PM: My Brexit Deal 'Now Takes Back Control'

'It's about setting aside arguments and showing our Union can and will endure'

- Sam Lister Political Editor

PM SECURES DEAL TO END TENSIONS

The new Brexit deal "puts beyond all doubt that we have now taken back control," Rishi Sunak has declared.

By securing major concessions that will end border tensions, the Prime Minister was last night praised by leading Brexiteers for a "brilliant" and "spectacular" result.

But key Tory figures, including Boris Johnson, along with the DUP, are yet to give their verdict on the reforms.

Mr Sunak said the deal will remove trade barriers for Northern Ireland, providing stability in the region, and give the UK a "veto" on EU law.

It also ensures the Union will "endure". He said: "Today's agreement is written in the language of laws and treaties. But really, it's about much more than that. It's about stability in Northern Ireland. It's about real people and real businesses. It's about showing that our Union, that has lasted for centuries, can and will endure.

"And it's about breaking down the barriers between us. Setting aside the arguments that have for too long divided us. And remembering the fellow feeling that defines us this family of nations, this United Kingdom."

A key part of the deal, known as the Windsor Framework, is an emergency "Stormont brake" on changes to EU goods rules that can be pulled by the Assembly in Belfast.

Mr Sunak said it would give a "veto" and is a "very powerful mechanism" for Stormont to use when it has concerns over EU law.

The PM faced laughter in the Commons as he opened his speech by paying tribute to his predecessors "for laying the groundwork for today's agreement".