Guy Verhofstadt fumes over Boris’s Brexit intervention

Brexit: Rishi Sunak says there is ‘no deal’

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Guy Verhofstadt has lashed out at Boris Johnson after his first Brexit intervention since departing No 10. The former PM yesterday warned Rishi Sunak against dropping legislation that would empower the UK to unilaterally override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

But Mr Verhofstadt claimed Mr Johnson “created the mess everyone is trying to fix” and urged to “do the opposite of what he proposes”.

The Belgian MEP tweeted: “Johnson will always put his career first.

“His hard Brexit created the mess everyone is trying to fix.

“The best advice: do the opposite of what he proposes!”

Mr Verhofstadt’s comments come after Mr Johnson warned against abandoning the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill as his successor-but-one Mr Sunak works to strike a deal with the EU.

A source close to the ex-PM told the Sunday Telegraph: “His general thinking is that it would be a great mistake to drop the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.”

When Mr Sunak entered Downing Street he paused progress of the Bill as officials resumed intensive talks aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement.

But Brexiteers see the legislation, which was tabled under Mr Johnson, as a key bargaining chip with Brussels.

The protocol was agreed as part of Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal to avoid a hard Irish border.

But it has been an ongoing source of tension as it created economic barriers on trade being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

It comes amid speculation a deal over the protocol is imminent.

However, Eurosceptic backbenchers will be angered by any compromise with the EU, particularly over the oversight role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland.

The court is likely to retain the final say on single market issues as this is a red line for the bloc, fuelling sovereignty concerns among Tory hardliners and Northern Ireland unionists.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the EU’s Maros Sefcovic have agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting in the coming days after a video discussion today.

Downing Street earlier insisted a “final deal” had not been struck as they seek an agreement that will satisfy the demands of the DUP.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also stressed the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is currently stalled in the Lords, remains “important” in “the absence of a negotiated solution”.

The spokesman said: “It’s clear that we need to find solutions that protect Northern Ireland’s place in our internal market, safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and resolves the practical issues that the protocol is causing for families and businesses.

“The Prime Minister has been clear that we have not resolved all of those issues and no deal has been done as yet.”

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the Bill as “one of the biggest tools that we have in solving the problem on the Irish Sea”.

Conservative former minister Simon Clarke also backed the call by Mr Johnson to press on with legislation.

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