In a later debate, two former prime ministers, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss, will vote against the new Brexit agreement for Northern Ireland proposed by Rishi Sunak.
Mr. Johnson stated that the agreement would either bind Northern Ireland to the EU or prevent the United Kingdom from capitalizing on Brexit.
Ms. Truss believes that a settlement negotiated by Mr. Johnson with the EU in 2019 would not resolve the issues at hand.
Other Brexit supporters Also anticipated to oppose the deal are Conservatives.
The decision of two former prime ministers to oppose the agreement may encourage Brexit-supporting Conservative members of parliament to vote against the government on Wednesday.
A significant portion of Euroskeptic Tories remain undecided as to how they will vote, so the scope of the rebellion remains unclear.
With Labour’s support for the agreement, Mr. Sunak’s government is still anticipated to win the election.
The vote concerns a crucial component of the agreement, known as the Stormont brake, which aims to grant a future Northern Ireland Assembly a greater say in how EU laws apply to Northern Ireland.
Under the emergency mechanism, assembly members could raise formal objections to new EU goods legislation, which could result in the law’s suspension and arbitration with the EU.
The vote on Wednesday will likely be the only vote MPs have on Mr. Sunak’s overall Windsor Framework, which he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to last month.
By the Northern Ireland Protocol, commodities traveling from the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Wales) to Northern Ireland are subject to inspection and document checks at Northern Ireland’s ports rather than at the Irish border.
Even if the products are destined to remain in Northern Ireland, the checks still apply.
Mr. Sunak’s new agreement aims to drastically reduce the number of inspections.
The prime minister stated that the Windsor Framework is evidence that the United Kingdom has “regained control,” and his spokesperson added that it is “the best deal for Northern Ireland’s people and businesses.”
Mr. Johnson stated in a statement that he found the proposed arrangements of the agreement “unacceptable” as the best way for the UK to regain control and that he believed it would be best for the government to move forward with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
This measure would grant UK ministers the authority under domestic law to make radical unilateral changes to the protocol; however, the government asserts that the new agreement eliminates any legal justification for doing so.
In 2019, Mr. Johnson approved the original protocol with the EU, describing it as “a great deal for our nation.”
“The proposed arrangements would either mean that Northern Ireland remained captured by the EU legal order – and became increasingly divergent from the rest of the United Kingdom – or that the entire United Kingdom would be unable to properly diverge and capitalize on Brexit,” he said.
“That is inadmissible. I will vote against today’s proposed arrangements.”
Ms. Truss reportedly believes the new framework “fatally restricts” the United Kingdom’s ability to deviate from EU regulations.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) announced earlier this week that it will vote against the Brexit proposals in Parliament this week.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Scottish National Party, stated that he will continue to collaborate with the government on “outstanding issues” even though Downing Street has stated that there are no intentions to substantially alter the agreement.
Legal specialists advised the European Research Group (ERG) of Euroskeptic Conservative MPs that the Stormont brake was “practically useless.”
David Jones, the vice chairman of the group, stated that he would vote against the agreement.
He responded, “We are not Stalinists,” when asked if the ERG would adopt a unified position on the deal during Wednesday’s vote.
The vote will occur on Wednesday during Mr. Johnson’s testimony before the Privileges Committee, where he will be questioned by MPs about Partygate – a day after he acknowledged accidentally misleading Parliament.
