UK plans law to override Brexit in EU challenge

Bloomberg

Boris Johnson’s government plans to introduce legislation within weeks to override parts of the Brexit deal it negotiated with the European Union, a move that’s likely to escalate tensions with the bloc and raise the prospect of a trade war.
While the UK would prefer to reach a negotiated solution, the situation in Northern Ireland means Britain has to act, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the House of Commons. The government plans to proceed with the legislation in parallel with talks with the EU over the trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, she said.
“The urgency of the situation means we can’t afford to delay any longer,” Truss told lawmakers. “The Belfast Good Friday Agreement is under strain,” she said referring to the 1998 agreement that restored peace in Northern Ireland after decades of violence.
Johnson’s government is frustrated that the deal it signed has created a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, snarling trade and contributing to the collapse of the region’s devolved government. But Truss’s new plan risks sparking even greater disruption to commerce.
The EU is ready to suspend the entire trade agreement if Johnson makes good on his threats, and the bloc warned it was prepared to use “all measures” to punish the UK if the bill is enacted.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the UK’s plans are “damaging to trust” and will make it harder to find solutions to the impasse.
The announcement “raises significant concerns,” EU negotiator Maros Sefcovic said. “Should the UK decide to move ahead with a bill dis-applying constitutive elements of the protocol as announced today by the UK government, the EU will need to respond with all measures at its disposal.”
Johnson said in an interview on Sky News that he didn’t think a trade war was likely. “We don’t want to nix it, we want to fix it, and we will work with our EU partners to do it,” he said of the protocol. He said the proposed legislation would act as “insurance” should the EU talks not resolve the UK’s concerns.
Truss’s much-anticipated statement comes after weeks of briefings and strongly-worded statements from the UK, threatening to renege on its commitments under the deal it signed with the EU more than two years ago. But the foreign secretary said “proceeding with the bill is consistent with our obligations.” “This is not about scrapping the protocol: our aim is to deliver on the protocol’s objectives,” Truss said.
Despite conciliatory language about wanting to work with the EU, Truss made clear in her statement that the
UK is willing to unilaterally override large parts of the protocol.