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Although the warnings continue, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is sticking to his law, with which he wants to pierce the current Brexit deal. Now he has overcome a first hurdle in parliament.
The British Parliament voted at first reading for the controversial Brexit amendment. On Monday night, 340 MPs voted in favor of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bill, compared with 263. A new internal market law that would unilaterally change the Brexit treaty concluded with the EU in January was up for vote.
By passing the bill, MPs paved the way for four days of intense parliamentary deliberations this week and next. In the debate leading up to the first vote, Johnson had accused the EU of endangering the territorial integrity of the UK. Therefore, your government is forced to act and therefore to the new law.
The new plans, which the British government surprisingly announced a few days ago, would unilaterally undermine several key provisions of the Brexit treaty on Northern Ireland. It is about the suspension of customs regulations in the trade of goods for the British province and the requirements on state aid for British companies.
Emotions in Parliament boil
The vote is a barometer of the state of mind: the decisive vote will not take place for another week. After that, the law still needs to pass in the House of Lords. But already on Monday the emotions in parliament were boiling: “What incompetence! What a failed government!” There is only one person responsible for all of this: Johnson himself. In the debate, however, he again defended his law as a necessary “safety net” to protect the relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain. The law is also necessary because the European Union did not remove the “gun” from the table in the negotiations, Johnson said.
The EU sees this as a clear violation of the Brexit deal and reacted with outrage. Even the British government has already admitted an international violation of the law, but describes it as “very specific and limited”.
Johnson also encounters resistance within his own ranks.
Using this argument, Johnson encountered massive resistance within his own Conservative Party: Many Conservatives, including Brexiters, do not want to support the intended breach of the law and called for the bill to be withdrawn before parliamentary deliberations begin. . They fear that the breakup could shake international confidence in Britain and endanger the fragile peace in Northern Ireland. Therefore, the outcome of the next parliamentary deliberations is uncertain.
For example, former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox accused Johnson of damaging Britain’s reputation. The planned introduction of the internal market law is unreasonable, said the conservative deputy of the “Times”. There is no “doubt” that the “unpleasant” consequences of the Brexit deal were known when Johnson signed it.
