Babak Belurs

Minggu, 26 Februari 2023

Police confirm body of missing hillwalker and his dog found in Glencoe - The Scotsman

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2023-02-26 15:02:27Z
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Northern Ireland Protocol: Announcement about Brexit deal imminent - BBC

Lorries disembarking from a ferry in Larne, Northern Ireland

By Ione Wells, Chris Mason & Jessica Parker

BBC Politics

An announcement about a new deal between the EU and UK on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland is expected imminently, multiple sources have told the BBC.

The UK wants to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, an agreement with the EU which sees certain goods checked when entering from the rest of the UK.

It is thought full details of a deal could be announced on Monday.

Tory and Labour MPs have been told to come into parliament that day.

The government has not confirmed if MPs would get a vote on any deal, but said they would be able to "express" their view.

A deal has been expected for days, with recent talks focusing on its presentation and delivery.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab earlier told the BBC the UK was close to securing a deal with the European Union.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Raab said: "We're on the cusp, we've made great progress, we're not there yet, but it would be a really important deal...

"I think it would mark a paradigm shift first and foremost for the communities in Northern Ireland, but I think it would be a significant achievement."

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier said he was giving the negotiations "everything" in an attempt to clinch a deal.

The protocol, signed by Boris Johnson in 2020, meant Northern Ireland continued to follow some EU laws so that goods can flow freely over the border to the Irish Republic without checks.

Under the terms of the protocol, Northern Ireland continued to follow some EU laws to get around the need for checks at the UK's border with the Republic of Ireland.

Currently, goods are checked at ports in Northern Ireland on arrival from England, Scotland or Wales. They can then be moved to the Republic of Ireland once those checks are complete.

The new plan would see the goods split into two different lanes. Those destined for Northern Ireland only would go into the green lane and would not be checked while those destined for the Irish Republic and the EU would go into the red lane and checks would be carried out.

Mr Raab said the UK wants to see a move away from checks on every consignment of goods coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. The EU is worried about goods posing a threat to the single market by moving between Northern Ireland and the EU.

What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks.

Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries.

The land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's troubled political history. It was feared that cameras or border posts - as part of these checks - could lead to instability.

The UK and the EU agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday agreement - was an absolute priority.

So, both sides signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

It is now part of international law.

Learn more about it here.

Disagreements over the protocol have stopped the Northern Ireland Assembly functioning.

Mr Sunak has been trying to get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to agree to a deal, with the party currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland. They have set out seven tests which need to be passed if they are to support any deal - including no new checks on goods traded between GB and Northern Ireland, but also crucially no border in the Irish Sea.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the BBC: "The objective in London and Brussels should be to get this right rather than rushed. The wrong deal will not restore power sharing but will deepen division for future generations."

Mr Sunak has also been under pressure from some Conservative MPs over the current obligation for Northern Ireland to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice.

Mark Francois, who heads the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs said EU law needed to be "expunged" from Northern Ireland, bringing it in line with England, Scotland and Wales.

He told Sky News on Sunday that he had yet to see the detail of the deal and it would be "incredibly unwise" to bring in any new deal without giving MPs a vote.

"If they've got a deal they're proud of, show us the text. Let us run it by our lawyers. Let us fully understand what it means. Then, at that point, we might be ready to vote on it."

He added that EU law needed to be "expunged" from Northern Ireland, bringing it in line with England, Scotland and Wales.

But former Prime Minister John Major urged Conservative and DUP MPs to not let concerns over the European Court of Justice get in the way of easing trade and restoring the devolved government in Northern Ireland.

He told BBC Radio 4 Westminster Hour: "Their involvement would be tiny... occasional involvement of the ECJ really ought not to stop an agreement being made.

"They talk of democracy. Democracy is thrown away when that [Northern Ireland] Assembly is not sitting. We need them back."

Graphic showing how the UK government wants to alter the current arrangements for transporting goods between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland

Sabtu, 25 Februari 2023

Rishi Sunak snubs Boris Johnson over new Brexit deal - The Telegraph

Rishi Sunak is set to scrap Boris Johnson’s Northern Ireland Protocol Bill as part of his new deal with Brussels.

The Prime Minister believes he has secured fundamental legal changes that render the Bill – designed to give the Government power to rip up parts of the protocol – no longer necessary as a bargaining chip.

But in a sign of the growing rebellion against his deal, Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister and a leading Brexiteer, was understood on Saturday night to be on resignation watch after being frozen out of negotiations.

