Labour is calling on the Lord Chancellor to respect the rule of
law, after the Government yesterday admitted it was in breach over
the EU withdrawal agreement.
This morning Health Secretary said he was “comfortable” with that.
has
written to Justice Secretary to say he must honour his “sworn duty” to respect
and maintain the rule of law which has been central to his
position for more than 400 years.
He asks: “What steps do you plan to take to protect the rule of
law from attack from inside your own government? If you fail to
prevent the government from breaking the rule of law, will you
stand by your oath to respect the rule of law by breaking cabinet
responsibility on this matter?”
Ends
Full text of letter
Dear Robert,
In your role as Lord Chancellor, you have a sworn duty to respect
the rule of law. Maintaining the sanctity of the rule of law has
been central to your position for more than 400 years. I do not
need to remind you of the oath you took on the on 30 July 2019 in
the Royal Courts of Justice:
“I…do swear that in the office of Lord High Chancellor of Great
Britain I will respect the rule of law, defend the independence
of the judiciary and discharge my duty to ensure the provision of
resources for the efficient and effective support of the courts
for which I am responsible.”
Yesterday MP, the Northern Ireland Secretary, confirmed that by
breaking the EU withdrawal agreement, the government would “break
international law in a very specific and limited way”. This
morning , the Health Secretary, said he is “comfortable” with
the fact the UK is willing to break international law.
What steps do you plan to take to protect the rule of law from
attack from inside your own government? If you fail to prevent
the government from breaking the rule of law, will you stand by
your oath to respect the rule of law by breaking cabinet
responsibility on this matter?
Yours sincerely,
MP
Shadow Lord Chancellor and the Shadow Secretary of State for
Justice
