LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a landslide defeat in Parliament on Monday over proposed legislation that would allow him to violate Britain’s agreement to leave the EU – a plan criticized by the U.S. president. Nominee Joe Biden.
The Domestic Market Bill is designed to protect trade between the four British countries after Brexit. It contains clauses by ministers who say they are needed to protect the crisis in Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, but it could also violate international law “in a certain and limited way”.
The government has little in common with the Kings and some senior Conservative members oppose these clauses.
“The government must see the point, accept the removal of these offensive clauses, and begin rebuilding our international reputation,” said Angela Smith, leader of the opposition Labor Party in the Lord.
Instead of backtracking, however, the government said it would reverse the disputed sections when the bill returned to the House of Commons, where it had previously passed it by 340 to 256 votes.
“We have been very clear that these clauses represent the legal security net to protect the integrity of the UK domestic market and the great benefits of the (Northern Ireland) peace process,” a spokesman for the organization said.
The publication of the bill in September sparked criticism that it would undermine Britain’s foreign policy. Bidid wrote on Twitter on September 16 that anything that jeopardized the peace agreement between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would threaten British-American trade.
Johnson says these clauses are designed to serve as a safety net if ongoing negotiations with the EU fail to determine how goods can move between Britain, the British province of Northern Ireland, and across the open border with EU member Ireland.
Many instead see the bill as a gambling negotiation to win permits from the EU in trade negotiations. Brussels has begun taking legal action against Britain over the proposals.
“The EU cannot ratify the new treaty when the U.K. has passed a law violating the previous agreement,” Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney tweeted. “Issues of Trust and Integrity.”
The final words of the bill must be agreed upon by both parties, and in most cases the unelected Amakhosi do not permanently oppose laws supported by the directly elected House of Departments.
However, the clauses may no longer be necessary if negotiations with the EU to do work to cross the Irish border are successful.