London [UK], February 27: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will hold face-to-face talks on Monday with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he looks to finalize a deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In a joint statement on Sunday from Sunak's office and the European Commission, they confirmed the two leaders would meet in Britain to discuss the "range of complex challenges around" the Brexit treaty.
It comes after speculation mounted that a deal could be announced imminently, with Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab saying Britain and the European Union were on the "cusp" of striking an agreement.
In the joint statement issued, the pair said: "Today, president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.
President von der Leyen will therefore meet with the Prime Minister in the UK tomorrow." The protocol, signed by former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2020, was designed to prevent a hard border with EU member the Republic of Ireland after Brexit by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the European Union's single market.
But the treaty has incensed pro-British Unionists due to the trade barriers it has created between British-administered Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Source: Qatar Tribune