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The move to tear up part of an international treaty has sparked consternation in Brussels and could scupper efforts to secure a key trade agreement between the two sides. It puts Britain at risk of becoming a “rogue state,” according to Ian Blackford, a Scottish lawmaker.
Yes, the government says. It is seeking power to undo sections of the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the legally-binding Withdrawal Agreement it signed with the EU in January.
Crucially, the bill states it will “have effect notwithstanding inconsistency or incompatibility with international or other domestic law.”
Senior Conservatives have warned that reneging on an international treaty could damage the U.K.’s standing in other disputes overseas, including with China over its imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong.
He is rowing back from the policies affecting Northern Ireland he signed up to as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. The protocol is designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, at the cost of creating a customs border in the Irish Sea....
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