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Justice Secretary Robert Buckland hinted today that the government could compromise with conservative rebels over its plans to break parts of the Brexit divorce deal.
Ministers have admitted that Boris Johnson’s proposals to nullify parts of the Withdrawal Agreement would violate international law, sparking a rebellion by conservative supporters.
The rebels want Parliament to have the ability to veto any move by the Prime Minister to deviate from the deal agreed with the EU last year, a so-called “parliamentary blockade”.
Buckland said this morning that he believed the original plans could be “acceptable to all conservative colleagues” as a sign that ministers are willing to change the subject to win over their conservative critics.
His remarks came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab prepares to meet with US President Nancy Pelosi in Washington today to defuse his concerns about Brexit.
Pelosi said last week that there would be “absolutely no chance” for Congress to pass a US trade deal with the UK if the prime minister’s Brexit plans “jeopardize” the Good Friday Agreement.
Meanwhile, a group of four high-ranking US congressmen have written to Johnson to express a similar sentiment, urging him to “abandon” any proposal that could undermine the peace process.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland hinted today that the government could compromise its Brexit plans to win over the conservative rebels.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is in Washington today to speak with his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, and US President Nancy Pelosi, and Brexit is expected to play a prominent role.
Pelosi warned last week that there will be no trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom if the government’s Brexit plans jeopardize the Good Friday Agreement.
The government sparked a furious dispute with the EU after it published its UK Internal Market Act last week.
The legislation will allow the UK to make decisions unilaterally on key issues, such as the customs agreements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, included in the Withdrawal Agreement.
Brussels insists that decisions must be made by a joint committee made up of people from both sides, as set out in the treaty.
But the government argues that its new proposals are necessary to protect the integrity of the UK in the event that the two sides are unable to reach an agreement.
Conservative rebels have tabled an amendment to the legislation that would create a ‘parliamentary lockdown’ on any attempt by the government to try to deviate from the Brexit divorce deal.
A vote on the amendment is due to be voted on next Tuesday, but Buckland suggested today that the government could move forward on the issue to stop the rebellion.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today show: ‘I think the problem is this. We want to make sure that if we run into a situation where we have this kind of dislocation, this kind of crisis if you want, we can act quickly to bring the necessary regulations into power.
“I think that while we actually have parliamentary procedures to allow secondary legislation to go into effect with debate and scrutiny, we have to strike the right balance.
“We want to make sure we are swift when it comes to the crisis, but at the same time make sure that MPs have a voice.
“That is what the prime minister wants, that is what he said in parliament and I am sure we will find a way to do it in a way that is acceptable to all conservative colleagues.”
Buckland also stressed the provisions of the UK Internal Market Bill that would allow Britain to void the Withdrawal Agreement and violate international law would only be used if the EU breached its Brexit obligations first.
He told Sky News: ‘If we get to that stage, the reason is because we judge that, sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts, the EU is in a position where we think they are actually failing to meet their obligations to us.’
He said the controversial powers were effectively ‘broken glass in case of emergency provision’ and would only be used in the event that other resolution mechanisms failed to resolve disagreements between the UK and the EU.
He did not deny that he has had conversations with conservative rebel leader Bob Neill, chairman of the Justice Select Committee.
“I don’t think it’s right for me to start talking about private conversations,” he said.
The tone of Buckland’s remarks stands in stark contrast to Northern Ireland’s Secretary Brandon Lewis’ blunt admission last week that the government’s plans “will violate international law in a very specific and limited way.”
Mr Lewis joined Mr Buckland in hinting that there might be a compromise when he testified before the Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs this morning.
He said the debate on the bill is “ongoing” and that it would be “an error on my part to assume what the outcome will be.”
It came as Raab tries to quell concerns in the US about the government’s Brexit proposals.
The Foreign Secretary will meet with Ms. Pelosi and her counterpart Mike Pompeo.
Last week, Pelosi warned the UK that there would be no trade deal with Washington if Britain undermined the Good Friday Agreement.
She said: “If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday deal, there will be absolutely no chance that a US-UK trade deal will be approved by Congress.”
Meanwhile, four high-ranking US congressmen, led by the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, have written to Johnson urging the government to respect its open border and the peace process with Northern Ireland. .
The letter, which was also signed by Engel’s fellow Democrats Richard Neal and William Keating, as well as Republican Peter King, urged the prime minister to ‘abandon any and all legally questionable and unfair efforts to disobey the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement. ‘
