UK presses on with Brexit rules rewrite; EU calls it illegal

By JILL LAWLESS and SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signalled that a plan to rip up parts of the post-Brexit trade deal he signed with the European Union could become law by the end of the year. Lawmakers began debating legislation that rewrites trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday, the first step on what could be a rocky journey through Parliament. If approved, the legislation would remove checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. Britain says the rules are burdening businesses and undermining peace in Northern Ireland. The EU says it’s illegal for the U.K. to unilaterally scrap the agreement, which Johnson signed before Britain left the EU in 2020. The bloc has threatened to retaliate, raising the specter of a trade war.