UK Conservatives Back PM’s Plan to Override Parts of Brexit Treaty

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaks to MPs in the House of Commons, London, on June 27, 2022. PA Media/House of Commons

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bid to tear up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament, with no Conservative MPs voting against it despite concerns the plans may break international law.

MPs voted 295 to 221 to back the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which contains measures to remove checks on goods and animal and plant products travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, though dozens of Conservative MPs abstained, including former Prime Minister Theresa May.