EU Fate Hangs Over Controversial Internal Bill Voted Out By British MPs

Last updated on December 10th, 2020 at 04:26 am

EU Fate: The peer’s amendment to the controversial Internal Market Bill has been rejected by the House of Commons. This means that the deleted clauses will now be reinserting allowing the government to override the Brexit withdrawal agreement and breach international law. The EU has been against this from the beginning. The Internal market bill tends to be skewed and seems to be favouring the UK. 

A majority MP vote has handed over these powers to ministers within the bill, which the government insists are necessary to prevent a border in the Irish Sea. The bill, which sets out how trade within the UK will work once it is outside the EU’s single market and customs union, will now be passed back to the House of Lords.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson led government is not going to come in terms with EU conditions over trade settlement post the Brexit unless the latter makes amendments to the Internal Market Bill as 10 Downing Street deems it appropriate. 

Finally, Boris Johnson has given the European Union an olive branch. He has offered to drop contentious clauses in the UK internal market bill if a trade deal is agreed.

It is now confirmed that the UK government has formally offered to withdraw or deactivate parts of the bill. This would allow it to override aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement if it reaches an accord with the EU this week.

If conditions are met the way UK wants it, the UK government would be prepared to remove Clause 44 of the UK Internal Market Bill, concerning export declarations.

A formal statement from the PM’s office also stated, “The UK government would also be prepared to deactivate clauses 45 and 47, concerning state aid, such that they could be used only when consistent with the United Kingdom’s rights and obligations under international law.”