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Boris Johnson defends controversial new Brexit-related bill

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 09 September 2020 4:23 PM

As concern continues to mount about the government's highly controversial bill, which is set to interfere with aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has leapt to its defense.

The PM has called on MPs to support the Internal Market Bill (IMB), which effectively modifies aspects of the deal pertaining to trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

By the government's own admission, the bill "breaks international law" by violating the UK-EU Brexit treaty, a frank confession that has galvanized opposition to the proposed new law.

But ignoring the controversy and the opposition, Johnson vehemently defended the IMB by proclaiming it would "ensure the integrity of the UK internal market" by handing power to "Scotland and Wales".

However, Johnson's bold assertion was immediately challenged by Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who tweeted that the IMB is a "full frontal assault on devolution".

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party's leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, described the proposed bill as "nothing short of an attack on Scotland's parliament and an affront to people of Scotland".

Speaking at the House of Commons (September 09), Blackford accused the PM of flouting international laws and "creating a rogue state".

The Scottish government has not ruled out legal action to prevent the bill from becoming law.

The European Commission has also reacted strongly to the bill, with Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, saying the bloc is "very concerned" about the British government's "intentions to breach the [Brexit] withdrawal agreement".

"This [IMB] would break international law and undermines trust", von der Leyen added.

The new bill sets out rules for the operation of the UK internal market - trade between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - once the Brexit transition period ends on December 31.

The bill centrally impacts the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, an element of the withdrawal agreement designed to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons, the PM said: "My job is to uphold the integrity of the UK but also to protect the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement".

"And to do that, we need a legal safety net to protect our country against extreme or irrational interpretations of the Protocol, which could lead to a border down the Irish Sea, in a way that I believe would be prejudicial to the interests of the Good Friday Agreement and prejudicial to the interests of peace in our country. And that has to be our priority", Johnson pleaded with MPs.

But Johnson's rousing speech is unlikely to appease the bill's opponents, who populate both the political sphere and the Civil Service.

There has been a spate of resignations at the Civil Service recently with the most recent one - that of Jonathan Jones, the permanent secretary to the Government Legal Department – believed to be directly connected to the controversy surrounding the Internal Market Bill.