Would meet for an early lunch to discuss the latest on the northern ireland protocol negotiations. and after that, what seems to be the case is that maros sefcovic, the eu s chief negotiator on the northern ireland protocol, will hotfoot it across the road here in brussels and speak to eu ambassadors about the latest as well. all quite full of process, but where why are we at the moment in terms of a potential deal? it s clearly edging closer. downing street continuing to downplay the prospect of anything imminent but they have been doing that for quite a while. other sources, multiple sources, have been indicating that actually a deal could come next week but there is so much politics around all of this, as chris has been talking about. some people i speak to say ultimately there is an outline agreement there. it s about whether the uk government wants to push ahead with that and thinks it can sell that agreement. groups like the dup but also conservative mps as well. it sounds
This is bbc news. i m martine croxall. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. the british prime minister holds talks with northern ireland s political parties, with hopes that a deal between the uk and the eu on post brexit trade arrangements could soon be agreed. president zelensky tells the bbc he s confident ukraine can hold off russia s attacks until it can launch a major counter offensive, and warns neighbouring belarus against helping president putin. it will be a big mistake for him and for belarus. it would be a historical mistake. the royal college of nursing warns there will be significant impact on the nhs when members in england stage a 48 hour strike on the 1st of march. and the family of the hollywood actor bruce willis say the die hard and pulp fiction star is now
Activity today. in brussels, foreign secretary james cleverly has been leading uk negotiators, meeting with the eu commission vice president, maros sefcovic, and this weekend rishi sunak is due to meet other european leaders in munich so you get the sense all of this is fuelling the expectation that a deal is close but the thinking in downing street and also in the dublin government is that a deal isn t on the table just yet and there is still at least some way to go on this. chris page. our correspondentjessica parker is in brussels. what has been happening in the run up to what s happening belfast today? we run-up to what s happening belfast toda ? ~ ., run-up to what s happening belfast toda ? ~ . ., ., today? we are waiting for confirmation today? we are waiting for confirmation as today? we are waiting for confirmation as to - today? we are waiting for| confirmation as to whether today? we are waiting for- confirmation as to whetherjames confirmation as to whetherjames cleverl
Democratic deficit. laws are being made for northern ireland which are not, which are being made in brussels, not made by the politicians that are elected by the people of northern ireland. you do get the sense that the anti is being upped by the dup as speculation has mounted that it rishi sunak is close to a deal with the european union. the negotiation has been on and off on there since 2021 and that is what has led rishi sunak to visit belfast this morning for these talks with a storm at parties. also some other diplomatic activity today, in brussels james cleverly has been leader there. and this weekend, rishi sunak is due to meet other european leaders in munich, so you do get the sense that all this is very much fuelling the expectations that a deal is close. but in downing
They would go through a green channel. and the only checks that should be carried out are for those goods going between great britain and northern ireland and then onwards to the eu single market, that is south of the border on the island of ireland. the eu has conceded that and moved on this, so the stumbling block, as chris page outlined, is really the continuing role of the european court ofjustice, because one of the tests set by the dup is that the northern irish people must have a say in the laws that govern them. northern irish people might not have a say in the role of the european court ofjustice. the other stumbling block among the dup seven tests is the third one that says there must be no border in the irish sea. there will still be a border in the irish sea but the difference will be that it will only pertain to goods going from gb, to ni and then into the irish republic. the dup might say that test is passed but there is still that stumbling block, the european court ofju