Brandon Lewis defended the proposals as the government prepares to pass legislation Monday amid growing concerns about the legality of the move. A senior Tory lawmaker told Sky News that the bill would include “regardless of clauses” on the Withdrawal Agreement, “a clear violation of international law”. New legislation will “fix the problems” with the Northern Ireland Protocol, says Brandon Lewis – watch live updates Mr Lewis, speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, reiterated the government’s position that Brussels refuses to be flexible in renegotiating the protocol – which governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade arrangements. He said that the legislation submitted to the Commons seeks to “correct the problems” with the way the agreement is implemented. “What we are going to do is legal and right,” he said. However, there have been questions about the extent to which Senior Government Adviser Sir James Eadie QC has been consulted on the proposed legislation. Sir James, the first adviser to the Treasury Department, has already revealed that he has not been asked to give his legal opinion on whether he is breaking the law. Mr Lewis said he would “not go inside government advice”. But he told Sky News: “Government lawyers were very clear. We are working within the law.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:55 The NI Protocol “violates international law” He said the attorney general would present the government’s legal position on Monday. Speaking on the same program, Sinn Féin’s president, Mary Lou MacDonald, said Mr Lewis was “talking in his hat”. He insisted that the protocol worked and that the government’s plans would lead to “untold financial damage”. “It is shameful to use Northern Ireland as a bargaining chip in their ongoing conflict with Europe, all designed to fuel the ego, the leadership ambitions of either Boris Johnson or one of his successors,” said MacDonald. The shadow Labor’s chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told Sky News: “It seems the government is planning to violate international law. “This government seems to be setting a record for breaking the law and cannot support the Labor Party.” The Northern Ireland Protocol was the compromise between Boris Johnson and the European Union, avoiding the harsh borders between Northern Ireland and the post-Brexit Republic. Northern Ireland remains under some EU rules and there are controls on goods entering Northern Ireland from the UK, effectively creating a Irish maritime border. Some argue that the protocol causes difficulties for businesses, but others suggest that unique access to both UK and EU markets benefits them. Hard-line Brexit supporters say it undermines Northern Ireland’s position in the UK and the Democratic Unionists have refused to enter a power-sharing deal until the issue is resolved. A senior Tory lawmaker who spoke to Sky News also claimed that the draft law would not be repealed, even if the Northern Ireland Assembly supported the protocol. “This is quite nuclear and it will be a major focus. The Irish government and the Americans will go crazy when it is published,” he said. Under the terms of the agreement, the Stormont Assembly is entitled to vote in 2024 on the observance or repeal of the Northern Ireland Protocol. “If the draft law prevails over the consensus vote, it is because the government did not like the results of the recent Stormont elections,” he added.
