The United Kingdom has missed the deadline to respond to a letter of formal notice from the European Union regarding the UK`s Internal Market Bill, which has been deemed as breaking the Brexit agreement. The European Commission had given the UK until Tuesday, 1 December to respond to the letter, but no response was received.
The Internal Market Bill, which was introduced in September, seeks to regulate trade between the four nations of the UK after Brexit. The bill contains provisions that would override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement that the UK had agreed to with the EU, specifically on issues related to Northern Ireland.
The EU has taken issue with these provisions, as they would violate the internationally-binding Brexit agreement, which the UK had signed just a few months earlier. The EU alleges that the provisions in the Internal Market Bill would undermine the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland and is seen as the cornerstone of peace on the island of Ireland.
The European Commission sent a letter of formal notice to the UK in October, stating that the bill was in breach of the withdrawal agreement and urging the UK to withdraw the offending clauses. The letter demanded a response by the end of November, yet no response was received.
This development is a cause for concern, as it could lead to further legal action by the EU against the UK, potentially resulting in fines or other penalties. The UK`s lack of response also sends a message of disrespect to the EU and could further harm relations between the two sides.
In addition, the UK`s failure to respond on time could also have an impact on ongoing negotiations for a trade deal between the UK and the EU. The two sides have been in negotiations for months, attempting to come to an agreement before the end of the transition period on December 31. If the UK continues to flout the withdrawal agreement, this could further complicate the talks.
In conclusion, the UK`s missed deadline to respond to the EU`s letter of formal notice regarding the Internal Market Bill is a worrying development. It remains to be seen what action the EU may take in response, but it is clear that this could have serious consequences for the ongoing Brexit negotiations and for UK-EU relations as a whole. As such, it is important that the UK government takes this issue seriously and works to find a resolution that is acceptable to both sides.