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Boris Johnson’s plan to violate international law in breach of the Brexit withdrawal agreement has survived a secondary rebellion to spend its first stint in Parliament. The UK internal market bill, which gives British ministers the power to override parts of the withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol, passed its second reading by 340 votes to 263.
The government will face a bigger test next week when Bob Neill, the conservative chairman of the justice committee, is expected to introduce an amendment giving MPs the power to block measures that contravene Northern Ireland protocol. And several senior conservative peers have made it clear that they will oppose the legislation in the House of Lords.
The prime minister said the European Union had threatened to go “extreme and unreasonable” to use the protocol as a means to exert influence against Britain in negotiations over their future relationship.
“The other side is offering the possibility of blocking the transport of food and agricultural products within our own country,” he said.
“As absurd and counterproductive as that action is even as we debate this issue, the EU has not yet removed this revolver from the table. I still hope they do. And that we can also reach a Canadian-style free trade agreement. ”
Johnson admitted that the bill does not include any measures to protect Britain from such a blockade if the EU seeks to impose one. Former Labor leader and shadow business secretary Ed Miliband accused the prime minister of destroying the reputation of this country and the reputation of his office.
“What he is telling us is that his flagship achievement, the agreement that the prime minister told us was a triumph, the agreement that he said he was ready for the oven, the agreement that he fought for and won the general election, now he says that it’s far from being an oven – done, it’s completely half baked, ”he said.
“Or in the words of the number 10 it is ‘contradictory and ambiguous.’ What incompetence. What a governance failure. ”
Jeffrey Donaldson and Sammy Wilson of the DUP welcomed the bill, but SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and the Alliance’s Stephen Farry spoke out against it.
“Most of the people in Northern Ireland voted to Stay. They also supported the unfairly maligned endorsement and now pragmatically acknowledge the need for the protocol despite its challenges. And to be very clear, the majority of Northern Ireland individuals and businesses do not want this government to break international law on their behalf, ”said Farry.
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