[ad_1]
Boris Johnson has ruled out removing treaty-breaking clauses in a bill that would allow British ministers to renege on the Brexit withdrawal agreement despite Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election.
Biden warned of the risk posed by the Internal Market Act to the Belfast Accord and the Northern Ireland peace accord, which threatens to dampen prospects for a trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom.
But in a call with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Saturday, Johnson said he intended to move forward with the bill in its current form.
“As I told Ursula, the parliamentary calendar continues. The purpose of that bill and indeed the finance bill is to protect and defend the Good Friday Agreement [Belfast Agreement] and the peace process in Northern Ireland. And again, that’s one of the things that we are united in with our friends in the White House, ”he told the Associated Press on Sunday.
Withdrawal agreement
The House of Lords is expected to remove the offending clauses on Monday, but MPs can restore them when the bill returns to the House of Commons later this month. The Johnson government has admitted that the clauses would allow British ministers to violate international law in breach of the withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol, which guarantees that there will be no firm border between North and South.
Biden has publicly endorsed warnings from top Congressional Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, about the impact on London’s relationship with Washington if it continues. Go ahead with the bill as it is. But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday that it was the EU and not Britain that was pushing the Belfast Accord with its approach to implementing the Northern Ireland protocol.
Border infrastructure
“We have made an unconditional and absolute commitment not to do anything that would jeopardize the Good Friday Agreement and any infrastructure on the border. The EU has not replicated that absolute commitment and that is something that I think it was useful to explain to our American friends, ”he told the BBC.
Johnson and von der Leyen agreed that talks on a post-Brexit deal should continue in London from Monday, although both sides acknowledged that significant differences remained on the two main outstanding issues.
“Some progress has been made, but big differences remain, especially on level playing field and in fishing. Our teams will continue to work hard next week. We will remain in close contact in the coming days, ”said Ms Von der Leyen.
Johnson said Sunday that von der Leyen agreed with him that a trade deal was within reach.
“I have always been a huge fan of a business deal with our European friends and partners. I think it remains to be done, the general lines are quite clear. We just have to go ahead and do it if we can, ”he said.
[ad_2]