UK warned over Brexit deal commitments

Britain yesterday faced warnings it risked its international reputation if it reneged on its agreement to leave the European Union, as Brexit trade talks reached a crucial final stage.

The Financial Times reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning new legislation that would override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty that Britain and the EU agreed in October last year.

It cited three people close to the plans as saying a bill to be put before parliament this week would undermine agreements relating to Northern Ireland customs and state aid.

In response, Downing Street said only it was still "working hard to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol" but was considering "fall-back options".

Under the protocol, Northern Ireland, which will have Britain's only land border with the EU, will follow some of the bloc's rules to ensure the frontier remains open.

Eliminating border checks with the Republic of Ireland was a key part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended 30 years of violence over British rule in the province.

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, promised to quiz his UK opposite number, David Frost, about the plans but added: "Everything that has been signed must be respected."

Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said: "This would be a very unwise way to proceed."

Legal experts warned the new bill risked the collapse of the latest round of Brexit talks, which resume in London today, and undermining Britain's international standing.

David Allen Green, a specialist on trade, said that reneging on the treaty was "the least sensible thing" that Britain could do as it seeks to negotiate new international trade agreements.