De-rusting trust

Windsor's guildhallOld buildings in Britain once used for collecting taxes. was full of excitement as Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der LeyenThe president of the European Commission. gave their press conference. It looked as if Britain and the EU had finally solved the toughest of BrexitThe UK's departure from the European Union. problems.

Since the Good Friday AgreementThe treaty that ended the Troubles, a decades-long conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, which also saw fighting between the British government and Irish republicans. One of its central tenets is an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland., the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has been open. Closing it again might well result in violence. But Britain leaving the EU meant there would have to be some kind of border for customs checks.

The Northern Ireland ProtocolThe part of the Brexit treaty which established that goods should be checked by customs when going between the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland, rather than between Northern Ireland and the Republic. did not solve the problem, but the Windsor Framework looks like the answer. These are the key points:

1. Lane gain There will be a "green lane" with a few checks for goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland and staying there. Any going on to the Republic will travel through a "red lane" with stronger checks.

2. Bill killed The Northern Ireland Bill, which would have allowed the British government to break the Protocol if it wanted, will be scrapped.  

3. Brake shake-up A small proportion of EU rules will still apply in Northern Ireland. But the Northern Ireland Assembly can block new rules if 30 members object to it. This is called "the Stormont Brake".  

4. Pooch smooch Dogs and other pets can be taken from Britain to Northern Ireland without vets' certificates.

5. Swifter gifts Parcels can be sent between the two countries without customs forms.

6. Pills chill Medicines sold in Northern Ireland have to follow British rules, not EU ones.

7. Tax pax Some things in Northern Ireland will be subject to VAT under British rules and others under EU ones.

The Unionist parties have yet to say if they will support the framework.¹ But its reception by most MPs and EU politicians has been very warm.

The Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker hailed the "statesmanship" shown by the negotiators.

Yes: Rishi Sunak is everything that his predecessor, Boris Johnson, was not - a diplomatic, trustworthy man with an eye for detail. The Windsor Framework shows what politicians can achieve when they work together.  

No: Sunak has simply been sorting out a mess of his own party's making. The deep divisions over Brexit and the failure to draw up a workable treaty earlier will not be forgotten in a hurry.  

Or... Rishi Sunak will probably lose the next election because his party is so discredited. But he has earned his place in history and is young enough to have hopes of returning to power in the future.