Video
Crime minister will vote for Brexit legislation even if it breaks law
Kit Malthouse appears on BBC Breakfast. Photograph: BBC. - Credit: Archant
The government's crime minister has said he will vote for Boris Johnson's new Brexit legislation - even if it breaks the law.
Speaking ahead of the Commons debating the Internal Market Bill, Tory minister Kit Malthouse said he will vote for the proposals even if they breach international law.
Malthouse told BBC Breakfast: 'I'll be voting for the bill because I don't believe that if that circumstance should arise, where food is prevented from moving from GB to Northern Ireland, that the prime minister has any choice but to take powers to allow Tesco to stock the shelves in Belfast.'
You may also want to watch:
Asked if he would do so even if it broke international law, he replied: 'I will be voting for the bill this afternoon, yes.'
Most Read
- 1 Betty Boothroyd delivers scathing assessment of Boris Johnson's government
- 2 House of Lords defies No 10 and votes to heavily defeat Boris Johnson's Brexit bill
- 3 German MEP tells Boris Johnson he 'owes' Britons a Brexit deal as she urged a return to EU trade talks
- 4 Boris Johnson 'plans to resign' in six months because he can't live on £150k salary
- 5 Leaked memo exposes government fears over rise in support for Scottish independence
- 6 UK Business leaders describe Brexit call with Boris Johnson and Michael Gove as 'pointless'
- 7 ERG MP says Boris Johnson should consider cutting ties with Church of England following Brexit row
- 8 Tory minister branded 'disgraceful' after dismissing child hunger in Britain as something that has 'been going on for years'
- 9 Diane Abbott accuses Keir Starmer of having 'other motives' while shadow Brexit secretary
- 10 Fool's gold? Nigel Farage wants you to invest your trust in his financial advice service
He continued: 'International treaties are as much about the spirit and the intent as they are about the letter of the law.
'No-one contemplated that this situation would occur and I've yet to hear a compelling solution … to that practical issue that we're faced with that hopefully will never occur, but may occur in the future, and why we shouldn't have an insurance policy for that.'
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford slammed the minister for his response.
He tweeted: 'Gobsmacking and delusional. It is a matter of law, no ifs or buts. What a shower of charlatans this Government is. They have utterly trashed their reputation internationally. They cannot be trusted and as such are not fit to lead.'
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.