Michael Gove has said parts of a bill which override provisions in the Brexit deal agreed with the EU would remain, despite EU requests to remove them.
The Cabinet Office minister said he is “committed” to reaching a deal on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
He met the European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic to discuss the UK’s future relationship with the EU on Monday.
Mr Sefcovic said the UK’s negotiating position is still “far apart from what the EU can accept”.
Formal trade talks resume on Tuesday.
Mr Gove said the talks on implementing the withdrawal agreement are at a “healthy stage”.
But both sides say there is still disagreement over the UK’s plan to override parts of the withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland in a bill currently going through the House of Commons.
Speaking after his meeting with Mr Gove, Vice President Mr Sefcovic said there was a “window of opportunity” to come to an agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol, but added that was “rapidly closing”.
The disagreement centres on the UK government’s Internal Market Bill, which would override agreements made on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The agreement aimed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, which is still part of the EU.
Mr Sefcovic repeated the EU’s request for the UK to remove the “contentious parts” of the bill by the end of September.
He said the EU would “not be shy” in using “legal remedies” written into the withdrawal agreement to address any “violations”.
But Mr Gove said the provisions on Northern Ireland would remain in the Internal Market Bill.
“There are those in European Union who have been concerned about clauses in Internal Market Bill but I was able to stress today these clauses are a safety net,” he said.
He added: “We want to reach agreement in the joint committee, we want to make sure position of Northern Ireland is secure in UK, we want to make sure the withdrawal agreement is implemented in full. But those clauses are there, they are in legislation, supported by the House of Commons…and those clauses will remain in that bill.”
The UK government has previously said it would “discharge its treaty obligations in good faith”, but added that “it is important to remember the fundamental principle of parliamentary sovereignty”.
The bill is set to be debated by MPs on Tuesday.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
