Truss faces fresh fight as cross-party Peers seeking to block bill
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Liz Truss faces a fresh political fight, with cross-party peers seeking to bloc a bill on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Negotiations regarding the post-Brexit deal are ongoing, though some suggest a settlement could soon be within reach.
Ms Truss, then the Foreign Secretary, introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill in Parliament earlier this year.
At the time, she stressed that the EU’s “current proposals are not able to address the fundamental concerns”.
Members of the House of Lords have no, however, suggested these concerns could soon be settled, if only the Government holds on for longer.
One peer, who opposes the bill, told the Guardian it would be wrong for Ministers to “bulldoze ahead” at this time.
They pointed to “smoke signals that there is a better prospect of a negotiation between both sides”.
Leo Varadkar earlier this week performed what was described as a major U-turn on his position regarding the Protocol.
The Tánaiste of Ireland insisted the treaty was “working” but conceded that certain of its aspects could be loosened.
He said: “One thing that I would concede is that perhaps the protocol, as it was originally designed, was a little too strict…
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“I think… that there is some room for further flexibility for some changes that hopefully would make it acceptable to all sides.”
Ms Truss has noted on numerous occasions that a negotiated settlement remains her “preference”, over the triggering of Article 16.
Were this article to be implemented, the EU would launch a trade war against the UK, according to warnings from within Brussels itself.
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In order to prevent the Protocol Bill from getting in the way of a possible deal, some Lords are planning to delay it indefinitely with an amendment during the committee stage on October 25, following a second reading in the House.
This would prevent the Bill completing its stages in the upper house until an impact assessment is produced, the Guardian reports.
One peer told the paper: “The Lords do not traditionally obstruct the Commons but the feeling is so strong.
“One can understand why nobody trusts the British Government because they speak with a forked tongue, entering negotiations but threatening to break the law at the same time.
“It may look like we are capitulating on Tuesday [by allowing the second reading to pass] but we are not.
“We are committed to stopping this.”
The peer, said to be organising the rebellion, stressed that Lords from across the house, including from the Conservative Party, supported the planned delays.
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