Liz Truss confirmed plans to table legislation that would scrap parts of the agreement, as she confirmed that the East-West relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been undermined by the Northern Ireland protocol.
The Foreign Secretary, who is responsible for the move, set out plans for the move in a statement to the House of Commons, though the bill is not expected to be published for some weeks.
She said the government's first priority was to uphold the Good Friday agreement, which she said is under strain The Northern Ireland protocol doesn't have the support necessary in one part of the community in Northern Ireland, referring to the Democratic Unionist party's opposition.
She said that these practical problems have contributed to the sense that the east-west relationship has been undermined by issues such as the need for veterinary checks and EU rules that prevented the Treasury from cutting taxes. As expected, she proposed legislation that would create a green channel for goods going to Northern Ireland from Great Britain that will not go on to the Republic of Ireland, with mandatory checks halted for these exports. Goods moving onwards to the Republic would still face checks via a red channel It would involve a trusted trader scheme using real-time commercial data Businesses would choose between UK and EU standards, in a dual regulatory regime Earlier in the day, the prime minister spokesman said that the legislation was intended to solve serious and grave problems with the protocol not scrapping it altogether and that negotiations with the EU would continue.
He said that there would be stiff penalties for businesses that don't comply with the rules.
The legislation would not breach international law, though government sources don't want to discuss the details of legal advice provided to ministers by the attorney general, Suella Braverman.