“And that will be shown over time, but more concerningly this is a new low in British-Irish relations, certainly in the last 25 years.” The European Union could slap record fines of more than €1 million (£870,000) per day on the UK over its plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol. With tensions mounting over the Government’s move to scrap checks on goods between Great Britain and the province, the European Commission will launch three legal proceedings against the UK on Wednesday. Ahead of the provocative announcement, the Commission’s lawyers have been war-gaming reprisals, for what the bloc has deemed a breach of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. In previous advice drawn up for the possibility of a violation, the EU’s legal service raised the possibility of imposing massive fines on Britain until it comes back into line with its commitments under the deal. The memo stated that the European Court of Justice has “full powers” to slap Britain with a “lump sum or penalty payment” for failing to comply with a ruling of the bloc’s top court.
‘Damaging our international reputation’
Meanwhile Tory MPs opposed to the new law voiced fresh criticism on Tuesday. Simon Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland select committee, told The Telegraph: “There’s the potential here for disquiet to be expressed from both wings of the party. “There should be a unifying question of ‘is this what the Tory party does?’ This is diminishing and damaging our international reputation. “Britain has always been seen as a country that if it gives its word, it sticks by it and this is now being deliberately undermined. “What would we be saying as a party if Labour were doing this? We would be making hay.” But One Tory MP who is a member of the liberal One Nation group said – about potential rebels – there was a “wariness of being on the ‘wrong’ end of a Brexit row and how that would be perceived by constituents”. They added “there is an issue to fix with Protocol definitely” and backbenchers are aware that “the EU is not going to be soft on this so any row in the party will strengthen their hand”.
