Oris Johnson’s bid to unilaterally abandon part of Northern Ireland’s Brexit trade raises the first commons hurdle after lawmakers voted 295 to 221 and gave a second reading to major legislation. I cleared it...
The 74 majority will encourage the Prime Minister’s plan to effectively abolish parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol by the end of the year.
“The interesting thing is that this conversation is certainly rarely held here,” said the Prime Minister, who is attending the G7 Summit in Germany with EU leaders.
Johnson said the plan could be implemented “quite quickly” and the bill would be submitted by the end of the year.
His administration argued that measures to remove checks on goods and flora and fauna moving from Britain to Northern Ireland were needed to protect the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability.
“What we’re trying to do is fix something that we think is very important to our country. It’s the balance of the Good Friday Agreement,” he told reporters.
But no. Theresa May, the ten predecessors, led criticism from the Tory bench for making a withered assessment of the bill’s legality and impact.
Mrs. May revealed that she did not support the bill and warned that it would “decrease” Britain’s global status.
Other Tory lawmakers have joined Mrs. May to express concern, but they are likely to oppose trying to block the bill in a second reading and seek amendments instead.
The House of Lords is also expected to challenge some of the bill and set up a long confrontation between the two houses.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said the Northern Ireland Protocol bill is “legal.”
He told the MP: “This law is not only necessary, but we can guarantee to this house that it is legal.
“Proceeding with this bill is legal in international law and upholds our previous obligation to the Good Friday Agreement.
“The Protocol undermines all three elements of the Good Friday Agreement and the institutions that underpin it.”