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Boris Johnson’s Brexit bid took another blow tonight when the House of Lords voted against legislation seeking to void the UK’s treaty with Brussels.
Angry comrades defeated the measures in the House of Lords by 433 votes to 135.
The peers’ rejection stems from concerns about key clauses in the internal market bill, which ministers have admitted violate international law and could risk a hard border with Ireland.
Labor leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith said: “I am sure some in the administration will initially react boldly and try to dismiss tonight’s historic votes in the Lords.
“To do so, however, would underestimate the genuine and serious concerns in the UK and beyond that ministers put themselves above and beyond the rule of law.
“The government should make sense, accept the removal of these offensive clauses and begin to rebuild our international reputation.”
And former Conservative leader Lord Howard said the UK would set a “regrettable example” if it violates international law.
The government should “think again” and remove parts of the UK domestic market bill that violate international law, Lord Howard said.
He told the Lords: “There have been some suggestions that opposition to this part of the bill is somehow the latest indictment from the rest.
“That suggestion has a very dangerous implication for those who promote it. It implies that only those who voted for us to stay in the European Union care about the rule of law, or the importance of keeping your words, or the sanctity of international treaties.
(Image: Getty Images)
“Fortunately, I am in a position to confidently contradict that implication. I voted and campaigned for Brexit and not for a moment do I regret or retract that vote.”
Some conservatives now want the government to ‘let the sleeping dogs lie’ and leave the clauses out of the bill when it returns to the Commons.
But Boris Johnson has made it clear that he intends to stick with his plan, which he claims to defend peace in Northern Ireland.
And a 10th source, asked if the prime minister could back down, told the Mirror: “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
This is despite threatening tensions with the new Biden administration.
President-elect Joe Biden has warned that Brexit must not be allowed to harm the peace in Northern Ireland.
Biden’s key allies have claimed that the president-elect, who is proud of his Irish heritage, has “significant concerns” about the impact of Brexit.
(Image: AFP / Getty Images)
Senior diplomats have warned the prime minister that putting an open border at risk could hamper his efforts to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.
They also suggested that not reaching a trade deal with the European Union before the end of the year makes a deal with the United States nearly impossible.
In a speech, Sir John Major said that Britain’s global reputation has been damaged by the government’s plan to nullify parts of the Brexit deal.
The former Conservative prime minister described the move as “unprecedented in all of our history, and for good reason.”
Brussels’ chief negotiator Michel Barnier returned to London on Monday for further talks with his British counterpart David Frost.
(Image: REUTERS)
The government said it was open to a “sensible” compromise on fishing, one of the remaining obstacles to be resolved, but time is running out.
At a 10th press conference, Johnson declined to say whether Donald Trump should throw in the towel or miss the outgoing president of the United States after years of being with him.
“Yes, this country has had a good relationship with the White House in recent years, but it has had a good relationship for many, many years,” he said.
Instead, the prime minister focused on areas the two countries could work on together, such as addressing climate change.
He’ll try to build bridges when he talks to Biden ahead of efforts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal.
But Biden is willing to snub him by calling first the French Emmanuel Macron, the German Angela Merkel and the Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “That is not something that worries us.”
Labor leader Keir Starmer has called on Downing Street to remove the bill.
“We will soon have a president in the Oval Office who has been a passionate advocate for the preservation of the Good Friday Agreement,” he said.
“He, like governments around the world, will have a negative opinion if our Prime Minister goes ahead with proposals to undermine that agreement.
“If the administration is serious about restoring its relationship with the United States, then it should take an early first step and abandon these proposals.”
Some conservatives believe that it will not be necessary to reinstate the clauses, as the Government will have resolved the outstanding issues of the Northern Ireland protocol by then.
One deputy said: “I hope it is completely unnecessary.”
A UK government spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the House of Lords has voted to remove the clauses from the UK Internal Market Bill, which was supported in the House of Commons by 340 votes to 256. and fulfills a clear commitment of conservative manifesto.
“We will draft these clauses when the bill returns to the Commons.
“We have always been clear that the clauses represent a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK internal market and the enormous benefits of the peace process.
“We hope that the House of Lords recognizes that we have an obligation to the people of Northern Ireland to ensure that they continue to have unrestricted access to the UK in all circumstances.”
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