Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Self-inflicted Brexit chaos
If it wasn't such a mess it would be funny. In their attempt to reconcile the irreconcilable the Brexiteers in government have created precisely the sort of United Kingdom they are opposed to, one that is structurally divided within itself and partly within the jurisdiction of the European Union.
The Independent reports that a ruling by the high court in Northern Ireland effectively means that the Illegal Immigration Act does not apply in that part of the UK.
Furthermore. ministers now have concerns that a similar challenge on the Safety of Rwanda Act, to allow deportation flights, will also be successful in the Northern Irish high court:
The problems appeared to originate from Rishi Sunak’s much vaunted Windsor Framework Agreement with the EU last year designed to try to resolve the chaotic Irish border problems left by Brexit, which were first warned about during the 2016 Brexit referendum by former prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair.
Former cabinet minister David Jones, who is deputy chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteers, said: “We were already aware that the Windsor Framework had resulted in a customs border in the Irish Sea. It now appears to be the case if this judgement stands that it has destroyed the ability of the UK government to determine who should remain in our own borders.”
Another hard line Brexiteer, former home secretary Suella Braverman pointed out that the judgement said that Northern Ireland is “effectively to be treated as part of the EU”.
She said: “Isn’t it now patently clear that the Windsor Framework has served to undermine our sovereignty, undermine Northern Ireland’s place in the UK and, I’m afraid, fundamentally failed on it first contact with reality.”
Belfast South SDLP MP Claire Hanna told the immigration minister that the Tories only had themselves to blame:
She said: “The ECHR isn’t just a key part of the UK’s unwritten constitution it is fundamental to the Good Friday Agreement that is where the commitment to the vindication of rights flows from.
“But, yes, Brexit and the provisions that have followed have underpinned those rights and have allowed for a pursuance of a remedy. Perhaps those who championed the Brexit project might at times better step through the consequences of their actions.”
Brexiteers really are now starting to reap the consequences of a whole series of bad decisions, harking back to the misinformation and lies spouted in the Brexi referendum itself.
The Independent reports that a ruling by the high court in Northern Ireland effectively means that the Illegal Immigration Act does not apply in that part of the UK.
Furthermore. ministers now have concerns that a similar challenge on the Safety of Rwanda Act, to allow deportation flights, will also be successful in the Northern Irish high court:
The problems appeared to originate from Rishi Sunak’s much vaunted Windsor Framework Agreement with the EU last year designed to try to resolve the chaotic Irish border problems left by Brexit, which were first warned about during the 2016 Brexit referendum by former prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair.
Former cabinet minister David Jones, who is deputy chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteers, said: “We were already aware that the Windsor Framework had resulted in a customs border in the Irish Sea. It now appears to be the case if this judgement stands that it has destroyed the ability of the UK government to determine who should remain in our own borders.”
Another hard line Brexiteer, former home secretary Suella Braverman pointed out that the judgement said that Northern Ireland is “effectively to be treated as part of the EU”.
She said: “Isn’t it now patently clear that the Windsor Framework has served to undermine our sovereignty, undermine Northern Ireland’s place in the UK and, I’m afraid, fundamentally failed on it first contact with reality.”
Belfast South SDLP MP Claire Hanna told the immigration minister that the Tories only had themselves to blame:
She said: “The ECHR isn’t just a key part of the UK’s unwritten constitution it is fundamental to the Good Friday Agreement that is where the commitment to the vindication of rights flows from.
“But, yes, Brexit and the provisions that have followed have underpinned those rights and have allowed for a pursuance of a remedy. Perhaps those who championed the Brexit project might at times better step through the consequences of their actions.”
Brexiteers really are now starting to reap the consequences of a whole series of bad decisions, harking back to the misinformation and lies spouted in the Brexi referendum itself.
