Louise Haigh responds to reports that Government plans to override key parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement

“These reports, if true, show what we have long feared – that the ‘oven-ready’ Brexit deal the Prime Minister promised the British people was yet another example of his fluid relationship with the truth.

“Just 10 months after signing a treaty promising to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, Boris Johnson’s government is already threatening to renege on the UK’s legal obligations.

“This would be an act of immense bad faith: one that would be viewed dimly by future trading partners and allies around the world and make it more difficult for us to hold other governments to account.

“It beggars belief that the Government is – yet again – playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and sacrificing our international standing at the altar of the Prime Minister’s incompetence.

“It is in the interest of all parties to reduce the burden on businesses and the economy in Northern Ireland, but these practical solutions must be agreed on the basis of trust - trust which Ministers have now jeopardised.”

Ends

Notes to editors

· UK plan to undermine withdrawal treaty threatens Brexit trade talks https://www.ft.com/content/9906e0d4-0c29-4f5f-9cb0-130c75a2f7a7