Brexit: Ursula von der Leyen to travel to UK for talks with Rishi Sunak

theguardian.com:

Rishi Sunak is to hold face-to-face talks with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, with a deal to revise post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland expected as soon as Monday.

“Today, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and prime minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland,” a joint statement said.

“President Von der Leyen will therefore meet with the prime minister in the UK tomorrow.”

The visit will kick off what could be a pivotal moment in Sunak’s prime ministership as he attempts to sell the much-negotiated deal – which is expected as soon as Monday – to Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party and to Brexiter MPs in the Conservative party.

Following many weeks of renewed talks, expectations had been mounting that the UK and EU were about to unveil a revised Northern Ireland protocol. Dominic Raab said on Sunday morning that Sunak was “on the cusp of a deal”.

“There’s real progress,” the justice secretary and deputy prime minister told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme. “We want to make sure all the pieces are in place. But I think hopefully there will be good news in a matter of days, not weeks.”

That timetable seems to have been accelerated yet more, with Von der Leyen and Sunak expected to oversee a final list of items that need leader-level scrutiny. While UK government sources say a final resolution is not guaranteed, the meeting means it is very widely expected to happen on Monday.

If it does, looming even more largely for Sunak will be how to sell the revised plan to a so-far sceptical Democratic