Sunak’s Brexit deal clears Commons vote despite Tory revolt

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s deal with the European Union to rewrite the rules on Northern Ireland trade. The House of Commons voted 515 to 29 on Wednesday to back a portion of the agreement. But Sunak faced a rebellion by 22 fellow Conservatives, including his two immediate predecessors, former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Despite the opposition, the government easily won the vote with the backing of opposition parties and most Conservative legislators. Sunak’s agreement replaces elements of the Brexit divorce deal negotiated by Johnson. It’s designed to resolve a thorny trade dispute that vexed U.K.-EU relations and triggered a political crisis in Belfast.