LIVE: Boris Johnson to break silence in MAJOR BREXIT DEAL intervention speech in London TODAY

This afternoon, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will deliver his verdict on the so-called Windsor Framework in a speech in central London.

Many eurosceptic Conservatives have remained silent on the deal, with Johnson’s intervention seen as a watershed moment for whether Brexiteer backbenchers will support it.

Sunak’s agreement with Brussels helps to alleviate some of the frictions caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed as part of the 2019 withdrawal agreement.

Unionists argued that the Protocol undermined Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom by requiring customs checks on goods travelling from the United Kingdom to the province.

The new agreement removes trade barriers across the Irish Sea and grants Stormont politicians a “veto” over EU law, a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than many expected.

In exchange, Sunak has abandoned plans to pass legislation, first proposed by Johnson as Prime Minister, that would give the UK the authority to unilaterally override the existing Brexit deal.

The ex-Conservative leader is thought to disagree with the plans to halt the legislation’s passage through Parliament and may criticise the trade-off when he speaks this afternoon.

Sunak spoke with Johnson about the Windsor Framework yesterday, according to Downing Street.

“The Prime Minister believes it is appropriate that colleagues across the House have time to reflect and go over the details of the agreement,” said the Prime Minister’s press secretary.

Sunak has promised to put his Windsor Framework to a vote after MPs have had time to properly digest the legal implications of his deal.

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