The United Kingdom will “reform” the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland if the EU fails to do so, Jacob Rees-Mogg warned, increasing the possibility of dramatic intervention after the parliamentary elections in two weeks.
The Brexit opportunity minister said he could not reveal more due to the sensitivity of the Stormont election in Northern Ireland, where tensions erupted over the protocol.
He told MEPs that the protocol was written in such a way that it could be “replaced”.
“It’s really important to understand, because a lot of the comments say, ‘Well, we signed it, so we should definitely take it as a lock, a butt and a barrel.’ This is absolute nonsense.”
“We signed it on the grounds that it would be reformed. And there comes a time when you say, “Well, you haven’t reformed it, and that’s why we’re reforming it ourselves.” “And the United Kingdom is much more important than any agreement we have with any foreign power,” he told lawmakers.
Asked what he had planned for the reforms, he said: “I don’t think I should say more about the ongoing elections,” but added that “the wheels are moving.”
“Ultimately, we can do whatever we want,” the Brexit minister told lawmakers over Clause 38 (b) of the EU’s Withdrawal Act 2020, which emphasizes parliament’s powers in domestic law.
His comments come amid numerous speculations in Northern Ireland’s industrial circles that the government is planning an “Internal Market Bill 2.0”, a reference to the controversial 2020 attempt to unilaterally break part of the protocol.
The move was abandoned after the government’s claims that it would violate the international Brexit treaty only in a “specific and limited” way were condemned by opposition parties and some leading conservative figures.
Reese Mogh was questioned about reforms in the preserved EU legislation and the so-called Brexit reform bill.
He revealed that not all 1,500 EU laws the government wants to repeal or amend will be in the bill as “compensation” for preparing him in time for the queen’s speech.
But he said some changes would definitely be included, such as streamlining public procurement rules, which before Brexit required public authorities to conduct tenders across the EU, as well as data protection laws.
He also hinted that the UK would not follow a new EU move to set speed limits for cars, as some reports suggest.
“This is not a policy that has received a collective agreement,” he said.
Reese Mogg’s comments on Northern Ireland come as the EU and the UK continue to negotiate a revised version of the protocol with an already agreed and approved deal to remove barriers to the sale of British medicines in Northern Ireland that complies with EU trade rules. .
Sources close to the talks say no progress is expected before the parliamentary elections in the hope that a deal will be reached on one of the main obstacles – customs documents.
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