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The British government will go ahead with a plan to introduce a second bill giving ministers the power to override the Brexit withdrawal deal, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs.
The UK’s internal market bill, which passed all its stages in the House of Commons on Tuesday, allows ministers to circumvent the measures of the Northern Ireland protocol on state aid and the requirement that export declarations accompany property moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
More powers to determine which goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland are at risk of entering the EU single market should be included in the finance bill after this year’s autumn budget. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has canceled the budget, but Lewis said the government would introduce legislation anyway.
“The protocol makes it clear that there will be some changes to the movement of goods to Northern Ireland from Great Britain. We are consulting with companies in Northern Ireland and working with our partners in the European Union to meet that, and there will be a reduced finance bill that includes all the commitments that we have made to the people of Northern Ireland that are highlighted in that point, ”he told the House of Commons.
In response to a question from Westminster DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, Lewis said the government was determined that companies could trade freely in and with Northern Ireland.
“We will make full use of the provisions of the protocol to comply with that, and we will continue to discuss this with the European Union,” he said. “There are still issues that we are discussing as part of the free trade agreement and through the joint committee of specialists, but we will ensure that all commitments made by myself, the prime minister and other colleagues in the dispatch box are delivered through a reduced -Low finance bill later this year. “
What changes for EU fishermen?
British and EU negotiators entered their ninth round of talks in Brussels this week amid reports that Britain has offered a three-year transition period for European fishermen operating in UK waters. Under the British proposal, quotas and access for EU ships would be reduced year by year and negotiated annually.
In a letter to Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost, Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) executive director Elspeth Macdonald urged him to stand firm on the demand for the restoration of “full sovereignty” over the fisheries. .
“Getting a suboptimal deal in fisheries would breach promises made to the industry and perpetuate deeply unfair deals under EU membership, where others have greatly benefited from the UK’s natural resources, which is a disadvantage very significant for the UK. ” she said.
“We have never been in a stronger position than we are now, but whatever is given away now will never come back. The SFF urges them to remain steadfast in fishing and not give up our precious natural resources and our sovereignty. “
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