Brexit: UK and EU hold emergency meeting amid outrage over Boris Johnson’s plan to override agreement

‘The EU seeks clarifications from the UK on the full and timely implementation of the withdrawal agreement’

Michael Gove will meet with senior EU officials (EPA)

UK and EU negotiating teams are set for emergency talks after Boris Johnson’s government provoked outrage over plans to flout international law by rewriting key aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

The “extraordinary meeting” of the joint committee between London and Brussels is being held after the European Commission demanded clarifications from Britain on the “full and timely implementation” of the agreement signed earlier this year.

It follows the publication of the government’s Internal Market Bill – providing ministers with powers to override aspects of the Brexit agreement if current talks collapse – and ministers admitting it will breach international law.

Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, will meet senior EU official Maros Sefcovic to discuss the fragile situation, as talks on a future trading agreement continue in London between the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost and his opposite number Michel Barnier.

On Wednesday evening, the spokesperson for Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who has expressed deep concern over the measures, said: “Following today’s announcement by the UK, Marcos Sefcovic will travel to London tomorrow to meet Michael Gove for an extraordinary meeting of the joint committee.

“The EU seeks clarifications from the UK on the full and timely implementation of the withdrawal agreement.”

The bloc is also considering legal action against the UK government, with Bloomberg reporting a document concluding a breach of the agreement would “open the way for legal remedies”.

The meeting comes after the prime minister faced warnings that flouting international law would weaken the UK’s standing in the world and hinder its ability to negotiate free trade deals after Brexit with other countries such as the United States.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, said there would be “absolutely no chance” of a trade agreement between the UK and the US passing Congress should Mr Johnson’s government override the EU agreement.

“The Good Friday Agreement is the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and an inspiration for the whole world,” she warned in a statement. “Whatever form it takes, Brexit cannot be allowed to imperil the Good Friday Agreement, including the stability brought by the invisible and frictionless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.

"If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress. The Good Friday Agreement is treasured by the American people and will be proudly defended in the United States Congress."

Ministers argue the new proposed legislation is necessary to protect the Northern Ireland peace process if London and Brussels are unable to agree a free trade deal before the current Brexit transition period runs out at the end of the year.

Defending the plans, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “This is do with some very technical changes to the way we would ensure there’s a safety net.

“To ensure that if we don’t have any kind of further agreement, which we want to have, but if it’s not possible the Northern Ireland’s businesses and producers can enjoy unfettered access to the rest of the UK.

“It would be unreasonable to suggest that a sovereign nation isn’t able to trade within its own borders in certain circumstances.”