London, September 9: The United Kingdom on Wednesday published a controversial bill to break the Brexit treaty. The Boris Johnson government will now re-write the Brexit deal which the UK Prime Minister signed the last year. The new will is intended to ensure that Northern Ireland can continue to enjoy unrestricted access to markets in the rest of the UK. Brexit Deal: UK PM Boris Johnson Sets October 15 Deadline For EU Trade Deal.
The development came after the European Union demanded an emergency meeting with Britain to discuss a proposed law. "I will call for an extraordinary joint committee on the withdrawal agreement to be held as soon as possible so that our UK partners elaborate and respond to our strong concerns on the bill," reported global news agency AFP quoting EU vice president Maros Sefcovic as saying.
Tweet by AFP:
#BREAKING UK publishes controversial bill it says breaks Brexit treaty pic.twitter.com/RXuvgZle22
— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 9, 2020
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis on Tuesday said in the House of Commons that the new bill would "break international law". Lewis comments drew flak from many MPs, including former PM Theresa May. Brexit: UK Leaves The European Union, New Era Begins For Britain.
On September 7, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a deadline of October 15 for a post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union. Britain formally quit the 27-member bloc on January 31. Johnson took over as the British PM after Theresa May failed to get Brexit. The UK is still following the bloc's rules until the transition period, which will end on December 31 and enable a permanent future trade deal to be reached.
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