Can Tory Rebels Really Stop Boris Johnson From Breaking International Law?
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Rebel yell?
Sir Robert James MacGillivray Neill is an unlikely assassin. The mild-mannered, softly spoken backbench Tory MP is noted for his geniality across the Commons. But when he got up in the Commons on Tuesday, he ambushed cabinet minister Brandon Lewis with a political stiletto knife.
In the debate on the government’s new Brexit fallback legislation, it was Bob Neill who asked the killer question: “Will he assure us that nothing proposed in this legislation does or potentially might breach international obligations or international legal arrangements?” Lewis replied: “Yes”, before adding the immortal line: “This does break international law in a very specific and limited way.”
Fast forward to tonight and it’s Neill who is again proving a thorn in the government’s side. Alongside fellow Tory grandees Damian Green and Oliver Heald, he’s tabling an amendment to the Internal Markets Bill which looks for all the world like a wrecking ball. It would give parliament, rather than ministers, the power to trigger any tearing up of the UK-EU Withdrawal Bill.
Now, when I say it looks like a wrecking amendment, looks can be deceptive. It’s perfectly possible that this could be a clever way for the government to avoid the row about the UK’s reputation and integrity on the rule of law, giving ministers a ladder to climb down. No.10 may even like the idea of MPs “taking back control”, but only on the assumption that few would dare actually press the nuclear button and defy their government. Neill has form in drafting whip-friendly amendments on Brexit (though his last one didn’t really help Theresa May).
If the PM wants to play hardball however, he may whip against it. In which case Neill is going to need a hefty army of at least 40 colleagues behind him. Michael Howard’s withering attack on Johnson’s plans today (echoed...
