News of a revised agreement between Britain and the European Union on Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland has been met with near universal approval in the British press.
The deal, which followed protracted negotiations to reform the existing Northern Ireland Protocol, was dubbed the Windsor framework and unveiled by British prime minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.
Here’s how the significant development was reported in Tuesday’s newspapers in Britain and Northern Ireland:
The headline of the Daily Mail’s front page in Britain reads: “Has Rishi Done the Impossible”, with the paper writing the threat of a Tory party rebellion appears to have melted away in the face of a “historic Ulster deal”.
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The Daily Telegraph’s editorial on the deal states that Mr Sunak “played a difficult hand well” in what it writes was “arguably his best day as prime minister”. The paper’s editorial adds that “time will tell if he has pulled off a political triumph”.
The front page of the Guardian reports: “PM hails ‘new chapter’ in relations with EU after Northern Ireland deal”.
Analysis from the paper’s political editor Pippa Crerar details efforts by Mr Sunak to get hardline Brexiteers within his party onside with the deal, which she writes appeared to have “staved off a big rebellion”.
The article notes while Sunak does not need the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for the deal, he “does need them not to slam the door on it”.
The Times UK front page reports news of the agreement as a “Brexit breakthrough”, while also carrying a report questioning who proposed a meeting between Ms von der Leyen and King Charles on the day the deal was struck.
Analysis inside the paper notes that the devil will be in the details of the deal, which the paper’s policy editor Oliver Wright writes was designed to meet the demands of the DUP.
The front page of The sun reports that the British government has “Got Brexit Done ... Again (hopefully)” .
The Financial Times front page headlines states: “EU and UK ease post-Brexit tension with trade deal on Northern Ireland”.
The UK Metro newspaper leads with the headline “You Can Put The Oven On”, a nod to former prime minister Boris Johnson describing the previous Brexit agreement as “oven-ready”.
The Belfast-based Irish News front page states: “PM seeks unionist backing for deal”, while the Belfast Telegraph front page describes the deal as “Make or Brake”, while reporting the DUP is considering the details of the agreement.
An analysis piece by BBC News political editor Chris Mason reports Downing Street as being pleased with how news of the deal has gone down in Northern Ireland initially.
