Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Government set to break international law and plunge the UK into a trade war
It is now becoming increasingly clear that Boris Johnson's government are prepared to unilaterally ditch the Northern Ireland protocol, which he negotiated and hailed as a massive success for the UK in December 2019, in the pursuit of an impossible Brexit dream, and in doing so plunge the island of Ireland into a crisis that could unravel the whole peace process.
The Times reports that the foreign secretary has concluded that there is little point trying to reach a Brexit deal with the European Union and will move as soon as next week to scrap large parts of the Northern Ireland protocol in British law.
As a result officials working for Liz Truss have drawn up draft legislation that would unilaterally remove the need for all checks on goods being sent from Britain for use in Northern Ireland. It would also allow businesses in the province to disregard EU rules and regulations and take away the power of the European Court of Justice to rule on issues relating to Northern Ireland.
The paper says that the bill goes much further than had previously been expected by explicitly scrapping large parts of the protocol rather than simply giving ministers the power to do so in the future, and that if passed, it would override the protocol agreed by Johnson in 2019 and put the UK in breach of its obligations under the withdrawal agreement. The consequences of such a law could be very severe:
Truss has been told that the strategy, which could be announced next Tuesday, will result in the EU suspending all co-operation with the UK, except on Ukraine, and instigating legal action against the government.
She has also been told that the bill, if passed by MPs, could lead to a trade war with the EU imposing tariffs on UK exports and potentially even terminating the agreed free trade deal.
We are now in the realm of an irresponsible government in pursuit of ideological purity. And this is not just about high-minded international agreements. There are real consequences for ordinary people if the EU retaliates, as they are entitled to do, which will make the current cost of living criss seem like a minor blip.
The Times reports that the foreign secretary has concluded that there is little point trying to reach a Brexit deal with the European Union and will move as soon as next week to scrap large parts of the Northern Ireland protocol in British law.
As a result officials working for Liz Truss have drawn up draft legislation that would unilaterally remove the need for all checks on goods being sent from Britain for use in Northern Ireland. It would also allow businesses in the province to disregard EU rules and regulations and take away the power of the European Court of Justice to rule on issues relating to Northern Ireland.
The paper says that the bill goes much further than had previously been expected by explicitly scrapping large parts of the protocol rather than simply giving ministers the power to do so in the future, and that if passed, it would override the protocol agreed by Johnson in 2019 and put the UK in breach of its obligations under the withdrawal agreement. The consequences of such a law could be very severe:
Truss has been told that the strategy, which could be announced next Tuesday, will result in the EU suspending all co-operation with the UK, except on Ukraine, and instigating legal action against the government.
She has also been told that the bill, if passed by MPs, could lead to a trade war with the EU imposing tariffs on UK exports and potentially even terminating the agreed free trade deal.
We are now in the realm of an irresponsible government in pursuit of ideological purity. And this is not just about high-minded international agreements. There are real consequences for ordinary people if the EU retaliates, as they are entitled to do, which will make the current cost of living criss seem like a minor blip.
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Hi Peter,
The only thing I would disagree with you on is when you use the expression "ideological purity."
There is nothing ideological or pure in Boris Johnson's Conservative party. It is a party of chancers driven by only by short term self-interest and hang the consequences. To me their unabashed politics of the gutter is in no way an ideology.
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The only thing I would disagree with you on is when you use the expression "ideological purity."
There is nothing ideological or pure in Boris Johnson's Conservative party. It is a party of chancers driven by only by short term self-interest and hang the consequences. To me their unabashed politics of the gutter is in no way an ideology.
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