Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #IMBill
Most recents (4)
#RuleofLaw This important meeting has just begun. I understand there is a very high level of registrations. The speakers - former President of UK Supreme Court Lord Neuberger, Dominic Grieve QC, Joanna Cherry QC, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC - are now joined by Lord Howard. #IMBill
This meeting is not about political views, which are irrelevant . Defending the rule of law is “activist” for the benefit of every person in the country, whatever their political views.
The issues today surmount politics: @JMPSimor
The issues today surmount politics: @JMPSimor
Thanks to @michaelgove for drawing attention to the disruptive possibilities of no deal.. today @UKandEU have a report on just that ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/upl…
Big message is that-as Gove points out - there is much less difference between deal/no deal than last year - or than there would have (probably) been with a deal May negotiated "Canada and Australia are similar but not identical"
But the problem with an acrimonious no deal (and could it really be anything else since govt upped the ante with #IMbill) is that it reduces likelihood of EU making life easier for UK through unilateral measures
Government changes to #IMBill were published overnight publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill…. This is their version of @neill_bob’s amendment. /1 
It may have solved their political problems, at least in the Commons, but does not solve their legal ones. /2
The threat unilaterally to rip up important parts of the Withdrawal Agreement continues at least arguably to infringe the duty in article 5 WA to “refrain from any measures which could jeopardise the attainment of the objectives of this agreement”. /3
The fullest defence yet of #InternalMarketBill (contingent powers only; Brandon Lewis wrong) was given by Lord Keen at the start of today's @LordsEUCom Justice meeting. Video here, parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/e2… transcript in a few days. A court commitment stopped me attending, sadly.
He took the same line as at today's PNQ hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2020-09-…, but had more time to set it out. In short #IMBill gives UK powers that may be needed to respond to a fundamental breach by EU of the WA or to exercise our rights under Art 16 of the NI Protocol or Art 62 VCLT.
Those conditions are not specified in the Bill (which is far broader than Keen's explanation could justify), and there was no evidence that HMG's fears are realistic or that this is a wise negotiating strategy. But intellectually, an improvement on previous defences (a low bar).
