Mirabile dictu. Something has gone right for the government. After long months of debilitation and stress, the problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol has been resolved, and devolved government will return to Stormont. There were long periods when it seemed that intransigence would prevail. “The dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone” were often cited by mainland officials, under their breath. The whole issue was much more a matter of principle and rhetoric than of practicality and substance, but it added to the Prime Minister’s travails, as if he had not been burdened enough. It also aroused suspicion among the “bad winner” wing of the arch-Brexiteers. Sunak’s own Brexit credentials are impeccable yet a dismaying number of his backbenchers seemed to be searching for an excuse to find fault with his handling of Ulster.
Ukraine’s allies pledge new aid at Ramstein
Zelensky attained commitments in air defence from his western allies, but long-range weapons restrictions remain a point of contention.