UK govt publishes plan to get rid of parts of post-Brexit deal

The United Kingdom Government has published its plans to get rid of parts of the post-Brexit deal it agreed with the European Union in 2019. It wants to change the Northern Ireland Protocol to make it easier for some goods to flow from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. But, the EU opposes the move, saying that going back on the deal breaches international law.  The UK Government says there is no other way of safeguarding essential interests of the UK. It argues the term necessity is used in international law to justify situations where the only way a state can safeguard an essential interest is by disapplying - or breaking - another international obligation. The alterations are set out in the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, to be debated and voted on by Parliament.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said it was "a reasonable, practical solution to the problems facing Northern Ireland" and that the UK could "only make progress through negotiations if the EU are willing to change the protocol itself", adding: "At the moment they aren't." "We are very clear that we're acting in line with the law," she said. The government said it would prefer a "negotiated solution" with the EU that avoids the need for the bill to become law.

Three parties in Northern Ireland - Sinn Féin, Alliance and the SDLP - say the protocol is necessary to mitigate the effects of Brexit in Northern Ireland. However no unionist supports the protocol as it stands. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which won the second-most seats in the recent Northern Ireland Assembly elections, argues it creates a divide that could lead to the break-up of the UK. Sinn Féin's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill accused the prime minister of creating more instability and uncertainty in Northern Ireland. "Boris Johnson's action is illegal, he is in clear breach of international law, regardless of the detail," she said. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: "I don't believe what the government is proposing is illegal. I believe it is a solution and that is what we need - solutions." He added: "We have strong support from across unionism for the stand that we are taking