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A proposed law giving the Boris Johnson government the power to override parts of the Brexit deal with the EU has cleared its first hurdle in the Commons.
The deputies supported the internal market bill by 340 votes to 263.
Ministers say it contains vital safeguards to protect Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, should negotiations on a future trade deal fail.
But critics, including several Conservative MPs, warned that it risks harming the UK by violating international law.
Although the government has an 80 majority in the Commons, it is poised for rebellions in the coming weeks as the legislation receives close scrutiny.
Several prominent conservatives, including former Chancellor Sajid Javid, have said they could not support the final bill unless it is amended, and some are expected to have abstained in Monday’s vote.
‘Direct deal’
Sir Roger Gale, the Conservative MP from North Thanet in Kent, told the BBC Newsnight that he had voted against the bill as a “matter of principle” to uphold international law.
“I believe this is damaging our international reputation for honest and direct treatment at a time when we are about to embark on a series of trade negotiations. I was of the opinion that you are fighting tooth and nail at every step.”
He suggested other colleagues were “holding the fire” until later in the bill’s passage, with a group led by former minister Sir Bob Neill pushing for a “parliamentary lockdown” on the ability to exercise power.
“I am not in the least surprised that it is a small minority. I think that may change next Tuesday,” he added.
Bill’s Competition
The bill is designed to allow goods and services to flow freely through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland when the UK leaves the single market and the EU customs union on January 1, 2021.
But, controversially, it gives the government the power to change aspects of the EU withdrawal agreement, a legally binding agreement that governs the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU earlier this year.
Ministers say this is a fail-safe mechanism should the EU interpret the agreement, in particular the Northern Ireland Protocol designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, in an “extreme and unreasonable” way. .
During a five-hour debate, Johnson claimed that the EU’s current approach could lead to excessive controls and even tariffs on products moving from Britain to Northern Ireland.
He said the bill would guarantee the UK’s “economic and political integrity”, accusing the EU of making unfair demands to “exert influence” in trade talks, including threatening to block food exports.
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But the ministers also said they will listen to concerns, insisting that the powers being sought would only be used if other legal avenues had been exhausted and only if MPs explicitly voted to activate them.
A government spokesman said it was vital that the bill, which is expected to face strong opposition in the House of Lords, becomes law by the end of the year, when EU law will cease to have effect in the Kingdom. United.
“It will protect the territorial integrity of the UK and peace in Northern Ireland, safeguarding trade and jobs in the four corners of the UK after the end of the transition period,” he said.
The prime minister also held a call with conservative members of the House of Lords on Monday night.
Labor said the prime minister was breaching a deal he himself signed earlier this year, in which the Conservative MP campaigned in the 2019 elections, and was “destroying” the UK’s reputation.
The Commons also voted against a Labor amendment to reject the bill altogether by 349 votes to 213.
Parliamentarians will now begin a detailed scrutiny of the bill on Tuesday and Tory MPs will seek further assurance that the UK will not betray its treaty obligations.
