British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a new deal on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, gambling that the reward of better ties with the European Union is worth any discord it might cause within his party.
A government source said Sunak had agreed with the terms with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they met at a hotel west of London.
The agreement marks a high-risk strategy for Sunak, who has been looking to secure a compromise and improve relations with Brussels - and the United States - without sufficiently angering the wing of his party most wedded to Brexit.
Sunak's spokesman told reporters that the two sides were in "final talks, and significant progress has been made over several weeks and months."
The deal seeks to resolve tensions caused by the 2020 post-Brexit arrangements governing Northern Ireland, a British province, and its open border with EU member Ireland.
Whether it will go far enough to end the political deadlock in Northern Ireland and satisfy critics in Britain and the province remains to be seen.
The new agreement is expected to ease physical checks on goods flowing from Britain to Northern Ireland and give the province's lawmakers a say over the EU rules it has to implement under the complicated terms of Britain's exit from the bloc.
Victory would strengthen Sunak's hold over his Conservative Party and enable him to move past the most contentious issue on his agenda as he seeks to catch up with the opposition Labour Party, now well ahead in opinion polls, before a national election expected in 2024.
Were he to fail, he would face a rebellion from the eurosceptic wing of his party, reviving the deep ideological divisions that have, at times, paralyzed the government since the vote to leave the EU in 2016.