Taoiseach Leo Varadkar 'quietly confident' of Northern Ireland Protocol deal being agreed

The Taoiseach said he’s “quietly confident” that an agreement will be reached between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Leo Varadkar insisted “we’re not there yet” - but said he believes a deal could potentially be finalised within the next week or two.

It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks with the Stormont parties on Friday to update them on negotiations over the post-Brexit trade arrangement.

“A lot of progress is being made,” said the Taoiseach. 

“We’re not there yet but certainly a lot of trust has been built up between the European Commission and Ireland and the British Government," he added.

“I do believe the prospect is there of having an agreement possibly within a week.

“It’s not finalised - we all have to see the final text yet - but we’re getting there, and I’m quietly confident within the next week or two that we could be in a position to sign off on an agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom.”

Meanwhile DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he "hopeful" agreement can be reached between the UK government and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol which meets his party's demands.

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald welcomed what she described as "significant progress" adding that her party wants a "speedy conclusion of matters".

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