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Tomorrow (October 31) marks four weeks since the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the EU would initiate legal proceedings to prevent the United Kingdom from trying to use the Internal Market Law to annul key aspects of the Agreement. of Withdrawal signed last year. She had set the end of this month as the deadline for the UK to respond. Brussels had been enraged at the Prime Minister and his Government, who had ignored demands for changes to the legislation, which could give ministers powers to change parts of the divorce agreement, i.e. on trade with Northern Ireland and subsequently violate international law.
The EU’s main Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has repeatedly said that the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement is a prerequisite for any future trade deal and political relationship agreement with the UK, while Brussels maintains that the treaty has the legal force of an international agreement and cannot be changed.
By announcing the legal action move on 1 October, Ms Von der Leyen launched a scathing attack on the UK, describing the Internal Market Bill as “a violation of the obligation of good faith”.
She had said: “We had invited our British friends to remove the problematic parts of their internal market bill at the end of September. The deadline expired yesterday.
“The problematic provisions have not been removed, therefore, this morning the Commission has decided to send a formal notification letter to the UK government. This is the first step in infringement proceedings.” A second response deadline was set for the end of this month.
The Vice President of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, had previously warned that he would not hesitate to use the legal remedies of the Withdrawal Agreement if the UK refused to amend the legislation.
But the UK government has refused to withdraw from the bill, and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove immediately insisted that the legislation would be upheld and, thanks to a compromise with the Conservative Party rebels, would voted in the House of Commons, forcing Ms Von der Leyen to launch legal proceedings.
Britain has remained undeterred by the threats from Brussels, and the bill is being scrutinized by hundreds of peers in the House of Lords.
A showdown in the upper house is scheduled for November 9, and the peers plan to vote on the amendments during the commission stage.
But this could push Johnson into a new crisis, with proposals to remove offensive clauses that would violate international law, with the expectation that the government will be easily defeated.
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8.40am update: sturgeon ‘take over’ with SNP pledge to override Scotland laws to EU rules
Westminster and Holyrood are poised for an extraordinary battle over Brexit after the Nicola Sturgeon government threatened to align Scotland’s laws with EU regulations.
The Scottish Parliament has backed a bill that would give ministers discretionary powers to bring Scottish law and environmental standards into line with those of the EU, despite the UK preparing to leave the Brussels bloc in late year.
The plot would also see the establishment of the Scottish Environmental Standards (ESS) to replace the EU’s oversight of environmental law, although the government has controversially excluded climate change policy from the body’s mandate.
During the debate, Secretary of the Constitution Mike Russell described the bill as a “modest move” to align laws and environmental standards.
Referring to the prospect of a no-deal Brexit and the UK’s current negotiations with the EU, Russell added: ‘The people of Scotland didn’t choose Brexit, they certainly didn’t choose this kind of disastrous no-deal Brexit, which is still a real possibility. .
“They also didn’t pick the equally bad low bargain, which is the only alternative left on the table.
“That low bargain is a painfully thin, job-destroying ideological muddle that, if imposed in the midst of a global pandemic, the deep recession will cost us all dearly.
“It is impossible to believe that any responsible government would consider it, let alone choose it.”
8.20am update: Nigel Farage warns that Trump’s victory in 2020 will cause chaos in the EU as POTUS ‘does not want the Commission’
Nigel Farage warned that a second victory for Donald Trump in the presidential election could leave the European Union facing strong opposition to his integration plans.
The Brexit Party leader said US President Donald Trump surprised him when he called him on stage and introduced him as the “King of Europe.”
However, Farage suggested that the new nickname was the result of President Trump viewing him as a “precursor” engaged in ending the European Union’s integrationist streak.
The Brexit Party founder insisted that the US president shares his opposition to the EU and hinted at possible problems for Brussels should Trump secure re-election.
8 a.m. update: Farage ‘really meant it’ by describing Trump as the ‘bravest’ person he knew
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he did not expect the US president to call him on stage at a rally in Arizona on Thursday.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The deck has been stacked against this president.
“He has had four years of relentless pressure and when I said he is the most resilient and courageous person I know, I meant it.”
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