there is no expectation that Brussels is willing to agree to end the application of EU law in the region.

The EU says a fundamental plank of the protocol - namely that Northern Ireland traders can sell freely into the European single market - is dependent on the operation of EU rules in the region.

Deputy chairman of the ERG David Jones tweeted on Thursday: "The Protocol won't be fixed by displaying green and red signs and pretending the ECJ hasn't got supreme jurisdiction in Northern Ireland when it manifestly has.

"NI must cease to be subject to laws made in Brussels. It's as simple as that. Anything less won't work."

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