Ben Kerrigan-
Theresa May has said she will not support Boris Johnson’s bid to override the Northern Ireland protocol which he agreed with the EU as part of his Brexit withdrawal deal in 2019
The former premier expressed her disapproval in the House of Commons as MPs debated the Government’s proposed legislation to sweep away key parts of the Protocol.
Her comments to MPs were also presented to counter that stated by Liz Truss earlier, who told the Commons that she was bringing in the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill because she was a patriot. “Our number one priority is protecting peace and political stability in Northern Ireland by protecting the Belfast Good Friday agreement,” Truss told MPs.
May told the Commons the Bill would give ministers ‘extraordinarily sweeping powers’ as she attacked the Government’s plan to rip up the Protocol that Mr Johnson struck with the EU in October 2019.
She told the world not to believe Mr Johnson’s controversial plan would solve the problems created by his decision to draw a customs border down the Irish Sea with his Brexit deal , something which she previously said “no UK prime minister could ever agree to”.
‘The UK’s standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions,’ she added.
‘As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world.
‘I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it.’
Mrs May, who also faced a no confidence vote in her leadership while she was PM, spoke of her own travails in dealing with the EU over Brexit when in Downing Street.
She suggested that, after Mr Johnson witnessed a recent attempt by Tory MPs to oust him from Numer 10, his negotiating power had been weakened.
‘My experience was, the EU looked very carefully at the political situation in any country,’ she added.
‘As I discovered when I faced a no confidence vote, despite having won that no confidence vote, they then start to ask themselves, “well, is it really worth negotiating with these people in Government, because will they actually be there in any period of time?”.
‘Also, I suspect they are saying to themselves, why should they negotiate in detail with a Government that shows itself willing to sign an agreement, claim it as a victory, and then try to tear part of it up in less than three years time?
Fellow senior Conservative MP Simon Hoare, the chair of the Commons’ Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, openly wondered whether the Bill was a ‘muscle flex for a future leadership bid’ by Ms Truss.
He told MPs, if that was the case, it would be ‘shameful’.
The Government has insisted its unilateral approach is the only option left to resolve issues ‘baked in’ to the Protocol if the EU maintains its refusal fundamentally to rewrite the terms of the deal.
As she opened today’s debate, Ms Truss said the UK continues to raise issues of concern with the EU.
She told the Commons: ‘We simply cannot allow this situation to drift.
‘Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since February due specifically to the Protocol, at a time of major global economic challenges.
‘Therefore, it is the duty of this Government to act now to enable a plan for restored local government to begin. It’s both legal and necessary.’
Conservative former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell said he had an ‘immense amount of sympathy’ with what the Foreign Secretary was saying.
‘It does seem to me that the EU is not being particularly constructive in trying to get the solution we all want to see achieved,’ he added.
‘But can I say to her that many of us are extremely concerned that the Bill brazenly breaks a solemn international treaty, it trashes our international reputation, it threatens a trade war at a time when our economy is flat and it puts us at odds with our most important ally.
‘Can she say anything to reassure me in my anxieties on these points?’
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defended the Bill from claims it breached international law and could spark a trade war with Brussels
Former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell admitted the EU was ‘not being particularly constructive’ but warned the Bill ‘trashes our international reputation, it threatens a trade war, it puts us at odds with our closest ally’