Sunak’s Brexit deal in five points

PM agrees 'Windsor framework' with EU

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27 February 2023

Good evening, The UK and the EU struck a new agreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol today, but insiders say it has been close to a done deal for quite some time. One EU diplomat told the BBC's Katya Adler it was just a matter of both sides "feeling secure enough to hold hands and jump". Now Sunak has taken the plunge, it is sink-or-swim time as the DUP and Tory Eurosceptics prepare to pore over the details. Hollie Clemence Executive Editor

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH . . . Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal in five points Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has agreed a new "Windsor framework" with the European Union over trading arrangements in Northern Ireland. Sunak met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor this afternoon and they held a press conference to announce their agreement, which the prime minister said marked a "new chapter" in UK-EU relations. The hope on both sides is that the deal will settle the long-running dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The UK government has sought to change the original protocol negotiated by Boris Johnson in 2019, arguing that since the UK left the single market in 2021, it has created unacceptable economic barriers in trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. "Nobody will get everything they want but everybody will get something," a source close to the negotiations told the Daily Express. "The issue will be whether it is enough for people to grudgingly accept it or not." "Big chunks" of the deal had "already spilled out through unofficial channels", said the BBC, and Sunak will face an enormous political challenge in getting Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, the DUP, to back it. While the agreement is yet to be published in full, here are five key points the deal is hoping to address. Read more

Talking point Covid lab leak: is conspiracy theory becoming concrete truth? The contentious debate over the origins of the coronavirus took another turn over the weekend after a new report from the US Energy Department pointed to an accidental laboratory leak in China. The shift in the department's view came after a new classified intelligence report was provided to the White House and key members of Congress, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Its conclusions are supported by the FBI, which believes with "moderate confidence" that the virus first emerged accidentally from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a Chinese lab that worked on coronaviruses. Read more

SPEED READS Northern Lights: how to see them over the UK tonight Sunday's display was seen as far south as Kent and Cornwall Read more

More from TheWeek.co.uk today Why do Russians support the Ukraine war? A year on from Putin's invasion, support for the conflict appears to remain high domestically Read more Today's Big Question articles What are 'forever chemicals' and how are they harmful? The widely used pollutants have been linked to thyroid disease and cancers Read more Fact Files How Erik ten Hag has 'transformed' the Red Devils Man Utd lifted their first silverware since 2017 after beating Newcastle Read more View From The Terraces articles Swimming pools vs. wild swimming: which is worse for germs? A microbiologist explores where's cleanest for a dip: swimming pools, or rivers, lakes, canals and the sea? Read more Expert's View articles

T H E  W E E K  M A G A Z I N E Restore your news-life balance Try The Week magazine today to get straight to the heart of the issues that matter, without angle or agenda. Our easily digestible format gives you the clarity and space to step away from the noise of the news. Start your free trial

WHAT THE SCIENTISTS ARE SAYING… Editing genes for safer toast Toast and other wheat-based foods could become safer thanks to a new hybrid wheat, developed using gene-editing technology, that produces less of a carcinogenic chemical when cooked. Acrylamide forms in the browned and burnt areas of starchy foods, such as toast. It is formed from the natural amino acid asparagine; levels of acrylamide increase as cooking temperatures rise. Scientists at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire disabled a gene in a strain of wheat, using the editing tool Crispr, to develop plants with nearly 50% less asparagine than current varieties. When cooked, they produced up to 45% less acrylamide. Researcher Nigel Halford told The Times that the findings were good news, not least because regulators are pushing to reduce acrylamide levels in food. "There's only so much you can do from the food processing point of view," he said. "If we can provide low asparagine raw material, that'll be tremendously beneficial to the food industry." A Government bill permitting the sale of genetically edited food is expected to gain final approval in March.

spirit of the age Musical drama Producers of popular stage musicals have been advised to avoid phrases such as the "best party in town" in their marketing, to deter a disruptive element. Insiders say that audiences have become increasingly rowdy; last month, police were called after a fight broke out during a performance of Jersey Boys in Edinburgh.

PICTURE OF THE DAY Paul vs. Fury Tommy Fury punches Jake Paul during their much-hyped boxing match on Sunday night at the Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Briton won by a split decision in the highest-grossing eight-round fight in history. Francois Nel/Getty Images

Good week for... Alcohol-free booze, after data from Tesco showed that sales of no and low alcohol beers increased by nearly 40% over the last two years.

Bad week for... Norwich couples, after the Norfolk city was given divorce capital status. Official figures showed that 12.8% of people in Norwich were once in a marriage or civil partnership, the highest level in England and Wales.

Puzzles Daily crossword Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section Read more

instant opinion 'Putin's biggest threat comes from turbo-patriots' Your digest of analysis from the British and international press from the past seven days "The biggest threat facing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin today is not from Western-sympathising, anti-war liberals, but Right-wing 'ultra-patriots' frustrated by the Russian army's failures in Ukraine", writes Jade McGlynn for UnHerd. "These 'turbo-patriots' don't form a coherent political group," she continues, rather "they are an unholy combination of ethno-nationalists, opportunistic military bloggers, imperial romantics, volunteer groups and neo-Nazis". These "wrong-thinking volunteer groups" are tolerated for now "because they help to fill woeful gaps in the army's resources", McGlynn argues. But "perhaps it is foolish to", she adds, as "there's no doubt this new wave of patriotic groups poses a significant threat to the multinational fabric of Russian society and to the Kremlin's monopoly on patriotism". Read more

Recipe of the week Ayurvedic 'Jewish penicillin' This nourishing broth from Dr Rupy Aujla has a great collection of spices and plenty of warming flavours Read more

DOWN TO BUSINESS Monday afternoon markets Sterling jumped 0.9% against the US dollar on the news that Rishi Sunak had agreed a new trade deal with the EU. There was an upbeat mood across the global markets, too, with the FTSE 100 recovering after falls last week. FTSE 100: 7,930.67, up 0.66% Dax: 15,455.34, up 1.61% Dow: 33,022.83, up 0.63% Dollar: £1 = $1.2021, up 0.64% Euro: £1 = €1.1357, up 0.32% Brent crude: $82.56, down 0.72% Gold: $1,815.10, up 0.33%

WIT & WISDOM "A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time." Adage, quoted in The Guardian

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