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Members of the House of Commons expressed initial support for the UK’s Internal Market Act by 340 votes, paving the way for a detailed four-day examination of the bill this week and next. 263 MPs voted against it.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously argued that the UK’s domestic market law is a “legal safety net” against what he said were threats from the EU to impose tariffs on UK domestic trade and even impede food. from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
However, EU leaders rated the information favorably, cautioning Johnson about the commitments he made last year in the Brexit treaty and demanding that parts of the bill that were in conflict with the treaty be removed at the end. of September.
The dispute could thwart already difficult post-Brexit trade talks and raise fears of a chaotic end to the EU-UK integration by more than Dec. 31.
The bill also sparked a vicious debate in London, reminiscent of the fierce political battles following the shocking 2016 referendum on withdrawal from the EU.
Several Conservative MPs for Johnson have raised concerns about the violation of international law. Among those who have stated beforehand that they will not support the bill in its current form are former Finance Secretary Sajid Javid and former General Atornie Geoffrey Cox.
All of the surviving former prime ministers, Conservatives John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Labor Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, have also warned of a threat to Britain’s reputation around the world.
“Break our country”
Britain officially left the EU in January, nearly four years after a landmark referendum on leaving the EU, but later this year, the UK is bound by the bloc’s rules until both sides try to agree on future relationships.
According to Johnson, the UK’s internal market law will guarantee “unrestricted” trade between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland after 31 December.
However, under the law, London would unilaterally regulate UK trade and state aid in Northern Ireland, which would go against the Brexit deal, which also requires Brussels to have a voice.
Northern Ireland will remain subject to some EU rules under the single post-Brexit regime to guarantee an open border with Ireland. That border is a crucial part of the 1998 peace accords, which ended decades of interreligious violence.
However, Johnson said the EU was ready to do anything and use this procedure to “influence” trade negotiations.
He acknowledged some personal “tension” over the power of ministers to ignore the Brexit deal, but said the power would not be necessary if a trade deal with Brussels is expected to be reached.
“What we cannot do now is tolerate a situation where our colleagues in the EU seriously believe that they have the power to divide our country,” he said, adding: “That illusion must be decently removed.”
“His failure”
The UK parliament has been debating how to withdraw from the EU for years and has postponed the withdrawal date three times. Then a lot of controversy arose on the question of Northern Ireland.
Johnson temporarily lifted a stalemate late last year by concluding a withdrawal deal with Brussels, which he used to win the December general election.
Downing Street said last week that the Brexit deal had been reached quickly, so there were no issues with the Northern Ireland aspects of the deal.
However, Ed Miliband, a spokesman for the opposition Labor Party, scoffed at the statement: “Either it wasn’t open when he spoke to the country about this treaty … or he didn’t understand it.”
“It just came to our notice then. It is their mess. This is their failure,” Miliband added.
One of Johnson’s special envoys, Rep. Rehman Chishti, has resigned over the bill. There may be more problems.
Although lawmakers on Monday rejected Labor’s attempt to overturn the bill, amendments have already been proposed for a detailed debate that begins Tuesday.
The amendment proposed by influential Conservative MP Bob Neill has already received some support. According to him, the parliament, not the ministers, would have the power to decide whether to repeal the Brexit deal.
Even some Brexit supporters aren’t happy. One of them, Charles Walker, said: “I am not a fan of the EU, but we really need to exhaust all other possibilities before pressing the nuclear button.”
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