Brexit deal latest news: No 10 suggests no changes can be made to Windsor Agreement

There is no room for changes to the Brexit deal, No 10 have stated after announcing the historic deal.

Asked if Rishi Sunak could return to Brussels to request changes requested by the DUP, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I think you have certainly heard the Prime Minister asking similar questions today. We believe we have struck the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland.

“We’re ready to have further discussions with those parties if they have questions about how it works in practice, in fact we’ve done a lot of that in advance of this announcement.”

Former Secretary of State Lord Hain has congratulated the Prime Minister on the new Brexit deal, which he says has “far exceeded all expectations”.

The Labor colleague called out critics in the Conservative Party and Northern Ireland for their “excessive reactions”.

He argued that they were “almost saying that Northern Ireland should not remain in the single market and the logic of that would mean that the European Union’s outer customs border would run across the island of Ireland and it would be a hard border.

“You should make that clear if that’s what you mean.”

Former DUP Deputy Leader Lord Dodds has urged the Government to clarify the provisions of the Windsor Framework.

He said: “The crucial question is whether or not the people of Northern Ireland continue to be denied democratic and constitutional equal status with our compatriots and women as a result of the consequences of separation and economic divergence from the rest of the UK?”

He added: “For the sake of accuracy, can the (Lords) leader confirm the extent to which Northern Ireland remains subject to EU laws and is subject to EU jurisdiction for large parts of our economy for which consent has never been sought or granted?”

“In relation to the Stormont brake, can he confirm that as currently set out it does not give the Northern Ireland Assembly the final say or the deadlock, even on a cross-community vote, but can be overridden by a minister here and we can subject is left? in relation to retaliation against the UK as a whole by the EU?”

In response, Lords Tory leader Lord True said the brake would be applied by the Assembly but added: “It would be the UK Government that would veto it.

“That would be a very open process. One would expect the UK Government to give the utmost weight to the points raised by the Stormont Assembly.”

He pointed out that under the revised agreement only 3% of EU law would remain in force in Northern Ireland, with around 1,700 pages removed.

Lord Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, described the Windsor Framework as an “outbreak of common sense”.

However, he raised concerns from the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland – a sister party of the Liberal Democrats – that the Stormont brake could cause instability if used too frequently.

He said: “The only aspect that raises an immediate warning flag for me is the Stormont brakes.

“If it’s actually only used in exceptional cases, that’s one thing. But if used regularly, it could in itself create serious instability and insecurity.”

He urged the Prime Minister to meet equally with all Northern Ireland parties, not just the DUP, to discuss any outstanding issues of the deal.

Lord Newby also urged Northern Ireland parties to reform an executive, pointing out that there needs to be an administration to even trigger the Stormont brake.

Lord True agreed that institutional restoration in Northern Ireland was “a priority”.

Parents who do not ensure their children attend school regularly could stop paying child support, Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove has suggested.

Speaking to the Onward Think Tank, Mr Gove suggested that this could now be reconsidered as part of an effort to restore an “ethic of responsibility”.

Our political correspondent adam woods has more:

Alliance party leader Naomi Long said the Windsor framework is the agreement that should have been signed four years ago if the UK had had a “serious” prime minister at the time.

After meeting Rishi Sunak in Co Antrim, she said: “In terms of trade arrangements between the UK, and in particular Northern Ireland, and the EU, we recognize that this is a major step forward.

“This is the deal we could have made in 2019 if we had had a serious PM who was willing to be respectful of the EU.

“I think my only disappointment today is that we had to wait four years to have that circumstance.

“It shows that good progress can be made by engaging in good faith.

“We have concerns about how the Stormont brake works.

“It remains unclear how it will work, at what level the trigger will be set.

“The only thing we don’t want is to add more instability to the institutions in Stormont.”

The source close to the former Prime Minister has not denied a report that Mr Johnson had asked the DUP without support until they carefully studied the agreement.

Most Tory MPs have responded enthusiastically to the Windsor framework, but Mr Johnson’s allies in the DUP and hard-liners in the European Research Group (ERG) are “taking time” to consider whether to support it.

Our political correspondent adam woods Reports:

Downing Street has been forced to stress that Rishi Sunak’s praise for Northern Ireland’s access to both EU and UK markets should not be taken as an endorsement of the benefits of the single market for the UK as a whole.

During a visit to a Coca-Cola factory in County Antrim to promote his Windsor Framework, the Prime Minister said the deal would create “the most exciting economic zone in the world”.

When the Prime Minister’s official spokesman later pressed on the issue, he told reporters: “The British people made a decision in 2016 and we see the benefits of that decision, be it in the opportunity to change our environmental laws and some of the controls of The Prime Minister actually just spoke about it today.

“In relation to Northern Ireland, it is simply a fact that because of our respect for the Good Friday Agreement and its centrality: Northern Ireland must have access to both markets because of its unique position, not least to avoid a border on the island of Ireland that no one sees want.

“That puts it in a unique position, and the framework eventually cements those capabilities.”