According to a recent article in The House magazine, former UK Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland has stated that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is designed to address issues arising from Brexit, is no longer legally justified.
This argument comes at a time when UK PM Rishi Sunak is working towards a new deal with the European Union to help alleviate the problems created by the country’s departure from the trading bloc.
Sir Robert, who previously supported the Bill, argues that its “political utility has run its course” given the changes in the situation since its introduction in June of last year.
He writes, “The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill has outlived its political usefulness and no longer has any legal justification. It is the proverbial dead letter.”
Prime Minister Sunak has urged his colleagues not to abandon the proposed law, but the Bill is currently stalled in the House of Lords. Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg supports Johnson’s plea, citing the Prime Minister’s mandate from British voters.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has also been interpreted as backing the Bill, describing it as “one of the biggest tools that we have in solving the problem on the Irish Sea.”
Despite these endorsements, Downing Street has clarified that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill remains “important” in the absence of a negotiated solution.
Source: Robert Buckland says protocol Bill ‘no longer has any legal justification’
