Inside Politics: Boris Johnson unveils government’s law-breaking bill

As legislation to override the withdrawal agreement is revealed, the prime minister faces a tough time in front of MPs on the liaison committee, writes Adam Forrest

Boris Johnson at Downing Street (Reuters)

A small quake can give you quite a shake. The good people of Leighton Buzzard are papering over cracks in their walls and cleaning up tea spills after a sudden 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit the town “like a large explosion”. What about the latest of Boris Johnson’s semi-regular political earthquakes? There’s plenty of spilled milk to cry over as his government introduces a new bill to override the withdrawal agreement today – the one that breaks international law. Will the legislative explosion shake up trade deal negotiations?

Inside the bubble

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone on what to look out for on Wednesday:

Boris Johnson faces a grilling from MPs this afternoon when appears before parliament’s liaison committee. Expect fireworks and questions about everything from the coronavirus crisis to the latest Brexit shenanigans. He last appeared in May, when he was criticised for his gaps in knowledge and lack of preparation. The PM will also be explaining the new ban on social gatherings of more than six at a press conference later.

Daily briefing

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH: Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis admitted the new Internal Market Bill to override parts of the withdrawal agreement deal will “break international law”. But hey – it’s okay – it will breach international law in only a “very specific and limited way,” Lewis said. No-one’s really buying that, except maybe Iain Duncan Smith. Theresa May, Keir Starmer and Ed Davey all spoke out against it, with the Lib Dem leader calling it a “sad and shocking state of affairs”. Even the government’s own top lawyer quit his post over the plan. It’s understood Sir Jonathan Jones thought it went “too far”. The Scottish government, meanwhile, said it would simply not consent to the new legislation. What a mess. Catherine Barnard, professor of law at Cambridge University, predicted the whole thing could end up at the European Court of Justice.

HIT FOR SIX: Spooked by the rise in coronavirus cases and the busy social lives of Britain’s youth, the government has decided enough is enough. Gatherings of more than six people – both indoors and outdoors – will be banned in England from Monday. It won’t apply to workplaces, schools, weddings, funerals or organised sports. Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to have more than six customers (so long as small groups keep apart). Reports suggest ministers are considering a ban on people from going out at night, with The Telegraph describing it as a potential “national curfew”. It comes as hospitality venues in Bolton were ordered to close from 10pm, with all food and drink there now restricted to takeaway. Health secretary Matt Hancock said the town had “the highest case rate in the country”.

I WOULDN’T WALK THREE HUNDRED MILES: The director of NHS Test and Trace in England has offered a “heartfelt” apology for problems with coronavirus testing which has seen people asked to make epic journeys. One Cardiff woman was told to go to Dundee, more than 300 miles away. Sarah-Jane Marsh explained the laboratories were experiencing a “critical pinch-point”. Hancock blamed the mess on “a problem with a couple of contracts” which would take a couple of weeks to sort out. He said he hoped no-one would have to go 75 miles (!) for test in the meantime. “I appreciate that 75 miles is far longer than you’d want to go.” Labour leader Keir Starmer said the testing programme was “on the verge of collapse”. Elsewhere, the clinical trials for a vaccine run by AstraZeneca and Oxford University have been put on hold because of an “unexplained illness”. AstraZeneca said it was only a “routine” pause.

REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED: The Labour leader, desperate to be seen as a prime minister in waiting, is to start holding his own televised press conferences. Starmer’s team hope a monthly briefing will at least go some way to counter the imminent daily TV press briefings at No 10. A Labour source said: “Unlike the prime minister, Keir doesn’t duck the difficult questions or hide from the press.” No 10 still haven’t found anyone to front the White House-style press briefings, so no date yet for the big comms revolution. Speaking of televisual extravaganzas, you will be delighted to know the “Festival of Brexit” is still going ahead in 2022. The government confirmed it would spend £120m on the flag-waving shindig. Director Martin Green said the festival would be “absolutely blended into the Covid recovery narrative”. Whatever that means.

CABLE GUY: Remember Kim Darroch? The UK’s former ambassador to the US who got the boot after his criticisms of Donald Trump were leaked to the press? Darroch told BBC Newsnight he had no regrets about the terms he used in describing the Trump White House (“dysfunctional”, “inept”, etc.) in diplomatic cables – saying “clear and direct” language was normal. The ex-official said leaking the confidential material was “vindictive” breach of trust. He also said it would have been “nice” if Johnson had supported him, but understood why the PM had not been nice and let him go. Meanwhile, back in 2020, the Foreign Office has condemned new charges brought against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran as “indefensible and unacceptable”. Her local MP, Tulip Siddiq, said she is due to stand trial again on Sunday.

CULT OF THE DONALD: More juicy details from Michael Cohen’s “tell-all” memoir about his time as Donald Trump’s lawyer. On Melania, the US president allegedly once said: “I can always get another wife. That’s no problem for me.” Other claims include Trump boasting about sending in his daughter Ivanka to conclude business deals because “they can’t think straight when they’re around her – they can’t keep their eyes off her”. Cohen said: “I describe Mr Trump as a cult leader, and I was in this cult.” Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice is taking legal action to defend Trump in a defamation case involving a woman who has accused him of raping her. The strange turn of events means the federal government, rather than Trump himself, might have to pay damages if any are awarded. Wild.

On the record

“I don’t think there’s a case for reopening the issue of membership of the EU … We need to get the deal and we need to move on.”

Keir Starmer wants the PM to get a deal and take the heat out of the Brexit issue.

From the Twitterati

“Boris Johnson’s govt now openly boasting of breaking international law is astonishing. Why should anyone trust them again?”

Piers Morgan amazed by the international law breakers in government…

“Throughout the Brexit process the govt purported to act within the law. This is new. And very bad.”

…and Labour’s shadow attorney general Lord Falconer agrees it’s a new low.

Essential reading

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Keir Starmer won’t be able to keep quiet about Brexit for long

Vince Cable, The Independent: State aid rules are not a threat to British sovereignty

Ailbhe Rea, New Statesman: Johnson’s disregard for withdrawal agreement will cost him in Northern Ireland

Andrea Portes, CNN: Dear white women – let’s not fall for Trump’s racist bet on us

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