The reason for the rift is the controversial draft of the new law, which was published by Boris Johnson’s cabinet on Wednesday. This is a plan for Britain’s action if an agreement with the European Union is not reached. The problem is that the text of the new law contradicts in many respects earlier commitments Johnson agreed with the Union last year. “Britain risks becoming an unpredictable state,” said Scottish National Party MP Ian Blackford.
For example, the new regulation will not introduce controls on goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The British government is to be given exclusive powers in matters of state aid to companies. The law also explicitly states that it will apply regardless of international agreements. Boris Johnson has taken a risky move because he considers maintaining free trade between Britain and Northern Ireland to be his absolute priority in the post-Brexit period. At the same time, it wants to break free from its dependence on European structures.
In Brussels, however, London’s decision on Wednesday caused sharp outrage. “It will be a violation of international law and a breakdown of trust,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, commented on the law on Twitter. And criticism is now falling on the head of the British Prime Minister from all sides.
Very concerned about announcements from the British government on its intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement. This would break international law and undermines trust. Pacta sunt servanda = the foundation of prosperous future relations.
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 9, 2020
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin expressed doubts as to whether the British side wanted to reach an agreement with European partners at all, and described the Johnson government document as a clear violation of previous conventions. “I do not accept the claim that this in any way protects peace in Northern Ireland. What happened today, in my opinion, is damaging the policy of Northern Ireland, “Martin told the daily Financial Times.
Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and a prominent member of the American Democratic Party, also joined the crowd of indignant politicians on Thursday. She said it was absolutely out of the question for the United States to conclude a trade agreement with the United Kingdom in the event of a breach of the so-called Good Friday Agreement, a political arrangement that ended thirty years of conflict and violent unrest in Northern Ireland in 1998.
According to Bloomberg, the European Union is even considering filing a lawsuit against Britain with the European Court of Justice. Although the process would probably take years, if the Union won, it would gain the right to terminate any agreement with the United Kingdom.
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How the situation will continue to depend on Johnson in particular. Given that his Conservatives currently have a comfortable majority in the British Parliament, it is unlikely that the bill will be thwarted in any way by the domestic opposition. According to the leading British judge Jolyon Maugham, the intervention of the British courts is not very real either, as it would be a violation of the sovereignty of the British parliament.
Although the chances of concluding an agreement are still alive, the time for the negotiating parties is dangerously short. Johnson warned Brussels earlier this week that negotiations must be concluded by 15 October at the latest, which seems unrealistic in the current circumstances. According to experts, the confidence of other countries in the United Kingdom has been significantly undermined by recent events. “Just as Turkey is a troubled neighbor in the east of the European Union, Britain can now become a similarly destabilizing force in its west,” said Bloomberg analyst Lionel Laurent.
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