Jeffrey Donaldson: DUP is 'absolutely united' in its stance on Northern Ireland Protocol

No 10 has denied suggestions the Prime Minister has been forced to delay an announcement – thought to have been due within days – amid concerns of a backlash against it.

The Guardian newspaper for example had reported that upwards of 100 Tory MPs are ready to rebel against the government, in the event that a deal with the EU gives away too much.

Against this backdrop, the UK foreign minister James Cleverly said tonight that a crunch meeting with EU negotiators during the afternoon had been “intensive”, with further such talks set for later in the week.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson had said at the start of the week that he believed no deal would be done this week, adding that Rishi Sunak “realises that there are barriers and hills to climb”.

Mr Wilson stressed in particular that, as part of any pact, the EU must not enjoy legal jurisdiction over Northern Ireland, saying “we are British and we expect to be governed by British law, not Brussels law”.

“He knows the kind of issues that have to be dealt with,” Mr Wilson said of the Prime Minister.

"I hope he does go into negotiations with a full understanding of what is required… We would certainly not collaborate in administering Brussels law in our part of the United Kingdom.”

Through various leaks and back-channels in recent weeks, two of the main ideas being floated as elements of a UK-EU deal are, A) an end to checks on lorries carrying goods from GB which are destined purely for NI consumption, and B) that the European Court of Justice would be given a more limited role in ruling on NI trade matters, doing so only if the courts in Belfast referred a case to them.

An editorial in The Times newspaper today said there is an internal struggle within the DUP about how inflexible it should be over the Protocol.

The editorial urged Sir Jeffrey to resist the “Paisleyite hardliners” in his ranks.

Sir Jeffrey told the News Letter: “The DUP is absolutely united behind what we want to achieve, and our seven tests are supported by all the party.

"Therefore if there are some who think they can play divide-and-conquer on this, it simply won’t work, because what we need is an agreement that works for everyone in Northern Ireland.”

As to whether 100-or-so Tories really do stand ready to revolt, he said: “My focus at the moment is on ensuring that the government understands, very clearly, where we stand and what’s needed to secure Northern Ireland’s place within the UK and its internal market.

"We know there’s strong support for our position at Westminster, and we welcome that.”

Asked if there was any scope for letting the European Court of Justice have jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, he said: “The question of the ECJ is a question about does EU law apply to Northern Ireland, and our ability to trade within the UK internal market. That for us is the key issue here.

"If we are no longer subject to EU law in terms of our ability to trade with the rest of the UK, then the ECJ won’t have jurisdiction over our ability to trade within the UK.”

Mr Cleverly was joined today in his video meeting with the EU’s Maros Sefcovic by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland Secretary.

“Intensive work continues and we agreed to talk again in the coming days,” Mr Cleverly tweeted after the meeting broke up.

Mr Sefcovic described the meeting meanwhile as “productive”.

When it comes to the embarrassing prospect of a backbench revolt for Mr Sunak, The Guardian quoted James Duddridge – a former minister in the Department for Exiting the EU – as saying: “It won’t just be the so-called ‘Spartans’ [the most hardline Brexiteers]. There will be a large number of Brexiters, possibly the majority of the parliamentary party, and potentially running into treble figures.”

The Tories enjoy a majority in the Commons of 67 MPs.

Labour (which has 196 MPs) has already – before even seeing the outcome of a deal – indicated that, if it comes to a vote in the Commons, it will back Mr Sunak to help him face down his Brexiteer rebels.