Theresa’s revenge: Ex-PM savages Boris Johnson’s ‘illegal and ineffective’ Northern Ireland Bill warning him the EU won’t bother negotiating because they don’t think he will survive in No10 amid fresh attempts to unseat him
- Mrs May was defenestrated by Tories loyal to Mr Johnson in 2019 over Brexit
- She served her revenge ice cold as she tore into his proposals in the Commons
- Said Northern Ireland Protocol was illegal and may ‘diminish the standing’ of UK
Theresa May gave successor Boris Johnson a political pummelling last night as she tore into his plans to override parts of the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland.
Mrs May, who was defenestrated by Tories loyal to Mr Johnson in 2019 over her attempts to do a deal with Brussels, served her revenge ice cold as she tore into his proposals in the Commons.
In a withering intervention, the ex-prime minister told MPs the Government’s bid to take unilateral action over the Northern Ireland Protocol was illegal, would not work and would ‘diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world’.
And in a stinging rebuke to the PM she suggested he was in a similarly weak position to that she found herself in after she faced a no confidence vote in her leadership.
He faced down his own no confidence vote earlier this month, with 141 of his MPs demanding he quit.
The former premier spoke in the House of Commons as MPs debated the Government’s proposed legislation to sweep away key parts of the Protocol.
As well as attacking Mr Johnson she appeared to mock Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for saying that she backed the bill because she was a ‘patriot’.
MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks.
But more than 70 Tories abstained, and while as many as 30 were allowed to miss the vote, a hardcore of around 40, including Mrs May, were giving notice that the PM faces a rebellion if he pushes ahead.
in a stinging rebuke to the PM she suggested he was in a similarly weak position to that she found herself in after she faced a no confidence vote in her leadership.
MPs voted 295 to 221, majority 74, to give the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill a second reading, which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks.
Mrs May told the Commons the Bill would give ministers ‘extraordinarily sweeping powers’ as she lashed out the Government’s plan to rip up the Protocol that Mr Johnson struck with the EU in October 2019.
‘The UK’s standing in the world, our ability to convene and encourage others in the defence of our shared values, depends on the respect others have for us as a country, a country that keeps its word, and displays those shared values in its actions,’ she said.
‘As a patriot, I would not want to do anything that would diminish this country in the eyes of the world.
‘I have to say to the Government, this Bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims, and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it.’
Mrs May, who also faced a no confidence vote in her leadership while she was PM, spoke of her own travails in dealing with the EU over Brexit when in Downing Street.
She suggested that, after Mr Johnson witnessed a recent attempt by Tory MPs to oust him from Numer 10, his negotiating power had been weakened.
‘My experience was, the EU looked very carefully at the political situation in any country,’ she added.
‘As I discovered when I faced a no confidence vote, despite having won that no confidence vote, they then start to ask themselves, “well, is it really worth negotiating with these people in Government, because will they actually be there in any period of time?”.
‘Also, I suspect they are saying to themselves, why should they negotiate in detail with a Government that shows itself willing to sign an agreement, claim it as a victory, and then try to tear part of it up in less than three years time?’
The Government is aiming to fast-track the Bill through the Commons before Parliament’s summer recess.
However, some MPs who opted not to block it at second reading appear likely to seek amendments, and the House of Lords is also expected to contest parts of the Bill, setting up a lengthy showdown between the two Houses.
The European Union has also launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the Government’s move.
Mr Johnson’s Government has said the measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are necessary to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement and peace and stability.
“What we are trying to do is fix something that I think is very important to our country, which is the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement,” he told reporters at the G7 summit in Germany.
“You have got one tradition, one community, that feels that things really aren’t working in a way that they like or understand, you’ve got unnecessary barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“All we are saying is you can get rid of those whilst not in any way endangering the EU single market.”
Asked if the measures could be in place this year, Mr Johnson said: “Yes, I think we could do it very fast, Parliament willing.”
Source: Read Full Article
