Hopes rise for Brexit breakthrough as UK minister apologizes for hardline stance

Brexiter Steve Baker, who is now Minister for Northern Ireland, has apologized for his 'ferocious' stance on EU negotiations< /p> A woman walks past a mural in Belfast city center depicting Liz Truss (

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Hopes are growing of an imminent Brexit breakthrough on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Talks between the UK and EU to break the deadlock resume this week amid growing pressure on the parties to find a solution.

Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker paved the way for a deal when he apologized for his 'tough' stance on negotiations with the bloc.

He told the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham that relations with Ireland were not 'where they should be', and admitted ministers needed to act with 'humility' to restore links with the Republic and the EU.

Mr. Baker insisted he was "convinced" that London and Brussels can "get a deal that works for everyone" if they start talks "together in a spirit of goodwill" and without preconditions. /p>

Tory Minister Steve Baker has apologized for his "ferocious" stance on Brexit (

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Getty Images)

Critics say the protocol, which effectively keeps the province in the EU's single goods market, has drawn a border on the Irish Sea, hampering trade between mainland Britain and the UK. Northern Ireland.

But supporters believe the mechanism is key to preventing a physical border on the province's 310-mile border with the Republic - the UK's only land border with the EU.

Wrangling over the Protocol has helped cripple the Stormont Assembly, where the Democratic Unionist Party refuses to sit until the issue remains unresolved.

Unionists say the ongoing row could threaten the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the province.

The clock is ticking on the deadline for a pact.