Tory plan to end EU meddling on border
BORIS Johnson is considering a plan to settle the Brexit customs row by introducing legislation that makes clear the EU has no legal right to impose checks on UK territory.
The Prime Minister discussed at a private meeting a proposal from backbench Tory MPs for a Parliamentary Bill confirming Northern Ireland is an integral part of the UK.
They want legislation drafted to clarify the province’s constitutional status and have it included in the Government programme announced in next month’s Queen’s Speech.
But going ahead with such dramatic unilateral action to end the long-running row is almost certain to provoke fury in Brussels.
A source said Mr Johnson was attracted to the idea and agreed to further discussions.
The insider added: “Bold strokes are painted with broad brushes. It is important the Prime Minister takes the opportunity to use his 80-seat majority for the benefit of the Union.
“The desire to preserve and strengthen the Union runs right across the Conservative Party – far deeper and more important than any differences on policy.”
Mr Johnson held a breakfast meeting in Downing Street on March 31 with the MPs, members of an 80-strong Tory backbench group campaigning to strengthen the historic ties between the four parts of the UK.
Ambiguity
They raised concerns the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has cast doubt on the province’s constitutional status.
In a judgement last month, the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal declared the protocol “subjugated” key clauses of the 1800 Act of Union.
The MPs, from the Conservative Union Research Unit, want the Mr Johnson to clear up the ambiguity.
They insist the Government scraps customs checks on goods across the Irish Sea. A briefing note from the meeting called for “lawful, reasonable primary legislation” to “preserve the integrity of the UK”.
The protocol was meant to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
It effectively kept Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market but it has led to more than two years of squabbling between London and Brussels as well as angering Ulster’s Unionist community.
Ministers accuse Brussels of imposing excessive checks on goods entering the province from other parts of the UK. Mr Johnson has repeatedly threatened to trigger Article 16 of the protocol to unilaterally suspend customs checks. But MPs say that course of action would herald another round of wrangling with Brussels that could drag on for up to two years. Instead, they want the Prime Minister to legislate to spell out that Northern Ireland is a full part of the UK. Government sources indicated last week that legislation to effectively tear up the protocol was possible. On a visit to India last week, Mr Johnson, replied “of course” to questions about whether he could legislate to resolve the row. He added: “The protocol does not command the confidence of a large component of the population in Northern Ireland. We have to fix that.”
A Government source said: “We recognise that the protocol risks undermining the close ties that bind Britain and Northern Ireland. That is why we have been in negotiations with the EU.”