Ms Badenoch vowed to raise the issue at the “highest level”; Photo: TOLGA AKMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Kemi Badenoch will challenge Rishi Sunak over his plan to sacrifice some post-Brexit freedoms to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland.
The Business Secretary has vowed to do so. raise the issue at the «highest level» after being questioned about the Prime Minister's attempt to persuade the DUP to end its boycott of Stormont after almost two years.
The government has promised that all new laws will be checked to ensure they do not create additional trade barriers at the Irish Sea border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which was created as part of post-Brexit trade.
Tory MPs, including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Jacob Rees-Mogg, warned the move would lock the UK into European standards after the plan was revealed in the Telegraph on Wednesday.< /p>
>Ms Badenoch, an outspoken Brexit supporter, did not deny the message when confronted by former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers in the House of Commons.
Ms Villiers, a former Cabinet Office minister, asked: “Will she be able to refute a report in The Telegraph today that the Government has promised to introduce a requirement that all future changes to regulatory legislation be reviewed to ensure they are not create further trade barriers in the Irish Sea?
“Because it could be a serious obstacle to a departure from EU laws.”
“We retain the ability to deviate”
Ms Badenoch said: “I, of course, cannot comment on the political process in Northern Ireland, which is ongoing and in which I am not involved.
“However, I will say that we retain the ability to diverge. It is clear. And I agree with her that if we really want to reap the benefits of Brexit, we need to find that comparative advantage in our rules with the EU, otherwise there won't be any point.»
She added: «I I understand her concerns, I will speak to colleagues across departments and ensure that their conversation is raised at the highest level.»
Although the UK will legally be able to step away from the policy, there are concerns that the review process will have a deterrent effect on attempts to do so.
Ms Badenoch has previously blamed Whitehall intransigence for its failure to ditch so many EU reds. post-Brexit record, as she would have liked as business minister.
The Telegraph can exclusively reveal further details of Mr Sunak's proposal to DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson that unionists would be able to carry out an investigation at the border with Brexit majority at Stormont.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is due to vote on maintaining the Irish Sea border by the end of this year in a 'consent' vote, which is expected to pass with majority support.
However, if there is a majority in the Unionist Assembly, the Windsor Framework will be opposed program, an independent report will be commissioned.
The proposal places new obligations on this promise to unions that was made under the Windsor Agenda shortly after it was agreed in February.
The report should be operational within a month and completed within six years. . It must focus on the UK internal market and the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.
The Government will have to respond and has vowed to discuss the report's findings with the EU. It also repeated earlier commitments to push for further reductions in border controls on British goods from the bloc.
A government spokesman said: “We don't comment on speculation.”
It's happening. after The Telegraph reported Mr Sunak was prepared to rename the border Greenway the UK Internal Market Lane as part of a patriotic rebranding of the controversial agreements.
The proposal also includes legislation to guarantee Northern Ireland. place in the UK, a new East-West Council for Intra-British Trade Links and £3.3bn in funding for Stormont.
The DUP confirmed on Thursday that Sir Geoffrey had been threatened over his attempts to strike a deal with the Government was reported to the police.
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