PM strikes deal with rebels as adviser quits

BORIS JOHNSON reached a compromise with Tory rebels by agreeing to give them a final say on overriding the Brexit divorce deal last night, but it was too late to prevent one of his senior law officers resigning.

Officials had hoped to persuade Lord Keen, a senior legal adviser, to change his mind after he tendered his resignation yesterday morning.

However, his position was unchanged after Mr Johnson promised to impose “extra parliamentary scrutiny” on the controversial Internal Market Bill by accepting an amendment from Lord Keen that said he struggled to find a “respectable argument” to justify the Prime Minister’s plans. “Over the past week I have found it increasingly difficult to reconcile what I consider to be my obligations as law officer with your policy intentions with respect to the UKIM Bill,” he wrote in his resignation letter to the Prime Minister.

Sir Bob Neill, the senior backbencher, said he had “found it increasingly difficult to reconcile” his obligations as a lawyer with provisions in the Bill.

Meanwhile, Tory rebels said they had forged the “main outline” of their deal on Monday night ahead of the initial Commons vote, during a “constructive” meeting with Mr Johnson.

Sources suggested the new amendment was “almost identical” to Sir Bob’s, which seeks to stop the Government from breaching international law without a vote.

The agreement was finalised yesterday when MPS met Mr Johnson in his Commons office. Oliver Lewis, one of the Government’s leading Brexit advisers, is understood to have played a key role in brokering an agreement.

Downing Street said the amendment would provide a “more explicit democratic mandate” and added “legal

certainty”. It is also understood to add an extra layer of protection against judicial review.

In a joint statement with Sir Bob, a No10 spokesman added: “We welcome the way the Parliamentary Party has come together on these issues. There is near-unanimous agreement that the Government must be able to use these powers as a final resort, that there must be legal certainty, and that no further amendments are required on these powers.”

Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, said the resolution would not “fix the problem of breaking the law, damaging our reputation around the world and damaging our future prosperity”.

He added: “On the basis of tonight’s statement, this Bill still breaks international law, reopens the Brexit debate and Labour will continue to oppose it.”

It comes as the prospect of a Brexit trade deal appeared to move closer, with UK negotiators showing a willingness to budge on the sticking point of fishing. It has been suggested that the UK could surrender control over fishing waters around the Channel Islands in an attempt to resolve a key dispute in negotiations with the EU.

The Daily Telegraph understands the EU has floated the possibility of instating different rights around the Channel Islands to those around the UK, allowing more access for French and Dutch vessels. Yesterday, the president of the European Commission called for a trade deal but warned it would be impossible if Mr Johnson reneged on the Withdrawal Agreement.

“We need new beginnings with old friends,” Ursula von der Leyen said in the European Parliament. “We will always be ready to build strong partnerships with our closest neighbours.”

Lord Keen tendered his resignation as Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, effectively accused him of misleading the House of Lords.

The peer had stated on Tuesday that it was the Government’s view that controversial legislation did not contravene international law and that Mr Lewis had “answered the wrong question” when he said that it did.

However, Mr Lewis doubled down on his initial statement yesterday, telling the Northern Ireland Select Committee that his words were a “very straight answer” which was “absolutely in line” with legal advice.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, Lord Keen wrote: “Your Government faces challenges on a number of fronts and I fear that the UKIM Bill in its present form will not make these any easier.”

Responding to the resignation, Lord Falconer, Labour’s shadow attorney general, said: “This has been a week of chaos from the Government’s own law officers, whose legal advice has been renounced by its own Government, and the voice of the law officers has been muted and their authority is completely shot. This has been a farce that shames the entire Government.”

‘The voice of the law officers has been muted and their authority is completely shot. This has been a farce’