MPs to vote on the Stormont brake, a key part of Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland
The outcome of the vote will determine the level of support for the new Brexit deal and its impact on Northern Ireland. It is significant as it could potentially lead to further negotiations or changes to the deal.
The DUP has announced that it will vote against the deal, while the government hopes the mechanism will provide enough reassurance. The European Research Group (ERG) has described the Stormont brake as practically useless, while Labour is backing the Windsor Framework agreement. Downing Street has shown no inclination to reopen negotiations with the EU on the terms of the framework, saying that it represents the best deal for Northern Ireland.
The Windsor Framework was agreed by Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to change the way the Northern Ireland protocol operates. The DUP has been critical of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated by former PM Boris Johnson, and while it sees the Windsor Framework as an improvement, it still has concerns. The Stormont brake is seen as a mechanism to address these concerns.
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Northern Ireland is variously described as a country, province or region which is part of the United Kingdom. Located in the northeast of the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland.
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The Democratic Unionist Party is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland favouring British identity. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years.
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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Rishi Sunak is a British politician serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer since February 2020. He was appointed Chancellor by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, following the resignation of Sajid Javid during a Cabinet reshuffle in 2020.
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The European Research Group is a research support group for those of the United Kingdom's Conservative Members of Parliament who choose to subscribe.
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Parliament Buildings, often referred to as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont Estate area of Belfast, is the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for the region.
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Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Following a UK-wide referendum in June 2016, in which 52% voted to leave and 48% voted to remain in the EU, the UK Government which was then led by Theresa May formally declared the c
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The Windsor Framework is a proposed post-Brexit legal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom which was announced on 27 February 2023.
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Mark Gino Francois is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford since 2010. Francois was first elected as the MP for Rayleigh in 2001.
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Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson is a British politician who is the Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Lagan Valley in Northern Ireland.
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Penelope Mary Mordaunt is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North since 2010 and Paymaster General since 2020.
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Downing Street is a street in central London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the northÂwestern coast of the European mainland.
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Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson Hon FRIBA is a British politician, writer, and former journalist serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2019.
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A Tory is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history.