UK government reaches deal with Conservative rebels

London

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has reached a deal to avert a rebellion by members of his own party over powers within its proposed Internal Market Bill that break international law, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The Internal Market Bill is aimed at ensuring Britain's four constituent nations can trade freely with one another after leaving the EU, but the government says that requires overriding part of the withdrawal treaty it signed with Brussels.

Although the bill passed its first test in parliament on Monday, it has been heavily criticised by some within Mr Johnson's party and has threatened to provoke a rebellion.

A rebel plan to give lawmakers a veto on using the powers has been put forward by one Conservative member of parliament, Bob Neill.

"I understand a deal has been reached btw (between) Tories who wanted to vote for Bob (Neill)'s amendment to the controversial UKIM bill and the govt - it gives an extra layer of parliamentary oversight - ministers hope prevents rebellion next week," BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said earlier on Wednesday he has been involved in some of the conversations with Mr Neill and that with "shared understanding" a compromise can be reached.

"There are lots of discussions going on with all parts of the Conservative Party," Mr Buckland told Sky News. "With a big majority, this government will be able to get this legislation through," he later told the BBC.

The prime minister's Internal Market Bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle on Monday, but Mr Neill and a dozen other Conservatives were trying to amend it to require the government to seek approval from Members of Parliament (MPs), before exercising the most controversial powers the law will give it.

Mr Johnson's plan to rip up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement threatens to blow apart the delicate negotiations over a future trade deal between the bloc and the United Kingdom.

The talks are already stuck, with just over three months left to reach a solution, and the EU has threatened legal action if Mr Johnson does not back down. Failure to reach an accord by the year-end would leave the UK facing disruption to trade with its nearest neighbour and chaos at its ports.

The row erupted after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs last week that the Internal Market Bill would break international law in "a limited and specific way".

The government said the legislation aims to prevent the EU erecting trade barriers between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland if no agreement can be reached on future arrangements for the region.

All five of Mr Johnson's living predecessors as prime minister have publicly expressed their concern at the damage his plan is doing to the UK's international reputation as a reliable partner that respects the rule of law. One government adviser resigned.

Mr Johnson's special envoy on faith resigned in protest at the plan and Mr Buckland has faced calls to quit because as Lord Chancellor his role is to uphold the rule of law.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said the UK was not at the stage of breaking international law yet. If the UK did breach the terms of the EU exit treaty, "that would cause me a problem", he told Sky News.

On Tuesday, one of the UK's top legal officials defended Mr Johnson's plans by insisting they do not breach international law after all - contradicting comments from Mr Lewis and the Prime Minister's Office last week.

"The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland essentially answered the wrong question," Richard Keen, the Advocate General for Scotland, told the House of Lords. The bill deals with a "contingent situation" in which the EU would be in breach of its treaty obligations.

"The provisions of the bill are entirely limited in their intent and effect, and fall within the rule of law and the requirements of international law," he said. "I certainly don't anticipate that those provisions would be abused." REUTERS, BLOOMBERG