Brexit negotiations break down over previously agreed divorce agreement

Murtaza Jaffer
Press TV, London

Brexit negotiations prove fruitless after the UK reneges on its own withdrawal agreement, leaving EU leaders left to consider legal action. This comes as some feel that would give Brexiteers the moral case for a no deal Brexit.

Britain and the European Union have held emergency talks after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed his government’s intention to break international law and undercut parts of the Brexit divorce treaty, while Brussels are exploring possible legal action as a response. 

The latest dispute centers on rules for Northern Ireland, which shares a land border with EU member the republic of Ireland. Under the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, there must be no hard border on the island of Ireland.

Under the current withdrawal agreement, some EU rules would continue to apply in Northern Ireland as a means to protect the peace agreement, however the UK now wishes to override these previously agreed terms on the basis that they impact the UK’s internal market. They want the power to override checks on goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK, with critics arguing they are attempting to regulate the power to Quote "disapply" rules as and when they see fit.

According to the government, their planned law merely clarifies ambiguities in the Withdrawal Agreement however European diplomats have said Britain was playing a game of Brexit "chicken", threatening to wreck the process if they didn’t get things their way. 

After the meeting Sefcovic released a statement in a tweet where has said, QUOTE “By putting forward this Bill, the UK has seriously damaged trust between the EU and the UK. It is now up to the UK government to re-establish that trust.”

Similar sentiments were made by Former prime ministers Theresa May and John Major slamming the government’s cavalier approach to their own agreements not to mention international law, highlighting the damage to the country’s global reputation. 

The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said any potential US-UK trade deal would not pass the US Congress if Britain undermined the 1998 peace agreement.

The EU still maintains it wants a deal but respecting the withdrawal agreement is a prerequisite. some now believe the UK wants a no-deal exit, particularly senior ardent brexiteers who have made no attempt to hide their indignation of the EU and its clampdown of tax avoidance throughout the bloc. They would want nothing more than a tax haven on the edge of Europe, often sighting Singapore as a model to emulate. 

Many also suspect vulture capitalists who are shorting the pound hoping to make fortunes from the markets collapsing after a no-deal outcome. if the EU Press ahead with legal action, then those in the Brexit camp will have their scapegoat and pin the blame of no deal on the EU. Whatever the scenario, an amicable exit is becoming increasingly unlikely. 

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