On 9 November, the House of Lords voted to reject clauses in the Internal Market Bill addressing the Northern Ireland Protocol which would effectively allow the government to give ministers power to determine customs regulations on a unilateral basis and to determine when UK state aid rules might apply. The government believes these clauses are necessary for a functioning internal market in relation to Northern Ireland and has said it will re-table the clauses when the Bill returns to the Commons. It has been suggested that the fact the Bill is only due to return to the Commons in December may mean that the government is first focusing on a potential deal with the EU.
On 9 November, the House of Lords voted to reject clauses in the Internal Market Bill addressing the Northern Ireland Protocol which would effectively allow the government to give ministers power to determine customs regulations on a unilateral basis and to determine when UK state aid rules might apply. The government believes these clauses are necessary for a functioning internal market in relation to Northern Ireland and has said it will re-table the clauses when the Bill returns to the Commons. It has been suggested that the fact the Bill is only due to return to the Commons in December may mean that the government is first focusing on a potential deal with the EU.
