Kara Sears
There has been much speculation about whether Boris Johnson would break the law to prevent an extension to the Brexit process. Johnson has privately assured nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law, but the suggestion that a Johnson government might simply ignore the law has been briefed to several newspapers and hinted at by some ministers. Johnson has also said that he will break the law that will require him to seek an extension of Article 50.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Has Boris Johnson broken the law? | It is unclear whether he has broken the law, but he has admitted that his government's plans to make changes to the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland would be in breach of international law. |
| Has he said he will break the law? | Yes, he has said he will break the law rather than extend Article 50. |
| What has been the response? | Members of his own party have spoken out against the government's plan, warning that it will damage the UK's global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. |
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What You'll Learn
- Will Boris Johnson break the law to prevent an extension to the Brexit process
- Could Boris Johnson be jailed for breaking the law?
- Boris Johnson tells Conservative members he will break the law rather than extend Article 50
- Boris Johnson's threat to break international law sparks outrage
- Boris Johnson's government admits its Brexit plans will break international law
Will Boris Johnson break the law to prevent an extension to the Brexit process?
Johnson has privately assured several nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law. However, if he is willing to break the law, then lying to a couple of ministers is frankly small beer. Johnson has few remaining options after leaders of the opposition refused to agree to a snap general election until a Brexit delay has been obtained. The “rebel alliance”, including Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson, have pledged to block a no-deal Brexit, and will not support the government in a second vote on Monday designed to trigger an early election.
Johnson has said: “They just passed a law that would force me to beg Brussels for an extension to the Brexit deadline. But, as this was a case of constitutional law, not criminal law, this means there can be no fine and no custodial sentence. The Prime Minister has said while he “strongly disagrees” with the decision, he will abide by the ruling.
Boris Johnson’s threat to break international law over Brexit was slammed by members of his own party, who warned it will damage the U.K.’s global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. A series of long-standing Conservative lawmakers spoke out against the government’s plan to re-write parts of the Brexit divorce deal it agreed with the European Union only last year. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said it would be a breach in a “limited and specific way”.
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Could Boris Johnson be jailed for breaking the law?
There has been much speculation about whether Boris Johnson would break the law to prevent an extension to the Brexit process. Johnson has privately assured several nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law. However, Johnson has also said that he would break the law that would require him to seek an extension of Article 50.
Johnson's threat to break international law over Brexit has been slammed by members of his own party, who warned it would damage the UK's global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said it would be a breach in a "limited and specific way".
However, Johnson cannot be jailed for breaking the law in this instance. As this was a case of constitutional law, not criminal law, there can be no fine or custodial sentence.
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Boris Johnson tells Conservative members he will break the law rather than extend Article 50
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Conservative members that he will break the law rather than extend Article 50. Johnson wrote to Tory members pledging to break the law that would require him to seek an extension of Article 50. This comes after opposition leaders refused to agree to a snap general election until a Brexit delay had been obtained. The "rebel alliance", including Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson, have pledged to block a no-deal Brexit and will not support the government in a second vote on Monday designed to trigger an early election. Johnson said: "They just passed a law that would force me to beg Brussels for an extension to the Brexit deadline."
Johnson's threat to break international law over Brexit has been slammed by members of his own party, who have warned it will damage the UK's global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. A series of long-standing Conservative lawmakers have spoken out against the government's plan to re-write parts of the Brexit divorce deal it agreed with the European Union only last year. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said it would be a breach in a "limited and specific way".
The suggestion that a Johnson government might simply ignore the law has been briefed to several newspapers and hinted at by some ministers. However, Johnson has privately assured several nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law. On the other hand, if one is willing to break the law, then lying to a couple of ministers is frankly small beer.
As this was a case of constitutional law, not criminal law, there can be no fine or custodial sentence. The Prime Minister has said that while he "strongly disagrees" with the decision, he will abide by the ruling.
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Boris Johnson's threat to break international law sparks outrage
Boris Johnson's threat to break international law over Brexit has sparked outrage, with members of his own party warning that it will damage the UK's global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. In an extraordinary exchange in the House of Commons, the UK's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, admitted that the government's plan to make changes to the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland "does break international law in a very specific and limited way".
This admission sent shockwaves throughout Westminster and Brussels, as it revealed that the UK government was seeking to overwrite the protocol for Northern Ireland agreed with the European Union. The plan would give UK ministers the power to unilaterally determine several issues relating to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, which are currently being negotiated by UK and EU officials.
The threat to break international law comes as Johnson faces increasing pressure over Brexit. The House of Commons is set to enshrine a mandate for an extension into law and reject Johnson's request for an election. Leaders of the opposition have refused to agree to a snap general election until a Brexit delay has been obtained, leaving Johnson with few options.
Despite the potential consequences, Johnson has privately assured nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law. However, the suggestion that a Johnson government might simply ignore the law has been briefed to several newspapers and hinted at by some ministers. This has raised concerns about the potential for the government to act unlawfully and the damage this could do to the UK's reputation and relationships with other countries.
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Boris Johnson's government admits its Brexit plans will break international law
In 2020, Boris Johnson's government admitted that its Brexit plans would break international law. The UK's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said the plan "does break international law in a very specific and limited way".
This admission came after a Financial Times report claimed that the UK government was seeking to overwrite the protocol for Northern Ireland agreed with the European Union. The report sent shockwaves throughout Westminster and Brussels.
Johnson's government was planning to table legislation that, if implemented, would give UK ministers the power to unilaterally determine several issues relating to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, which were currently being negotiated by UK and EU officials.
This move was slammed by members of Johnson's own party, who warned it would damage the UK's global standing and invite mistrust in other countries. A series of long-standing Conservative lawmakers spoke out against the government's plan to rewrite parts of the Brexit divorce deal it had agreed with the European Union only a year earlier.
Despite the controversy, Johnson had previously indicated that he was willing to break the law to prevent an extension to the Brexit process. In 2020, he wrote to Tory members pledging to break the law that would require him to seek an extension of Article 50. However, Johnson has also privately assured nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law.
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Frequently asked questions
There have been suggestions that Johnson might ignore the law, but he has privately assured nervous cabinet ministers that his government will obey the law.
No, because this was a case of constitutional law, not criminal law, so there can be no fine or custodial sentence.
Yes, Johnson's government admitted that its plan to make changes to the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland would be in breach of international law.
