Withdrawal Agreement is a ‘poison pill’, say Brexiteers

SENIOR Brexiteers have warned Boris Johnson that key parts of his Withdrawal Agreement with the EU amounts to a “poison pill” that should be replaced as part of post-Brexit trade negotiations.

A 120-page report compiled by proLeave MPs and lawyers states that exiting the transition period with the current provisions of the agreement would have “crippling” consequences for the UK and prevent the country from becoming a “fully sovereign state”.

The document has been endorsed by a series of senior backbenchers, suggesting Mr Johnson could face resistance in the Commons if he fails to tackle their concerns.

Mark Francois, chairman of the influential European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, said: “The report argues that the remaining elements of the Withdrawal Agreement after we leave the transition period cannot be allowed to stand as they are, and particularly that there must be no remaining role for the European Court of Justice over any aspect of our national life.”

The report, published by the new Centre for Brexit Policy, includes contributions from Lord Trimble, the former first minister of Northern Ireland, Martin Howe, the Brexiteer QC, and Owen Paterson, the former cabinet minister who chairs the think-tank.

The key elements it says make up the “poison pill” include the UK having to remain bound to some state aid laws, the creation of “burdensome EU customs mechanisms” at a border in the Irish Sea, a role for the European Court of Justice for another eight years, and the vast divorce payments, for amounts the report states are “not owing under international law”.

The report states: “Although the Government sees the revised Withdrawal Agreement as only transitional until the end of the transition period in December, there remain serious threats to UK sovereignty that will have crippling economic and strategic consequences for years to come if they are not dealt with now. Exiting with these threats still in place will not return the UK to a fully sovereign state.”

The report urges Mr Johnson to replace the Withdrawal Agreement with a “sovereignty compliant” agreement. A chapter by Lord Trimble states that the deal “rips the Good Friday Agreement apart” by handing lawmaking power over Northern Ireland to the EU. The paper recommends returning to the Brexiteers’ plan of “alternative arrangements” for Ireland.