The British government is prepared to violate smaller parts of the exit agreement agreed with the EU last autumn. This if it is not possible to reach a free trade agreement with the EU during the negotiations that are currently underway. The announcement has sparked intense debate in the UK.
A statement earlier on Tuesday from the British Minister for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, has rekindled the Brexit issue.
Asked directly by a party colleague about the legislative proposal on how Northern Ireland should be regulated if there is no EU-UK trade agreement, Lewis said that “yes, the bill violates international law in a limited and specific way”.
Exactly how the bill will be formulated to be presented tomorrow, but the recognition from Lewis received strong reactions.
A top lawyer in Government Office No. 10 has resigned, according to information in protest against the bill and the former British Prime Minister Theresa May asked with concern:
– How should the government now be able to convince future trading partners that the UK is to be trusted?
The Johnson government justifies the bill by saying that there are parts of the exit agreement around Northern Ireland that are unclear and need to be regulated more.
The proposal can also be seen as another way of putting pressure on the EU to speed up the free trade negotiations that are continuing here in London today.
Strong reactions also came from Ireland, Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney says for example that British action could undermine trust between the parties in Northern Ireland.
Source: ICELAND NEWS