It’s been a while since Boris Johnson picked a really big fight with Brussels. It looks very much like the prime minister is set to spark another major bust-up with the EU over the terms of the Brexit deal he signed back in 2020.
The government is said to be preparing fresh legislation to tear up the parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol it doesn’t like, a move sure to provoke a strong reaction from the European Commission. Could Britain be about to enter trade war territory with its closest neighbours during a cost-of-living crisis?
It seems a draft bill is being readied partly in the expectation that Sinn Fein will win the Northern Ireland elections on 5 May – an unprecedented outcome which could see the unionists withdraw from both the executive and the assembly.
Could protocol manoeuvres also be aimed at easing Mr Johnson’s own political problems? Will a new crisis help keep some wavering Tory MPs on his side as the Partygate scandal drags on?
Meanwhile, the minister for Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg is hunting around for some of those much-talked about Brexit benefits.
While he’s not leaving passive-aggressive notes on civil servants’ desks, Rees-Mogg is preparing his own bill aimed at making it easier to diverge from EU law. But will he find enough clear wins to keep Brexit backers happy?
The government remains reluctant to use the word ‘Brexit’ when it comes to border disruption at Dover and elsewhere. And yet ministers are set to push back the looming Brexit checks on imports for a fourth time – aware of the drag the extra controls will have on businesses.
Is it time for politicians to start acknowledging the damaging impact of Brexit on the economy?
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