Brexit: UK plans to override parts of withdraw deal
The UK government is planning legislation that will override key parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, British newspaper the Financial Times reported Sunday. The so-called internal market bill, due to be published Wednesday, is expected to “eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement” in areas relating to state aid and Northern Ireland customs.
The UK formally left the EU on January 31 this year, three-and-a-half years after the country narrowly voted to leave the bloc in a politically divisive referendum. A status-quo transition period following its formal departure ends on December 31. Until then, the UK is bound by EU rules as it negotiates the terms of its future relationship with the bloc, its largest trading partner.
Johnson on Sunday also restated the deadline of October 15 for a free trade deal with the European Union, after which Britain would walk away from the post-Brexit negotiations if the two sides failed to reach a deal. The British leader’s warning comes ahead of a crucial round of post-Brexit negotiations which are to resume in London on Tuesday.