EU’s von der Leyen to travel to UK for Northern Ireland Brexit talks – joint statement

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – The leaders of Britain and the European Union will hold face-to-face talks in London on Monday as they seek to finalise a new deal for Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements, the two sides said on Sunday.

“President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland,” the joint statement said.

“President von der Leyen will therefore meet with the prime minister in the UK tomorrow.”

London and Brussels have been engaged in talks for months to ease trading frictions in the British province but the test will be whether the changes will satisfy some Brexit supporters in the governing Conservative Party or the biggest unionist party in Northern Ireland.

(Reporting by William James; writing by Kate Holton, editing by Elizabeth Piper)