Tory grandee calls on justice secretary to quit amid division over Brexit bill
Sir Roger Gale has called for justice secretary Robert Buckland to resign over the internal market bill, escalating Tory division over whether the government is breaking international law.
The Tory grandee said he “would expect the justice secretary under these terms to fall on his sword”.
It comes as the Brexit bill is due to enter its second reading in the Commons on Monday.
Speaking to Sky News, Gale indicated he was prepared to defy the government on next week’s vote and lose the whip.
He said: “I shall do what I have to do on the basis of principle – that this UK keeps its word internationally.”
The Tory MP said the resignation of Jonathan Jones, one of the government’s senior legal advisers, showed that “the terms of the bill are unacceptable internationally”.
“We are going to embark shortly upon a series of trade negotiations with all sorts of countries around the world. We have to do that post-Brexit.”
“How are we going to be regarded as a nation if it is believed that whatever we sign isn’t worth the paper it’s written on? That is the position that this Prime Minister is putting us in and I will have no part in it.”
The government faces pressure on all sides to abide by the withdrawal agreement.
Former Tory leader Lord Howard claims the government has shown “scant regard” for the UK’s treaty obligations, while Labour peer Lord Falconer said the bill “will be thrown in the UK’s face for years”.
And earlier this week, Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis admitted that amendments to the internal market bill will break international law in a “very specific and limited way”.
Former prime minister Theresa May on Tuesday responded by quizzing the government on its potentially damaged reputation with future international partners.