Liz Truss is planning new legislation that will rip up key parts of theNorthern Ireland protocol .- The draft, which could be unveiled next week, will end the need for checks on goods from Britain.
The UK's foreign secretary is reportedly planning a new law that will unilaterally rip up parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, in a bid to end the need for checks on goods arriving there from Britain.
A bill is not expected to be announced at the Queen's Speech Tuesday, though one well-placed source told Insider he had been told to "expect something to follow soon after that."
Although it is thought that such legislation would come under the remit of Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, The Times reported Tuesday morning that Foreign Office boss Liz Truss had asked officials to prepare a draft that would supersede the Withdrawal Agreement.
As well as scrapping checks, the draft legislation would also take away powers of the European court of justice and remove all requirement for Northern Irish businesses to follow EU regulations.
Truss has been warned that her plan, which could be announced next Tuesday, will result in the EU suspending all co-operation with the UK, except on Ukraine, and instigating legal action against the government, The Times reported.
She has also been told that the bill, if passed by MPs, could lead to a trade war with the EU imposing tariffs on UK exports and potentially even terminating the agreed free trade deal.
It comes after Irish republican party Sinn Fein won the most seats at Stormont, the Northern Irish parliament, for the first time, as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – which has been agitating to rip up the protocol – dropped back into second place.
A senior Number 10 source told Insider the outcome of the election was "not a reason" to hold back on changes to the protocol. "This is about the UK," he added. "It's not dependent on an election."
The prospect of yet another piece of legislation that could breach international law has fueled concerns among Conservative backbenchers that the government will treat it as a confidence matter, meaning that rebels could be suspended from the party.