NI protocol: Sunak criticised over ‘plans for EU chief to meet king’

Meeting between Charles and Ursula von de Leyen cancelled, reports say, as Varadkar says deal inching towards conclusion'

Rishi Sunak is facing criticism after reports that a meeting between King Charles and the president of the European Commission was cancelled days before the announcement of an expected deal on the Northern Ireland protocol.

According to reports, there had been plans for an in-person meeting between the king and Ursula von der Leyen, as part of a trip to the UK to seal the deal on the Brexit trading arrangements.