UK defiant even after House of Lords rejects Brexit bill

LONDON (AP) — The British government insisted Tuesday it will press ahead with legislation that breaks a legally binding Brexit treaty with the European Union, despite a resounding rejection of the bill by the upper house of Parliament.

The House of Lords voted by large margins late Monday to strip from the Internal Market Bill clauses that give the Conservative government power to break sections of the divorce agreement it signed with the EU before the UK left the bloc in January.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government acknowledges that the bill breaches international law, and the legislation has been condemned by the EU, US President-elect Joe Biden and scores of British lawmakers, including many from Johnson’s own Conservative Party.

John Major, a former Conservative prime minister, said the bill had “damaged our reputation around the world.”

Former Conservative leader Michael Howard, a member of the Lords, said he was “dismayed” by the bill and urged the government to think again.

But the government said it would restore the rejected sections when the bill returns to the House of Commons in late November or December.

It says the bill is needed as an insurance policy to ensure smooth trade among all parts of the UK — especially Northern Ireland, which shares a border with the EU — no matter what happens to UK-EU trade after Brexit.

Critics say it could undermine the foundations of Northern Ireland peace by leading to border checks along the currently invisible frontier between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The British government denies that will happen.

“We’ve been consistently clear that the clauses represent a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK’s internal market and the huge gains of the (Northern Ireland) peace process,” the government said.

Britain left the EU’s political side on January 31 but remains in its economic embrace until a transition period ends on December 31.

The two sides are trying to strike a new trade deal, but talks are stuck on key issues including fishing rights and competition rules, and have been soured further by the Internal Market Bill.

Britain and the EU say any post-Brexit trade deal must be agreed upon by mid-November so it can be ratified by the end of the year.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.