Johnson launches a new pulse with the EU for Northern Ireland

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan has passed its first hurdle. This Monday, the House of Commons has voted in favor of rewrite the controversial Protocol for Northern Irelandestablished in the Brexit agreement.

An initiative that the European Union (EU) warns is “illegal” and could trigger a trade war.

The bill passed its first scrutiny with 295 votes in favor and 221 against. But the previous debate in the chamber revealed the discrepancies both from the opposition and from Johnson’s own caucus.

London assures that the pact generates too many economic and social frictions, despite the fact that it has not managed to apply part of the customs controls that it had promised to put in place 19 months ago.

UK reputation concerns

Some “Tory” deputies, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, charged against the plans of her Executive, arguing that they undermine both international legality and the reputation of the United Kingdom, which signed a treaty in 2019 that it now denies, considering that it provokes too many political and economic frictions.

“In thinking about this bill, I actually started by asking myself three questions. Firstly, do I consider it legal under international law? Secondly, will it achieve its objectives? And thirdly, will it at least maintain the position of the United Kingdom? United in the eyes of the world? And my answer to these three questions is no,” May said.

The also conservative Simon Hoare, president of the Commons committee for Northern Ireland, also stressed his “enormous concern about the legality” of his government’s project.

However, Johnson prevented that attempt at internal revolt from derailing the law in his first parliamentary test. Today’s vote paves the way for the next phases in the Commons, although fears persist that the (Upper) House of Lords, where the Executive does not have a majority, will try to modify or stop the legislation.

For her part, Foreign Minister Liz Truss insisted during today’s debate that her bill is “legal” and “necessary” to maintain stability in Northern Ireland.

Broadly speaking, the protocol requires that goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom must follow the customs controls that products going to the European Union comply with.

This creates a kind of customs border that keeps Northern Ireland in the orbit of the community bloc.

What can happen if Johnson’s initiative goes ahead?

If the text goes ahead, the Government will have powers, according to British legislation, to limit the customs controls agreed with Brussels and annul the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) as the last instance for commercial disputes in the region, which continues to be integrated into the Community market.

It will also be free to apply subsidies and tax breaks in Northern Ireland, which according to the agreements must comply with European rules to avoid unfair competition with the rest of the market, as well as so that Northern Irish companies can dispense with community standards if their products do not are destined for the EU.

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