Rishi Sunak's framework for Windsor has been welcomed in the front pages of the UK and Ireland as a way to break the Brexit impasse over Northern Ireland, at least initially.
Some papers focus on the blue skies of greater European cooperation while others focus on the potential storm clouds ahead if Tory rebels or the Democratic Unionist party choose to reject it.
The Times says simply Brexit breakthrough leads with Sunak s claim that the UK had taken back control over new EU laws that affect Northern Ireland now known as Stormont brake Its second story puzzles over who exactly proposed getting the EU commission chief Ursula vonvon der Leyen to meet King Charles, given everyone seems to deny it.
The standfirst shows Sunak and by der Leyen shaking hands under the headline : PM hails new chapter in relations with EU after Northern Ireland deal. The standfirst carries a hint of the obstacles that lie ahead for Sunak in the form of hardline Brexiters in his party.
The Daily Telegraph carries an image of a cheerful Sunak and Von Der Leyen and leads with the prime minister's words: Sunak: My deal is a new way forward. It notes that an expected backlash from Tory rebels didn't materialise.
The Daily Express celebrates the Stormont brake aspect of the deal but notes that Boris Johnson has not yet given his view on the trashing of his Brexit legislative legacy. PM: My Brexit deal now takes back control The Financial Times looks ahead to the promise of an easier relationship with Europe. Its headline: Northern Ireland trade deal eases post-Brexit tensions with Brussels. The i paper plays it both ways, marking the deal but also the trouble that may lie ahead of the headline: Sunak secures a deal on Brexit as tensions loom Metro has some fun with Johnson s claim to have an oven-ready deal back in 2019. Reporting that the deal has arrived, albeit 1,215 days late, it says You can put the oven on. Sunak hails the deal as a new chapter and notes his adoption of the hardline Brexiter narrative of taking back control. The Irish Independent notes the extreme caution on the part of the Democratic Unionist party DUP as it studies the agreement, but says that taoiseach Leo Varadkar has welcomed the deal.
The Belfast Telegraph said all eyes are now on the DUP, whose leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said it won't be rushed or pushed into a hasty decision.
The Irish News concludes with an assessment of the dilemma faced by Donaldson by columist Alex Kane: Donaldson's choice is a simple, if brutal one. A UK parliament is likely to endorse a deal with a majority, leaving the party weak and friendless at the centre of power. Or face down his internal and external opponents and try to persuade a majority of the unionist voters that, while not perfect, the Windsor Framework is much better than most people think, even as recently as the start of January.