EU
UK prepared to back down on Internal Market Bill
Ahead of this evening’s (7 December) debate on the Internal Market Bill (IMB) in the House of Commons, the UK government has issued a conditional concession to address the EU’s concerns over the clauses in that bill that breach the UK’s commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement.
The UK government states that it is committed to the full implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a “pragmatic, proportionate way” which recognises Northern Ireland’s place in the UK’s customs territory. Which echoes the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis’s claim that the government were going to breach international laws in a “very specific and limited way”.
The UK’s conditions are listed as finding satsfactory solutions as regards: determining those goods “at risk” of entering the EU market, removing export declarations for Northern Ireland goods moving to Great Britain, and limiting the Protocol’s state aid provisions to Northern Ireland.
The UK would be prepared to remove clause 44 of the UK IMBl, concerning export declarations and to “deactivate” clauses 45 and 47, concerning state aid, to ensure that they would only be used “when consistent with the United Kingdom’s rights and obligations under international law.” The EU’s very simple answer to this is that they would only apply the law in full respect for international law.
The UK government also appear to have withdrawn their Taxation Bill, which was going to be introduced tomorrow to be kept “under review”.
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