Johnson’s Brexit bill passes first hurdle in UK parliament

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Downing Street has warned the House of Lords against attempting to block the UK Internal Market Bill, which would break international law by giving British ministers the power to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. UK PM Boris Johnson’s plan to renege on part of the Brexit divorce deal passed its first hurdle in parliament late on Monday after a bruising debate in which senior members of his own party denounced the move. The House of Commons passed the Internal Market Bill by 340 to 263 in its first main vote allowing it to go through to the next stage in the parliamentary process on Tuesday.

The prime minister said, the Bill was covered by the Salisbury Convention, which protects Bills fulfilling manifesto pledges from being blocked in the Lords. The proposed legislation which will rewrite part of the Withdrawal Agreement, is essential to maintain the UK’s economic and political integrity. The EU hasn’t taken that particular revolver off the table. It is such an extraordinary threat and it seems so incredible the EU could do this, that we are not taking powers in this bill to neutralize that threat but obviously reserve the right to do so if these threats persist.

British prime minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Tuesday, We would expect the Lords to abide by the Salisbury Convention. Guaranteeing the full economic benefit of leaving the EU to all parts of the United Kingdom and ensuring Northern Ireland’s businesses and producers enjoy unfettered access to the rest of the UK were clear Conservative manifesto commitments which this legislation delivers.

Former Northern Ireland secretaries Julian Smith and Karen Bradley were among the Conservative MPs who abstained in Monday night’s vote on the Bill, joining senior backbenchers including the two most recent former attorneys general Geoffrey Cox and Jeremy Wright and former chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid in doing so.

On Tuesday, former conservative leader and foreign secretary William Hague said, In the event of no deal on a future relationship] being reached with the EU, the UK will have particular need of upholding global rules. If some EU members make it difficult for our exports, we will no doubt call to our aid the rules of the World Trade Organisation. And if the fishing boats of other countries intrude into our waters, we will rely on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. All of this is international law and to set the precedent of breaking it is a very bad idea indeed. Whenever I spoke as foreign secretary about the upholding of laws and treaties, to the UN or any errant state, I did so with the utter confidence that my country stood on solid ground. We undermine that ground at our peril.