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Officials were still negotiating the final details as of 2 a.m. Monday morning. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a key factor in helping Rishi Sunak seal his Brexit deal, according to government experts. Last year, the British government built bridges to capitals across Europe as the West came together to oppose Russian aggression.
As old tensions over Brexit dissipated, the outbreak of war on the fringes of Europe also focused the minds of EU leaders on what was important, unleashing a new will to resolve the Irish protocol issue. of the North once and for all, say the sources.
It was one of many things that helped the prime minister achieve a stunning Brexit deal that even impressed some Brexiteers in his own party.
Parts of the Conservative Party even believe that the Windsor framework, and the feeling of having "done" Brexit, is the "secret weapon" that will help them win the next election despite Labor's huge lead in the polls.
Another factor that facilitated the talks was the absence of a deadline.
Much has been made of the imminent anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
It was thought that it was unlikely that President Biden would want to visit the UK as issues over the Northern Ireland protocol have not yet been resolved.
But everyone involved took the attitude that the deal would be done when it was done.
However, that doesn't mean there weren't some nervous moments.
Senior government officials were spooked by rumors coming from a summit in Munich last week. At this point, they really believed that a deal might be in jeopardy.
The government had erased part of its agenda to seal the deal last week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was even scheduled to fly to the UK on Saturday. However, that was withdrawn and then hastily reshuffled for Monday when it looked like a deal could be signed. Controversially, his scheduled meeting with the king was also reinstated, despite claims that No 10 risked politicizing the monarchy.
Sovereignty issues, based on the idea of securing Northern Ireland politicians' consent to future EU rules, have turned out to be the most difficult part of talks in recent months.
British government officials came up with the idea of the 'Stormont Brake', which would have been the breakthrough that unlocked a final deal with Brussels.
But officials were still negotiating the final details as of 2 a.m. Monday morning, agreeing on a long list of export declarations.
A source familiar with the negotiations said: "These things are progressive talks going on until the wee hours of the morning in windowless buildings, with dodgy sandwiches with unnecessary amounts of eggs involved."
The day the deal was made, some of the officials involved went to bed at 3 a.m.
The source added: “The people who said this deal was done two weeks ago should talk to their spouses. He wasn't sitting there, done.
Rishi Sunak travels to Northern Ireland to sell the proceeds of the deal
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