Northern Ireland Protocol: Brexiteer legal challenger warns Rishi Sunak he will be 'toast' if he 'sells-out' to the EU

Ben Habib was speaking to the News Letter following Mr Sunak’s visit to Belfast on Friday for talks with the five main parties, amid rumours of a pending deal between the UK government and the EU on what to do about the Protocol.

Mr Sunak took power last October – becoming the fifth Tory Prime Minister since 2016 – and promised to bring “stability” following Liz Truss’ abortive 50-day reign.

Mr Habib was one of the drivers of the legal challenge to the Northern Ireland Protocol which ultimately led to the Supreme Court ruling last week that, whilst legal, the Protocol had placed part of the Act of Union 1800 into de facto suspension.

Formerly a supporter of, and donor to the Tory Party, the property magnate turned against the party over what he saw as its betrayal of Brexit, and stood successfully as an MEP for the Brexit Party in 2019.

With rumours about a pending EU/UK pact flourishing afresh this week, Mr Habib told the News Letter: “No ‘deal’ agreed between Prime Minister Sunak and lead negotiator for the EU, Maros Sefcovic, could yield an acceptable result.

"Mr. Sefcovic’s mandate from the EU prohibits him from making changes to the body of the Protocol. He is only able to find mechanisms to mask the worst effects of the Irish Sea border.

"Northern Ireland will, irrespective of any deal, remain subject to foreign laws, made in a foreign legislature and enforced by a foreign court.

"The huge benefit of the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court, in our judicial review of the Protocol, is that we have complete clarity on the constitutional damage done by it.

"No longer can anyone falsely claim the Protocol upholds NI’s place in the UK and the terms of the Belfast Agreement.

"The highest court in our land has confirmed British citizens in NI are not on an equal footing to those in GB.

"The Acts of Union have been subjugated. The East / West dimension of the Belfast Agreement has been broken and along with the cornerstone principle of cross community consent.

“The Protocol is itself an affront to the integrity of the United Kingdom. There can be no solution to the Protocol through the Protocol.

“There was some hope of a solution via the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill but that now languishes on a backburner. It would appear our Prime Minister fears more the EU than he cares for our country.

“He is in deep water. If he tries to sell us a sell-out, he will be political toast; deservedly so!”