Amal Clooney resigns from UK government envoy role over latest Brexit contentions

Amal Clooney resigned from her position as the United Kingdom’s special envoy on media freedom over the Johnson government’s “lamentable” Brexit plan on Friday, September 18.  

In a letter to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Clooney detailed her decision to step down from the role following the UK government’s suggestion that it could break international law if it fails to strike a trade deal with the European Union. She added that she was “dismayed” to learn that the government is working on passing the internal market bill, which would ‘break international law’. 

Violation of International Law

In her letter, Amal Clooney wrote, “Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be ‘specific and limited’, it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago”.

The new Brexit bill has complicated the process with the EU claiming a breach of trust on the part of the UK. The new bill suggests no new checks on goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and also gives UK ministers the power to modify rules relating to the movement of goods that will come into force from January. 

Read: UK PM Boris Johnson Hits Out At EU, Defends Bill For Brexit Treaty Breach

Amal Clooney is not the first lawyer to resign over the planned legislation. As per reports, the UK government’s law officer for Scotland Richard Keen and head of its legal department Jonathan Jones have also quit recently.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reported to have told the parliament that the move was necessary since the EU is yet to take the “revolver off the table”. While Johnson has been facing criticism from former Prime Ministers over his Brexit handling, he has maintained that the move was to counter the “absurd” threats from the 27-member bloc. 

Read: UK PM Boris Johnson's Plan To Break Brexit Agreement Faces Vote In Parliament

Former UK leaders slam Johnson

Former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major blasted the British government over its intention to break the divorce deal with the European Union through a new Internal Market Bill. In a joint letter published by the Sunday Times, the two leaders urged the members of Parliament to boycott the bill and slammed the Johnson government of “embarrassing” the country.

As per reports, Blair and Major said that the overt repudiation of the treaty strikes at the very heart of the Brexit agreement. The duo added that there are ready mechanisms like negotiations and independent arbitration within the agreement to resolve the issues by the government chose to ignore those options.

(With AP Inputs)

Read: UK Ex-PMs Blair, Major Call For Boycott Of Boris Johnson’s Brexit Bill Plan

Also Read: Germany Says UK, Not EU, To Face 'significant' Consequences Of No-deal Brexit