[ad_1]
The Anglican church has publicly challenged the government’s willingness to violate international law on Brexit, with five archbishops from the four nations of the United Kingdom joining together to condemn what could be a “disastrous precedent”.
In a rare step, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, as well as their counterparts from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have written a joint letter warning that such a step would have “enormous moral, political and legal consequences.”
If the domestic market bill, which will be debated by peers on Monday, becomes law, it would “profoundly affect” the relationship between the four nations of the United Kingdom, the archbishops said.
They added: “We believe this would create a disastrous precedent. It is particularly disturbing to all of us who feel the duty and responsibility of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, that international treaty on which peace and stability within and between the UK and Ireland depend … “
The archbishops said the UK government was preparing to violate the Northern Ireland protocol, which had been agreed to facilitate the UK’s exit from the EU.
The letter said: “If carefully negotiated terms are not followed and laws can be ‘legally’ violated, on what foundation is our democracy built?
The letter, published in the Financial Times, came after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs last month that the proposal would allow the government to violate international law in a “limited and specific way.”
It was all the rage, with pro-Brexit conservative Michael Howard demanding to know how the UK could criticize Russia, China and Iran for their conduct when it was willing to flout international law.
The letter is signed by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York; Mark Strange, primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church; John Davies, Archbishop of Wales; and John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh.
They were “taking the rare step of writing together because the decisions implemented in this bill will profoundly affect the future of our countries and the relations between them,” their letter read.
It would result in a “completely new system, replacing one that evolved slowly and through careful negotiations over decades.”
The archbishops urged legislators “to consider this bill in light of the values and principles that we would like to characterize relations on these islands long after the transition period.”
In response to the archbishops’ move, Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister, told the Mail that he was “extremely disappointed that the archbishops are sowing disunity and division at a time when they could instead build much-needed harmony. in our nation. “
Another former Brexit minister, David Jones, said his comments went “far beyond the mandate of the church. It is a simple matter of constitutional ownership. Once again, the archbishops seem to have swallowed every bit of propaganda without question and are now regurgitating it. “
Welby voted to stay in the 2016 referendum, but urged that the poll result be respected. Cottrell, who was enthroned as Archbishop of York on Sunday, said in the run-up to the referendum that “a vision for Europe and the world that emphasizes our belonging and our mutual responsibility was needed.”
