Boris Johnson Defends Controversial Internal Market Bill
Boris Johnson Defends Controversial Internal Market Bill
Boris Johnson defended the controversial U.K. Internal Market Bill and called on the European Union to take its threats off the table, according to an article penned by the British prime minister for the Telegraph newspaper.
The measures are needed to protect the free flow of goods and services between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., Johnson wrote. “It means that anything approved for sale in Scotland or Wales must be good for sale in England or Northern Ireland, and vice-versa.”
The bill, which the government has conceded breaks international law, would alter commitments made in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement’s Northern Ireland protocol. The EU has given the U.K. three weeks to amend the legislation or face legal action.
On Friday, Johnson tried to defuse a brewing revolt in parliament over the bill with a half hour conference call with Conservative Party colleagues. Rebel conservative MPs are unlikely to defeat the government on the bill, according to two Tory MPs. However, they are trying to enlist former Prime Minister Theresa May to front the campaign against his plan, according to an article in Business Insider.
The European Commission declined to comment on Johnson’s opinion piece.
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