Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland Minister and former hardline rebel on Brexit, spoke out in support of Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal, which brought him to tears.
Baker praised the Windsor Framework, suggesting that it was a statecraft achievement on a par with the Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles in 1998. He called on fellow eurosceptics, including the Democratic Unionist Party, to support the deal and allow Northern Ireland to move on.
In addition to his political support for the deal, Baker also opened up about the toll that his seven years in politics has taken on his mental health. In November 2021, he had a mental health crisis and found himself “in a ball crying in my office.” Baker attributed his recovery to growing a beard and wearing jewelry.
He described how his role in holding the tigers by the tail of Brexit, the Covid Recovery Group, Net Zero Scrutiny Group, and the tax work with Conservative Way Forward took its toll on him.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, continued his campaign to sell the Brexit deal, warning the wavering DUP that the plan would go ahead even if they did not support it. During a visit to Belfast, he said that he had done the best for Northern Ireland and insisted that the plan would remove any trace of a hard border with mainland Britain.
Sunak hoped that the DUP would support the deal after studying the details, but emphasized that what mattered most was the “people of Northern Ireland” rather than any political party.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly admitted that it would be “very disappointing” if the DUP does not approve the deal and rejoin powersharing, while colleagues have been less restrained, with MP Ian Paisley saying that he does not believe the new terms “cut the mustard.”
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was careful in his response, saying that they would take time to study the details, while acknowledging that progress has been made.
The PM, Boris Johnson, acknowledged that he had spoken to Rishi Sunak about the proposals but played down any political maneuvering, saying that “this is not about personalities.” Johnson will return to address MPs this evening, following the broad welcome that the Windsor Framework has received.
»Steve Baker fight back tears as he backed Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland deal«
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