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Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit legislation allowing ministers to violate international law PASSES the final stage in the Commons by 340 votes to 256
- The Internal Market Bill tonight cleared its final stage in the House of Commons
- It allows ministers to override parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
- The bill sailed through the Commons with a majority of 84 votes and goes to the Lords
Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit legislation that allows the government to violate international law has been backed by MPs.
Tonight’s Internal Market Bill cleared its final stage in the House of Commons by 340 votes to 256 and now goes to the Lords for further scrutiny.
It allows ministers to annul parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with Brussels last year, an act that the government acknowledges violates international law “in a limited and specific way.”
Critics, including the five living former prime ministers, also argue that this would ruin the UK’s reputation as a nation that abides by its agreements.
But the government insists that it needs powers to safeguard the integrity of the UK amid fears the EU could block goods traveling between Britain and Northern Ireland.
The prime minister was forced to soften the legislation earlier in the bill’s passage to quell a conservative rebellion: MPs will now be given a vote before ministers can exercise such powers.
This bill sailed through the Commons with a majority of 84 votes, and some Conservatives who did not want to rebel against their party chose to abstain, including Theresa May.
However, the smooth passage of the bill will likely face hurdles in the pro-Remain Lords, which have previously thwarted Brexit legislation.
Tonight’s internal market bill cleared its final stage in the House of Commons by 340 votes to 256 and now goes to the Lords for further scrutiny.
Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit legislation allowing the government to violate international law has been endorsed by MPs (the prime minister in the photo delivers a speech in Exeter today)
Defending the controversial aspects of the bill in its third reading tonight, Commerce Secretary Alok Sharma said: “ The reason we have taken powers to ensure that, in the event that we do not reach an agreement with our friends in the EU on how to implement the (Protocol) is so that we can deliver on our promises in our manifesto and command document.
“This is a legal safety net that clarifies our position on the Northern Ireland Protocol to protect our union, companies and jobs.”
Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said Labor supported the internal market principle but opposed the bill that “violates the law.”
He also said: ‘On international law, no one should have any doubt about the damage that this bill has already done. This bill that violates the law has been noticed around the world ”.
The bill also contains powers that allow Westminster to provide financial assistance for economic development, infrastructure, cultural activities, and educational purposes across the country.
Opposition MPs warned it will give the UK government a chance to veer off to matters being delegated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, calling it an “attack” on refoulement.
The results of tonight’s third reading bill are read to the House of Commons
SNP MP Mhairi Black (Paisley and Renfrewshire South) also said: “This bill explicitly gives any Crown Minister permission to riot with the very assets of Scotland that our Scottish Parliament has protected.”
Independence, he said, “is the only option left to Scotland,” adding: “This is a union that dominates England. The only reason there is no English Parliament is because the people of Westminster see this place as the English Parliament, and we cannot afford to be naive. The only way to protect our Parliament is to become independent. “
She added: “It took us 300 years to get our Scottish Parliament and 20 years to get this place through with a bulldozer.”
Mr Miliband told the Commons: ‘On devolution, we on this side believe deeply in our Union, but the strength of our Union is based on sharing power, not centralizing it, and this bill does not learn that lesson. .
“It makes the decision to impose the rule that the lowest regulatory standard in a Parliament should be the standard for all without an adequate voice for decentralized administrations.”
Miliband said he fears the bill “will strengthen the hand of those who want to divide the UK.”
The bill will come under further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date.
