Important distinction:
- The Withdrawal Agreement (and Political Declaration) are agreed with the EU. The UK cannot amend either without the EU's consent. The WA is legally binding. The PD is not.
- The Withdrawal Agreement Bill implements the WA in UK domestic law.
- The Withdrawal Agreement (and Political Declaration) are agreed with the EU. The UK cannot amend either without the EU's consent. The WA is legally binding. The PD is not.
- The Withdrawal Agreement Bill implements the WA in UK domestic law.
The WAB can be amended, which is what MPs will attempt to do if the process of passing it is restarted. However, those amendments can be stripped out by a future Government if it can muster the votes, which is why "promises" made only in the WAB but not the WA aren't worth much.
For example, if WAB is amended so UK commits not to reduce workers' rights, that's a UK commitment not an international one. If the WAB is amended at a later date, then the Government of the day can slash workers' rights. If the commitment were inserted into the WA, it couldn't.