Allies said he has been unhappy for some time and was prepared to walk if he is not convinced by the deal, expected to be announced as soon as Monday.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) warned that Mr Sunak’s deal risked leaving Stormont in a permanent state of collapse if they refuse to re-enter power-sharing.

Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Sunak said that when the EU had previously refused to negotiate on the protocol, the Bill was “the only way forwards”.

But he added that the Bill, brought in while Mr Johnson was in office, was always a “last resort”. Mr Johnson has warned that ditching the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill in favour of a new Brexit deal would be a “great mistake”.

Mr Sunak wrote: “No British Prime Minister could ever sit back and just allow these problems to continue. That’s why my predecessors were right to create the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill – and why I supported them in doing so.

“For as long as the European Union refused to reopen negotiations on the protocol itself, this Bill was the only way forwards. I have no doubt it helped to create the conditions where the EU have been prepared to engage constructively.

“But my predecessors were also right to say this Bill was a last resort. Like them, I have always said a negotiated solution would be a better outcome.”

The Telegraph understands that Mr Baker has not been involved in – or briefed on – discussions, despite being appointed a minister of state at the Northern Ireland Office.

“Steve is the ultimate man of principle,” said one friend. “If it’s not good enough, I would be surprised if he just accepted it.” Another said: “I don’t see why he would stay in a Government that doesn’t deliver on Brexit – that’s the same as anyone in Government.” Mr Baker declined to comment.

Sources close to Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, and Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland Secretary, the other leading Brexiteers in the Cabinet, strongly denied that they would resign over the deal.

The European Research Group of Tory MPs said it too had been locked out of discussions. “All this cloak and dagger stuff surrounding the ‘deal’ suggests the Government are not very confident about the actual contents,” said a senior Brexiteer.

“Either way, they would be well advised to allow Parliament good time to study the detailed, legal text that underpins it, as any attempt to bounce the Commons is only likely to backfire – perhaps very seriously.”

A senior DUP source also complained that the party had also been largely shut out of the talks. “It’s a strange way of approaching a political problem – only involve the people that you want to persuade at the very last minute, and then don’t let them see the details so they can decide for themselves their own tests?” the source told The Telegraph.

“No doubt we’ll hear people say: ‘Well, the DUP need to accept this – after all, it meets their tests.’ Well, we’ll judge our tests, not anybody else.”

The party’s seven tests for returning to Stormont include removing all checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and ending the obligation to accept EU rules without having a say in how they are made or enforced.

The source added: “We’ve made it clear that not enough progress has been made on some fundamental issues. That’s the message that has gone back. He runs the risk of sealing a deal that doesn’t actually deliver the objective of getting Stormont back.”

On Saturday night, sources close to Liz Truss warned any deal that does not solve problems around customs, regulation, tax and spend and governance “is going to be problematic and would not have her support”.

The deal is likely to retain the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as the ultimate arbiter of disputes about EU law that emerge from Northern Ireland.

It is also expected to involve the creation of red and green lanes for imports, with British goods destined purely for Northern Ireland avoiding customs checks via the green lane, while those destined for the Republic of Ireland will undergo checks in the red lane.

Under the current protocol, Northern Ireland remains subject to some EU subsidy and taxation laws, including on VAT, but these powers are expected to be repatriated to Westminster. However, EU sources have said this will come with “strings attached” to ensure the integrity of the EU single market.

It is expected that the Northern Ireland Assembly will be given a right of consultation on new EU laws affecting the province, but it is not yet clear whether it will have concrete powers to disapply them.

Leaked government legal advice, seen by The Sunday Times, revealed that the Bill would still leave the UK with “an international law obligation ... to comply with any ruling” of the ECJ on Northern Ireland.

EU officials and diplomats claimed nothing had been altered in the protocol, which Brussels had always said it would not renegotiate. Instead, the new Brexit deal will be a series of agreements that will sit separately to the unchanged protocol, they suggested.

“The chances of a reopening or superseding of the protocol are zero,” an EU official told The Telegraph. “If there are legal changes to the treaty, the European Commission hasn’t told us yet. It would seem like something [EU negotiator Maros] Sefcovic would need some buy-in for from member states before he could agree to it.”

On Saturday, Mr Sunak was accused of a “cynical” plan to “abuse” the position of the King by using him to promote the Government’s Brexit deal. The DUP said an aborted plan to get King Charles to meet Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, reflected either “naivety or desperation”.

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2023-02-25 21:30:00Z
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NI Protocol: UK and EU appear to be on brink of new Brexit deal - BBC

By Chris Mason & Andre Rhoden-Paul

Political editor, BBC News

The UK and the European Union appear to be on the brink of completing a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

A No 10 source describes the negotiations as "positive".

