UK Johnson managing aftermath of Internal Market Act... MPs to vote before powers activated

After Discussions with Conservative MPs, Some Amendments Planned... Aiming to Persuade MPs Opposing 'Violation of International Law'
Continued Opposition Voices within the UK... EU Also Unlikely to Accept
US Democratic Leadership Expressing Concerns over International Law Violation Attempts to Persuade

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to include a provision requiring parliamentary votes when exercising powers in order to persuade Conservative Party members who oppose the Internal Market Bill, which nullifies parts of the Brexit agreement with the European Union (EU) and is said to violate international law. He appears to be moving quickly to manage the fallout from the announcement of the Internal Market Bill.

According to BBC and others on the 16th (local time), Prime Minister Johnson announced that he agreed to partially amend the bill after two days of discussions with Conservative Party members regarding the Internal Market Bill. The amendment includes a clause that requires a vote in the House of Commons when powers are exercised under provisions that may violate international law.

This decision is interpreted as an effort to quell opposition within the Conservative Party. Conservative MPs, essential for the bill’s passage, had repeatedly opposed the bill citing concerns over violations of international law. An amendment led by Conservative MP Bob Neill had even emerged, raising expectations that internal conflicts within the Conservative Party would intensify next week. This agreement significantly increases the likelihood that opposition within the party will subside.

However, voices of opposition continue within the UK. Richard Keen, Scotland’s Advocate General, announced his resignation just hours before Johnson’s announcement. In his resignation letter submitted to Prime Minister Johnson, he stated that "it has become increasingly difficult to fulfill my duties as Advocate General and accept the unavoidable circumstances," and declared his intention to leave the government.

The EU is also expected to find this difficult to accept. Since provisions that nullify the Brexit agreement remain, and these can be executed through parliamentary votes, it is anticipated that the EU’s stance will not change despite the Conservative Party’s agreement. Johnson appears unwilling to engage in dialogue with the EU based on trust, and he pressured that if a free trade agreement (FTA) is not reached by the end of the year, significant tariffs will be imposed on EU goods.

Meanwhile, the UK government is also swiftly working to manage the impact of the Internal Market Bill announcement on trade negotiations with the United States. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with Democratic Party leaders in the US on the same day to explain the Internal Market Bill and emphasized that it would not affect bilateral relations. This was in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s warning on the 9th, immediately after the bill’s announcement, that "if the UK violates international agreements and undermines the withdrawal agreement, there is absolutely no chance that a US-UK trade agreement will pass the House."

Following the meeting with Raab, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed trust in the UK, but Pelosi stated that the House would protect the peace agreement between the UK and Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, and that it would be difficult to accept any breach of it, according to BBC.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.