UK PM Calls w/VdL & Irish PM Hint At Conciliatory Stance w/EU

Last night, new UK PM Rishi Sunak held calls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Irish Taoiseach (PM) Micheal Martin, with the statements from the UK gov't on the calls seeking to present a conciliatory stance between London and Brussels/Dublin.

• Readout from VdL callstates that "The leaders stressed the importance they both place on the relationship between the UK and EU, and on working together as friends and allies." With Martin, the readout said the two discussed the Northern Ireland protocol and that Sunak, "...set out that his preference remained a negotiated outcome and hoped all parties would approach the current challenges with pragmatism and goodwill."
• The controversial Northern Ireland Protocol bill - which unilaterally disapplies the protocol in order to maintain a checkless NI-GB border - is still going through the House of Lords. It is set to meet significant opposition there (the gov't do not hold a majority in the chamber) that will hold up its progress, potentially for several months.
• Should it pass into law it would result in a major deterioration in EU-UK and UK-RoI relations, and potentially risk the EU scrapping the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the FTA with the UK). If the Sunak gov't shelves the bill it would result in major improvement in EU-UK relations, but risk a backlash from the Brexiteer wing of the Conservative party as well as unionists within NI.