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told reporters on Saturday that a deal was not yet done on the protocol but was "inching towards a conclusion".

There had been plans for King Charles to meet the president of the European Commission in the UK on Saturday, the BBC understands.

Multiple sources saidthe visit by Ursula von der Leyen was cancelled due to operational reasons unconnected to the political talks.

The planned meeting between the King and European Commission president, originally reported by Sky News, was not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU.

But the fact a meeting was planned is significant as it appears to indicate a Brexit deal was about to be done - and publicly presented - while Ms von der Leyen was in the UK.

It is not known when she will now come to the UK.

Some had suggested a new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol - thought to be all but complete - could be called the Windsor Agreement and include a moment in front of the cameras involving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms von der Leyen.

The protocol, which was agreed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and came into force in 2021, saw Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws to get round the need for checks at the UK's border with the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen spoke by telephone on Friday and Downing Street said the prime minister had made "good progress".

A source said afterwards that it had been "positive" and negotiations would continue, with the leaders agreeing "to discuss this further in coming days."

Both the UK and the EU have to co-ordinate diaries to make the choreography of an announcement work at a mutually convenient time and place.

"There is the possibility of agreement in the next few days but by no means guaranteed... there's still a gap to be closed," Mr Varadkar said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has pulled out of a long-planned trip to the Middle East at the beginning of next week - raising expectations that a formal announcement from the UK and Brussels could be days away.

But there have been repeated delays over the past week or so, as wrangling went on between No 10, the Democratic Unionist Party and Conservative backbenchers.

The prime minister has been trying to win support for changes to the controversial protocol.

Earlier, a source from the DUP told the BBC they had not been involved in any talks with the prime minister on Friday and had no meetings scheduled over the weekend.

Mr Sunak has been trying to win over the DUP to a deal, as the party is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Sammy Wilson MP, the DUP's shadow spokesperson for Brexit, said his party would only accept a deal if EU law "imposed" on Northern Ireland was removed.

He told Sky News: "If the prime minster succeeds in getting that we will embrace it, but if he hasn't succeeded in achieving that aim then as part of the UK we cannot accept it."

Mr Wilson said that "we expect British law should apply in Northern Ireland, not Brussels law imposed on us, with all the disastrous effects that has."

The prime minister has been facing pressure from some Conservative MPs over Northern Ireland's current obligation to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice.

Eurosceptic Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: "The UK needs to hold out over the EU imposing laws on Northern Ireland. The EU needs to get the Unionists on side."

Jumat, 24 Februari 2023

Omagh police shooting: Fifth arrest after John Caldwell attack - BBC

By Jayne McCormack & Ross McKee

BBC News NI

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has arrested a fifth man in connection with the shooting of Det Ch Insp John Caldwell.

The man, aged 43, was arrested in Stewartstown, County Tyrone, on Friday evening.

Two gunmen shot the 48-year-old several times in front of his young son at a sports complex in Omagh on Wednesday.

Investigators said their main line of enquiry into the attempted murder was dissident republican group the New IRA.

Dissident republicans oppose the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal and continue to use violence to attempt to unite Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.

Four men - aged 22, 38, 45, and 47 - arrested in the Omagh and Coalisland areas of Tyrone on Thursday and Friday - remain in custody.

Det Ch Insp Caldwell is critically ill after he was shot while putting footballs into his car after coaching young people at football.

He remains heavily sedated in hospital. His wife and son had been left seriously affected by his shooting, Chief Constable Simon Byrne said.

'Sense of outrage'

Mr Byrne provided an update alongside leaders from Northern Ireland's five main parties on Friday.

Political leaders presented a united front with the chief constable, which Mr Byrne said was a significant show of solidarity that showed the "sheer sense of outrage at this pointless and senseless attack".

Simon Byrne with Doug Beattie, Colum Eastwood, Stephen Farry, Michelle O'Neill and Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

Det Ch Insp Caldwell suffered life-changing injuries in the attack, according to the chairman of Northern Ireland's Police Federation, Liam Kelly.

He is one of the best-known detectives in the PSNI, often fronting press conferences on major inquiries during his 26-year career.

He had coached a Beragh Swifts training session at Youth Sport Omagh when the gunmen approached and shot him at about 20:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Children ran in terror when the shots rang out in the car park of the sports complex.

Two gunmen, who were dressed in dark clothing, carried out the attack and fled the scene of the shooting on foot, police said.

