A minister has urged Tory MPs to back Rishi Sunak on Brexit and accept the deal the Prime Minister does with Brussels on improving the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs, said people need to “operate in the real world” on Brexit and “we need to resolve this issue” to allow the Government to focus on tackling “all the other challenges that we are facing” .
Mr Mercer said that if Mr Sunak is happy with his deal then “I am happy” as he suggested MPs should support the premier “whatever he comes back with”.
His comments came as Mr Sunak faces a growing Tory rebellion over his Brexit deal amid fears among Conservative Brexiteers that the PM’s plans will not go far enough in ending EU involvement in Northern Ireland’s affairs.
Mr Mercer told Times Radio: “We have got to operate in the real world, right? And I think that is the problem with this debate over many years.
“Rishi Sunak campaigned, voted for and is very committed to Brexit as you have seen a number of times and I think whatever he comes back with, we need to resolve this issue and we need to get on and seize the opportunities of Brexit that have been talked about for so long.
“I hope colleagues recognize the work he is putting into it, I think he is taking the right approach and I think what he comes back with, if he is happy, I am happy and we get on with it and tackle all the other challenges that we are facing today.”
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08:13 AM
Johnny Mercer: Rishi Sunak ‘is not going to sell anyone out’ on Brexit
Rishi Sunak’s deal to solve problems with the Northern Protocol is “not going to sell anyone out”, a government minister has said.
Veterans’ affairs minister Johnny Mercer told Sky News that the Prime Minister had “good discussions last week with the European Union” and had “good engagement going on with other MPs”.
He added: “Let’s give the Prime Minister a chance to come out with something. He’s attacking this, he is throwing everything he can into it. He voted for and campaigned hard for Brexit, right?
“So he is not going to sell anyone out or come up with a solution that is unfair or doesn’t deliver on what he thinks is Brexit.
“I think, let’s give him a chance, let’s give him the opportunity to bring some sort of resolution to the protocol and then let’s get behind him and get on with all the other challenges that we face across this country at the moment.”
Asked whether there could be a deal this week, Mr. Mercer replied: “I don’t know, I hope so. But let’s see what happens.”
08:07 AM
Sir Tony Blair and Lord Hague plan for digital ID cards a ‘good idea’ – minister
Sir Tony Blair and Lord Hague today launched a push to bring in digital ID cards which would contain a person’s passport, driving license and tax records, among other things.
The former Labor prime minister and ex-Tory leader said in a piece for The Times that the move would be part of a much-needed “technology revolution”.
The proposal was given a decidedly lukewarm reception by Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs, who described it as a “good idea” but suggested that the pair should have acted on the idea when they were in positions of power.
He told Times Radio: “I have no view on that at all. I think that it sounds like a great idea. But if only they had been in a position to do something about it.
“Oh wait, Tony Blair was prime minister for nine years wasn’t he. Look, good idea but I think there’s lots of other things to be getting on with as well.”
08:02 AM
‘If you take a wage as a politician you should probably turn up to work’
Politicians who are paid to perform a public role “should probably turn up to work”, a minister has said after he was asked about the ongoing collapse of power sharing at Stormont.
Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs, was asked if he believed the DUP is acting in good faith amid the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He told Times Radio: “That is a question for them. I have made my views clear on the level of politics in Northern Ireland over a number of issues over a number of years.
“I think people in politics have got to remember what they are there for. We are here to serve, it is a life of public service. No one party is a monopoly on what is right for Northern Ireland.
“I think everybody needs to do their best and conduct themselves in good faith and I hope and expect the DUP are doing that as everybody else is.”
He added: “I think if you take a salary as a politician you should probably turn up to work like everyone else in the country and that is what I want to see happen.”
07:58 AM
Minister urges Tory MPs to back Rishi Sunak on Brexit and accept his deal on Northern Ireland Protocol
Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs, has urged Tory MPs to back Rishi Sunak on Brexit and accept the Prime Minister’s proposed deal to improve the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He told Times Radio: “We have got to operate in the real world, right? And I think that is the problem with this debate over many years.
“Rishi Sunak campaigned, voted for and is very committed to Brexit as you have seen a number of times and I think whatever he comes back with, we need to resolve this issue and we need to get on and seize the opportunities of Brexit that have been talked about for so long.
“I hope colleagues recognize the work he is putting into it, I think he is taking the right approach and I think what he comes back with, if he is happy, I am happy and we get on with it and tackle all the other challenges that we are facing today.”