Boris Johnson said his controversial legislation to repeal parts of the Brexit deal was needed to end the EU’s threat to impose sanctions on the Irish Sea.
The Prime Minister said that if Conservative MPs refused to block his bill, Brussels would pose a serious threat to the formation of our country and to peace and stability in Northern Ireland.
Johnson is working to prevent a plan to amend the legislation from provoked senior Tories who say it could violate international law by bypassing the withdrawal agreement.
The European Union (EU) has criticized Northern Ireland as a “grave breach of trust”. By the end of the month, ministers had threatened to take legal action if the UK domestic market bill was not amended.
But the Prime Minister has twice argued that this is crucial for peace and the center. He said the vote would reduce the likelihood of a trade deal with the European Union.
He wrote in the Telegraph that the European Union would use the harsh interpretation of the Northern Ireland Protocol to impose a “complete trade border under the Irish Sea” that could block food traffic from Britain to Northern Ireland.
“We never seriously believed that the EU would be willing to use a treaty. We negotiated in good faith, threatening to blockade or cut off part of the UK;
Johnson said his discussions over the past few weeks have found that there could be “serious misunderstandings” about the terms of the withdrawal agreement, which was signed in October.
He argued that on “intense” days it would quickly coincide with the time limit for a transaction, with “one hand tied behind our backs and negotiations” as Parliament blocked any transaction.
“If we fail to pass this bill or weaken its protections, we will in fact reduce the chances of getting a Canadian-style agreement,” he wrote.
“We can fabricate this danger for the United Kingdom itself. We can remove the European Union from their list of threats. We can discuss this bill, back up the negotiations and protect our country.”
Ireland and the European Union have warned that Johnson’s plans could pose a serious threat to the peace process rather than protecting the Good Friday agreement.
On Friday evening, the Prime Minister held a conference call with about 250 MPs in support of the bill, warning against returning to “the miserable and exploitative days of last autumn.”
But there were connection problems during the call. None of the questions Johnson took have come out of the European Union.
Leaders of the European Parliament have said that no trade agreement will be “accepted under any circumstances” if the withdrawal agreement is “violated or threatened by the UK authorities”.
During the call, Johnson did not appear to have ended the unrest within his party, and senior backbencher Sir Bob Neil said in a speech that he was not sure.
Sir Bob, chairman of the Commonwealth Committee and amending the bill, says it will impose a “parliamentary lock” on any changes to the withdrawal agreement, arguing that it still contains objectionable elements.
“I believe this is a detrimental move to this country, it will tarnish our reputation and make it difficult for business to move forward,” he told Channel 4 News.
Amid the deteriorating atmosphere between London and Brussels, the European Union had raised hopes that exports of animal products from the UK could be halted by the end of the current Brexit transition period.
Michael Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, said in a statement on Thursday that there was a lot of uncertainty about the UK’s sanitation system.
He said more clarity was needed if Britain was to get a “third country list” eligible to export animal products to the European Union.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown, along with former prime ministers Theresa May and Sir John Major, condemned the government’s plan, calling it “a great act of self-harm.” 120001 SEP 20