Kemi Badenoch is set to challenge Rishi Sunak’s plans to sacrifice some Brexit freedoms to re-establish a devolved government in Northern Ireland.
The Business Secretary vowed to raise the issue at the “highest level” after being asked about the Prime Minister’s attempt to persuade the DUP to end its boycott at Stormont for the first time in almost two years.
In a move that angered Brexiteers in the Conservative Party, the government pledged to review all new legislation to ensure it does not create extra trade barriers on the Irish Sea border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The barrier was created as part of post-Brexit trade. Arrangements.
Conservative MPs, including former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Jacob Rees-Mogg, said the move would bind the UK to European standards after the Wednesday Telegraph revealed the plans. I warned you.
Mr Badenoch, an ardent Brexiteer, did not deny the report when he confronted former Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers in the House of Commons.
Ms Villiers, a former cabinet minister, said in today’s Telegraph that she had promised to introduce a requirement that the government review all future changes to regulatory law to ensure that no changes were made. Are you in a position to deny the report?” he asked. Will we create extra trade barriers in the Irish Sea?
“Because that could be a significant obstacle to departing from EU law.”
“We retain the ability to diverge.”
Mr Badenoch said: ‘Of course I cannot comment on the ongoing political process in Northern Ireland, which I am not part of.
“But what I want to say is that we retain the ability to diverge. That’s clear. I agree that we need to find that comparative advantage, otherwise there is no point.”
She added: “I understand her concerns and I will be speaking to my colleagues across departments to ensure they are elevated to the highest level.”
Although the UK is legally able to separate, there are concerns that the review process could have a chilling effect on any move towards separation.
Mr Badenoch previously blamed Whitehall’s intransigence for failing to eliminate as much EU red tape as he had hoped as business secretary after Brexit.
The Telegraph can exclusively reveal details of Mr Sunak’s proposal to DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson, under which Labor members will force a Brexit border inquiry with a majority vote in Stormont. It is said that it will be possible.
Northern Ireland’s parliament has until the end of this year to vote on whether to maintain the Irish Sea border in a “consent” vote, which is expected to be passed with a majority of support.
However, if a majority of Labor MPs oppose the Windsor Framework, an independent report will be produced.