EU starts legal case against UK over Internal Market Bill

The European Union on Thursday launched legal action against the UK’s new Internal Market Bill on the grounds that it breached the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and breaks international law.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the UK had been put on formal notice over the Bill, tabled by the British government last month.

“We had invited our British friends to remove the problematic parts of their draft internal market bill, by the end of September,” she said in Brussels.

“This draft bill is, by its very nature, a breach of the obligation of good faith, laid down in the withdrawal agreement. Moreover, if adopted as is it will be in full contradiction to the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

”The problematic provisions have not been removed. Therefore this morning, the commission has decided to send a letter of formal notice to the UK government. This is the first step in an infringement procedure.”

The Bill would give ministers legal powers to override two elements of the Northern Ireland protocol, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to last October in order to avoid a return to a hard border in Ireland.

London now has a month to reply to the commission, which then starts the formal infringement process. The case could end up at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg if the EU deems Britain’s response to be unsatisfactory.

In response, the UK said it had “clearly set out our reasons for introducing the measures related to the Northern Ireland protocol”.

“We need to create a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK’s internal market, ensure ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protect the gains from the peace process,” a British government spokesman said.