Controversial legislation repealing parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol will be introduced early next week, Downing Street confirmed.
The plan to amend the Protocol, which governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade agreements, will spark a dispute with the European Union.
It could also be a key test of Boris Johnson’s credibility after a vote of no confidence earlier this week, in which 41 percent of lawmakers voted against him.
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The Northern Ireland Protocol is intended to avoid the imposition of a hard border with the Republic of Ireland as a result of Brexit.
As part of the agreement, Northern Ireland remains under certain EU rules and there are checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from the UK, which effectively creates a border in the Irish Sea.
Opponents, including trade unionists and staunch Brexit supporters, say it undermines Northern Ireland’s position in the UK and say it is causing business difficulties.
The sharing of power in Northern Ireland has been suspended as the union DUP refuses to join the executive until its concerns about the protocol are resolved.
Last month, Foreign Minister Liz Truss outlined a plan to introduce legislation to repeal parts of the protocol, citing the need to respond to a “very difficult and serious situation”.
She said the bill will keep elements that work while correcting those that are not – on the movement of goods, regulation of goods, VAT, control of subsidies and governance.
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Ms Truss said the bill would propose a “green channel” to free goods that move and remain in the UK from unnecessary bureaucracy.
At the same time, the government said it would ensure that goods destined for the EU were “subject to full checks and controls applied under EU law”, supported by data-sharing agreements.
But Britain has been warned that a unilateral withdrawal from the Protocol could jeopardize the wider post-Brexit free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Europe, raising the prospect of a trade war.
Questions were also raised about the legality of the move. Opponents say repealing the protocol would violate international law.
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A Downing Street spokesman said on Friday: “The bill has been approved by the relevant cabinet committees and will be submitted to parliament on Monday.
“Together with the bill, we will publish a summary of the legal councils.
Speaking during a visit to Belfast, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would repeal the law.
Ministers fear there could be a significant riot involving some of the 148 Tory MPs who voted no confidence in the prime minister earlier this week.
They also believe they may have to use the Parliament Act to pass legislation if it is rejected by the House of Lords.
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