British officials have warned their European Union counterparts that the United Kingdom could effectively override the divorce deal it signed unless the bloc agrees to a free trade deal by October 15th.
In a major twist of events, HM’s government is reportedly planning new legislation that will override key parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
According to reports, if implemented the new legislation could jeopardise the withdraw treaty signed in January and add to the tension in Northern Ireland over the province getting treated differently to the other regions of the United Kingdom.
Sections of the internal market bill, due to be published on Wednesday, are expected to “eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement” in areas including state aid and Northern Ireland customs.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYeiSKuK5os[/embedyt]The reports come from the Financial Times, who cite three people familiar or involved with the proposed plans.
The United Kingdom has set a deadline of October 15 to strike a free-trade deal with the European Union, and if none is agreed both sides should “accept that and move on,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say on Monday, according to the report.
“If we can’t agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on,” the PM will say, according to comments released by his office.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland left the European Union on the 31st January 2020, but trade talks and discussions on a future relationship between Britain and the bloc continue.
EU diplomats have already raised their eyebrows at the potential new legislation, “If the UK chose not to respect its international obligations, it would undermine its international standing,” said one EU diplomat.
“Who would want to agree trade deals with a country that doesn’t implement international treaties? It would be a desperate and ultimately self-defeating strategy.”
“Without correct implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, I cannot imagine the EU would conclude a treaty with a country that does not abide by its treaty commitments,” said another EU diplomat.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he was worried about the difficult talks but declined to comment on the FT report.
“We demand quite simply, and calmly, and until the end, that the political commitments in the text agreed by Boris Johnson be legally translated into this treaty,” Barnier told France Inter radio on Monday.
If no deal is agreed, Britain would have a trading relationship with the bloc like Australia’s, which would be “a good outcome”, The Prime Minister is expected to say on Monday.
Mr Johnson is set to continue by saying: “As a government we are preparing, at our borders and at our ports, to be ready for it,
“We will have full control over our laws, our rules, and our fishing waters.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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