By Gabriel Princewill-
The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, has responded to allegations surrounding an international breach of in relation to the International Markers Bill.
Boris Johnson said the withdrawal agreement with the EU was done in good faith , before implying that Britain had been bullied into a corner during tense negotiations in which ”we had one hand behind our backs”. The prime minister explained that the negotiations had been torrid amid recriminations among Mps in parliament at the time.
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Mr Johnson, who has come under attack for what legal experts say amounts to a breach of the internal Market Bill, stressed that the spirit of the agreement between the Uk and the EU, was to ensure the sovereignty of the Uk, guaranteeing its legal autonomy, without any downside that sees the Uk subject to EU law. Mr. Johnson espouses the view that being under the legal jurisdiction of the EU would be counterproductive to the spirit of The Uk’s departure from the union.
”The Uk is leaving the EU, not Europe”, mr.Johnson emphasised, insisting that the EU were still ”our friends”. The Uk wants a deal like the one between the EU and Canada; because the Uk currently conforms with every jot and tittle of EU regulation, and because as loyal and paid-up members of the EU for more than four decades, the EU ought to offer Uk similar terms as those with Canada.
”Our partners know that whatever happens, the UK is their friend, their biggest single export market, and committed forever to the peace and security of the European continent.
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Mr Johnson said he wants to continue to deepen relations with the EU – not just in trade.
”As I have never tired of saying, we have left the EU, but we have not left Europe”.
Sovereignty
He continued: ”But they also know – or at least they know now – that leaving the EU means that the UK is serious about its newfound sovereignty. In forging our new relationships, we can’t have our lives or our economy regulated by the European Court; we must have the right to devise our own laws and regulations. And we must have sole control of our spectacular marine wealth – our fisheries.
Those are some of our conditions, and in the last few months I believe we have made considerable progress, he said. ‘If both sides want it, there is a great free trade deal there to be done. So I have become anxious in the last few weeks to discover that there is an obstacle’.
Torrid Negotiations
‘Our negotiators believe that there may be a serious misunderstanding about the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement that we reached last October. You may remember those days. They were torrid, the prime minister said.
”We were negotiating with one hand tied behind our back, since parliament had voted to deprive the UK side of the right to walk away. We had a deadline of October 31 – which parliament decided to flout. MPs were in a state of constant turmoil and recrimination. And yet, provided it was applied in good faith, the Withdrawal agreement we reached was extremely good’.
The prime minister said he exercised ”the baleful presence of the Northern Ireland “backstop” – which effectively kept the Uk locked in the EU’s legal orbit, forced to accept EU laws, unable to do free trade deals.
Customs Territory
Mr. Johnson said he made sure that Northern Ireland was explicitly recognised as part of the customs territory of the United kingdom, and able to take part fully in new free trade agreements ,such as the one Liz Truss has just done with Japan. He added that Britain took steps to protect free movement at the all-important border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Spirit Of The Agreement
Mr. Johnson went on to say that the Uk had kept the spirit of the agreement, and that the furore raised over the internal Market deal, has been misinterpreted. He said the agreement had been drawn up in good faith. Under the agreement, Northern Ireland would continue to conform with EU law for four years, but this was a limited alignment would end, unless a vote Northern Irish assembly voted to continue it, he explained.
Light-touch checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland were agreed, in case they should go on to Ireland, in order to avoid checks at the North-South border. ”And on the basis of that excellent deal we left the EU – and so it is deeply regrettable that what seemed so simple and clear to us is seen very differently by our EU friends”, he said.
Joint Committee
Mr. Johnson also explained that the Uk decided in the Withdrawal Agreement to create a Joint Committee, in the details will be thrashed out arrangements. .
”We are now hearing that unless we agree to the EU’s terms, the EU will use an extreme interpretation of the Northern Ireland protocol to impose a full-scale trade border down the Irish sea. We are being told that the EU will not only impose tariffs on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, but that they might actually stop the transport of food products from GB to NI.
I have to say that we never seriously believed that the EU would be willing to use a Treaty, negotiated in good faith, to blockade one part of the UK, to cut it off; or that they would actually threaten to destroy the economic and territorial integrity of the UK. This was for the very good reason that any such barrier, any such tariffs or division would be completely contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Good Friday agreement.
”By actively undermining the Union of our country, such an interpretation would seriously endanger peace and stability in Northern Ireland, he said. This interpretation cannot have been the real intention of those who framed the protocol (it certainly wasn’t ours) – and it is therefore vital that we close that option down” , he said.
Agreement In Joint Committee
Describing the EU as ”friends”, Johnson said he wants an agreement in the Joint Committee, on how we can implement the protocol.
”We have consistently shown that we are willing to help our friends – to the extent that is possible and reasonable – to protect the integrity of their Single Market, and to keep a fluid North-South border. But we cannot leave the theoretical power to carve up our country – to divide it – in the hands of an international organisation.
Disaster
Mr Johnson said he had an obligation to protect the UK from ”that disaster”, explaining that he had devised a legal safety net in the UK internal market Bill – to clarify the position, and to sort out the inconsistencies.
This Bill protects jobs and growth across the UK, by preventing barriers to trade between the nations and regions. It means that anything approved for sale in Scotland or Wales must be good for sale in England or Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
Freedom And Certainties
The Bill, he said, gives freedoms and certainties for businesses and citizens that were previously set out in EU law. That is why, as we now come out of the EU, this Bill is absolutely vital. It is now also clear that we need this Bill to protect the free flow of goods and services between NI and the rest of the UK, and to make sense of that commitment in the EU withdrawal agreement – that NI is part of the UK customs territory.
Mr. Johnson said is was crucial for peace, and for the Union itself to get this Bill through. ”So I say to my fellow parliamentarians that we cannot go back to the dark days of last year – the squabbling that so undermined our negotiators. If we fail to pass this Bill, or if we weaken its protections, then we will in fact reduce the chances of getting that Canada-style deal.
Prosper
Mr. Johnson added that he believes the Uk will ”prosper mightily in either event”. We could do very well indeed if we left on Australian terms.
Mr. Johnson says the Uk to do well if it left on Australian terms , but said the Canada deal would be better and smoother in the short term. and that is what
”So let’s end any potential for misunderstanding. Let’s remove this danger to the very fabric of the United Kingdom. Let’s make the EU take their threats off the table. And let’s get this Bill through, back up our negotiators, and protect our country”.
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