David Cameron, the Former prime minister has “misgivings” about the Boris Johnson’s plan to override the UK’s Brexit withdrawal deal
The British government has admitted that its proposed UK Internal Market Bill could potentially breach international law, but it has insisted that the bill is “critical” to ensuring that the unfettered access of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
But the proposed bill of legislation has prompted much anger both at Westminster and within Brussels over the plans to give cabinet ministers the power to alter some key elements of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement from the EU, which had been formally signed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in January.
This comes after the EU has said that it has “serious concerns” about the UK’s move to override key parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement deal as Maros Sefcovic, an EU official, was speaking ahead of the emergency talks with Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, on how the changes could potentially affect Northern Ireland.
His comments mean that he is also the fifth former prime minister, including those ex-Labour premiers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, as well as Sir John Major and Theresa May, to speak out against the Conservative government’s proposals.
He said: “Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate.”
“It should be an absolute final resort. So I do have misgivings about”
However, Mr Cameron also added: “So far what’s happened is the government has proposed a law that it might pass, or might not pass, or might use or might not use, depending on whether certain circumstances do or do not appear.”
“Of course the bigger picture here is we are in a vital negotiation with the EU to get a deal and I think we have to keep that context, that big prize in mind, and that’s why I’ve perhaps held back from saying more up to now.”
This comes after the Prime Minister’s reported plan to scrap parts of his Brexit withdrawal deal “does break international law”, a cabinet minister has admitted, as the head of the UK government’s legal department has resigned due to his concerns about the plan.
Kit Malthouse, a Conservative government minister told Sky News that, if the European Union does not list the UK as a third country in regards to food imports, then “we could be in a position where food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland could be illegal”.
“No prime minister, it seems to me, can contemplate that situation,” he told the Kay Burley show.
Members of Parliament will be debating in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, the UK Internal Market Bill, with a number of Conservative MPs presumed to rebel against their party’s legislation.
There has also been anger amongst many Conservative Brexiteers, with Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney general, condemning the government’s plan as “unconscionable”.