At least two other vehicles were struck by their volley of shots.

Analysis box by Julian O'Neill, NI home affairs correspondent

The attack appears to underscore the re-emergence on the New IRA after nearly four years of surface-level inactivity.

In 2019 the dissident republican grouping shot dead journalist Lyra McKee as she watched rioting unfold in Londonderry.

Within a year, its suspected leadership was rounded-up by the PSNI following a surveillance operation run by MI5 using an alleged agent.

Ten individuals are currently awaiting trial on almost 50 terrorism charges as a result of Operation Arbacia.

In the aftermath, the New IRA was viewed as being in complete disarray and last year, for the first time in more than a decade, the government announced the threat level in Northern Ireland was being lowered from severe to substantial.

It might not have sounded much, but it was a hugely symbolic moment.

Attacks, or attempted attacks, dropped markedly: the years 2020-22 saw a virtual absence of activity.

But the New IRA was re-organising and in November it mounted a roadside bomb attack, using military grade explosives, on a police patrol car in Strabane.

The armour-plated vehicle did its job and two officers inside escaped injury.

The attack has now been followed up with the attempted murder, less than 20 miles away, of Det Ch Insp Caldwell.

Police believe the gunmen then made off in a small, dark car, which was found burnt out at Racolpa Road, outside Omagh.

The Racolpa Road was closed between the Rushill Road and Crocknacor Road.

a burnt-out car at Racolpa Road outside Omagh

Beragh Swifts chairman Ricky Lyons said the club was supporting the young players who witnessed the shooting.

"He was taking a kids' training session - it's hard to compute that someone would try to attempt to kill John at that moment," said Mr Lyons.

Irish Football Association (IFA) President Conrad Kirkwood said he had received a message from Det Ch Insp Caldwell earlier this week about hosting a football seminar at his club.

"This is a guy who, despite having a busy day job, is absolutely invested in trying to make things better - it makes it even more tragic," he added.

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A recovery vehicle carrying two cars left the Youth Sport Omagh complex under police escort on Thursday night.

On Friday evening a police cordon put in place at the scene was lifted.

Terrorism threat level scrutinised

A rally to condemn the attack will be held at Omagh's courthouse on Saturday morning.

It will take place close to where 29 people died after a bombing in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998 - the biggest single atrocity in the Troubles.

A walk of solidarity will also take place at Beragh Swifts Football Club on Saturday, with attendees encouraged to wear the club's colours.

An Garda Síochána (police in the Republic of Ireland) continue to work closely with the PSNI after the shooting, a spokesperson said.

Gardaí previously said it had intensified patrolling in border counties following the attack.

It added that it will provide the PSNI with assistance as required as the investigation continues.

Last March, the the threat level posed by dissident republican terrorism in Northern Ireland was lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years.

The decision to lower the threat level was taken by the Security Service (MI5) after assessing a wide range of information, independently of ministers.

Since 2010 it had been "severe", meaning attacks are highly likely. It is now "substantial", meaning attacks are likely.

The threat level is assessed over a period of time rather than in reaction to one event.

High-profile figure

Dt Ch Insp Caldwell has been the senior detective in high-profile inquiries including:

The murder of Shane Whitla in a Lurgan park in January
The stabbing of Natalie McNally in December
The shooting of Lyra McKee, a journalist killed while observing rioting in Derry in 2019 in an attack claimed by the New IRA
The 2011 murder of Ronan Kerr by dissident republicans, the most recent fatal attack on a police officer in Northern Ireland

He had received a number of threats in the past, BBC News NI understands, and was aware his investigations of dissident republican attacks made him a high-profile target.

He continued to carry out his activities as a football coach and whether that was a pattern that aided the targeting of him is of course a matter for the investigation.

The last gun attack on a PSNI officer was in January 2017.

The PSNI officer was hit by automatic gunfire at a petrol station in north Belfast.

Read more: Why police are still a target in Northern Ireland

Babak Belurs

Minggu, 26 Februari 2023

Police confirm body of missing hillwalker and his dog found in Glencoe - The Scotsman

Northern Ireland Protocol: Announcement about Brexit deal imminent - BBC

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What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

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Sabtu, 25 Februari 2023

Rishi Sunak snubs Boris Johnson over new Brexit deal - The Telegraph

NI Protocol: UK and EU appear to be on brink of new Brexit deal - BBC

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Jumat, 24 Februari 2023

Omagh police shooting: Fifth arrest after John Caldwell attack - BBC

'Sense of outrage'

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Terrorism threat level scrutinised

High-profile figure

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