Back in the Commons, the result of the Northern Ireland protocol vote has been announced. The government won by 515 votes to 29 – a majority of 486.
Assuming all or most of the eight DUP MPs voted against the government, that implies that just over 20 Tories voted against the government.
Christopher Hope listed the 22 people who voted against the Windsor Agreement.
48 abstained so a big win for Sunak might not be as obvious as it looks.
Beth Rigby tweeted: “Told 22 Tories voted against Windsor Agreement and 48 abstained. In total then 70 MPs who didn’t support the Stormont Brake (think that about a third of Tory backbenches once remove payroll) >>> very uncomfortable for PM.”
Andrea Leadsom is a fan of it, which is a bit weird.
As this tweeter wrote: “Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom praising the Windsor Agreement for giving Northern Ireland access to both the EU Single Market and the UK Market will get a shock when she finds out Brexit stopped Britain having the same.”
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Trouble ahead?
Is there still trouble ahead?
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he cannot commit his party “will restore the political institutions” in Northern Ireland as a result of the deal.
Tory former minister Sir John Redwood said: “What is the point of rushing through a vote on this protocol when it is the protocol and the agreement behind it that prevents Stormont meeting, which means the protocol would never be used?”
Also, Stella Creasy tweeted: “Secretary of State just tried to tell me EU law bill won’t undermine the Windsor Agreement – that’s not what representatives of Europe think. The Secretary of State either not being open about risks of trade war and to NI deal or doesn’t understand his governments bill.”
However, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he wouldn’t support the deal, but as you can see maybe Mogg is confused.
Peter Stefanovic tweeted: “Jacob Rees-Mogg saying he will not find it possible to support the Government’ in todays vote on Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal This is an IMPROVED version of Johnsons deal which he championed & sold to the public & Parliament as “a negotiating triumph””
But we will leave the last word to UKIP’s Neil Hamilton, who is literally a keyboard warrior.
