Brexit: Amal Clooney relinquishes role of government envoy on law-breaking plans

Amal Clooney has relinquished his role as the UK’s ambassador to the press on the government’s readiness to break international law on Brexit.

Human rights prosecutors said it was “saddening” that Boris Johnson thought of overriding the Brexit agreement he signed last year.

When the UK “declares that it does not intend to do so on its own” it could not say respect for legal obligations.

The Prime Minister says he does not want to use the power in the internal market bill.

But he says legislation is needed to empower governments to protect the UK, and especially Northern Ireland, if legal negotiations fail and the European Union acts “unreasonably”.

In her resignation letter, Mrs Clooney, who is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney, said she accepted the job last year because of the UK’s historic role in maintaining international legal order.

But he said his position was “destabilized” by the government’s efforts to pass an internal market bill that passed the first hurdle in the Commons last week.

‘No sure’

He said he decided to step down after talking to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and “making sure there is no change in the situation.”

He added: “It is sad for the UK to talk about its intentions to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago.

“As a special envoy, it has become impossible for me to urge other states to respect and implement their international obligations, while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so.”

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Mrs. Clooney was appointed by Jeremy Hunt, a role played by Mr. Rabb’s predecessor, Theresa May, during the final months of the government and after taking Boris Jones to No. 10.

She was chair of a high-level panel of legal experts working with the UK and Canadian governments on her campaign to promote media freedom around the world.

‘Contradiction’

Labor leader Sir Keer Starr, who practiced in the same barristers’ chamber as Mrs Clooney, said he was making the right decision.

“I know Amal and he is a first class lawyer. I am not surprised that he has left because, like everyone else, he has concluded that there is a conflict between the violation of international law – which the government seems intent on – and our reputation. “As a country in the world that abides by the rule of law,” he said.

His resignation adds to the growing list of senior legal entities who have left their role in disgust at the state of the government.

Lord Kane resigned as Advocate General of Scotland On Wednesday, he said he found his responsibilities as a lawyer “increasingly difficult to reconcile” with the provisions of the law.

Government’s Senior Legal Adviser – Sir Jonathan Jones, Permanent Secretary of the Legal Department of the Government – Rehman Chishti, the Tory MP, has resigned as UK ambassador to defend religious freedom.

The EU has called on the government to remove parts of the bill that would give the UK the power to override freight agreements between Northern Ireland and the UK and subsidies to NI companies.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has acknowledged that using them would break the UK’s treaty obligations in a “specific and limited” way under international law.

The prime minister has called for a halt to the uprising next week by Rina MPs, with critics promising that the Consuls will get a definite vote on power before the government can use it.

But former Conservative leader Lord Howard has said the prime minister needs to go further, saying it is a matter of principle and he doubts whether Lords will raise the bill as it is.