Johnson wants to vote against Northern Ireland deal with EU – Politics

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced its no to the agreement with the EU on new Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. “The proposed deals would either mean that Northern Ireland remains trapped by the EU legal order – and increasingly diverges from the rest of the UK,” the Conservative MP told the newspaper telegraph – or the UK as a whole could not benefit from Brexit. “This is unacceptable,” Johnson added.

The House of Commons in London this Wednesday votes on the agreement between the EU and Great Britain which only came about after years of debate. With his announced no, Johnson is also opposing today’s conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Johnson is urging Sunak to push ahead with a law he has introduced that would allow Britain to unilaterally withdraw from the existing agreement with the EU.

The ex-PM isn’t the only prominent dissenter. The PA news agency reported from those close to Johnson’s immediate successor Liz Truss that she too would vote against the agreement. According to the report, she apparently justifies this by saying that the new regulation will have an “almost fatal” effect on Britain’s ability to deviate from EU regulations.

The new agreement aims to increase trade between Northern Ireland and make it easier for the rest of the UK. The Northern Ireland protocol, which was originally negotiated in the course of Brexit, had previously sparked protests. The protocol provides for a customs border in the Irish Sea. This is intended to prevent border controls between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland in order to prevent old conflicts from flaring up in the civil war region. But the regulation brought with it difficulties, for example when sending parcels or taking pets with you.

Johnson signed the internationally binding Northern Ireland Protocol himself, but soon criticized the agreement. In addition to him, other conservative MPs want to vote against the new agreement that Sunak negotiated with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. The government expects about 20 dissenters from its own ranks.

Johnson is confident before the “Partygate” survey

Johnson has another appointment this Wednesday: a questioning in Parliament on the “Partygate” affair about forbidden celebrations at the height of the corona pandemic. Before the survey, the 58-year-old was confident. He spoke of conclusive evidence that he had not intentionally or recklessly misled the House of Commons. The questioning by a parliamentary committee is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. (CET).

Johnson said, “The committee has not presented a snippet of evidence to show that I did it.” There have been a number of lockdown parties at Downing Street during the pandemic. Johnson had stated in Parliament at the time that no rules had been broken and that he had no knowledge of celebrations.

The committee is now to clarify whether he intentionally lied to the House of Commons. In this case, he faces a longer suspension, which could also lead to the loss of his MP mandate. Johnson has admitted false information, but strictly rejected an intention.