Lying is so easy

Today, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, was sent out on mdia duties to go on news shows and defend the UK Government's actions regarding the NIP, and to blame the EU.

The sheer state of it, the lack of awareness is staggering.

“The Northern Ireland protocol isn’t written in stone, it’s not something that was going to last for evermore, everybody realised at the time… it’s been six months.”

Only Brexiteers and the PM and NI Secretary were in denial about what the NIP contained and made explicit.

Denying it then, and denying it now does't make the NIP requirements under international law carry less legal force.

Once again, for those asleep at the back and those in Government: the NIP is part of the WA and is an international treaty, it clearly leaves little room for interpretation. As the UK have clearly, signed the WA, NIP and TCA in bad faith, there is little trust. The NIp describes, in great detail, how the EU trusted the UK to look after its regulatory border.

And the UK has failed.

The Government probably always intended to do this.

What happens now?

Depands on the response from the EU and US. I think Biden and Congress will take a dim view of this, as will our other trading partners who will now see bad faith in a lot of what the UK Government says and does. The damage will be huge and long lasting.

What constitues a material breach, however, is another matter. In extreme cases the whole of the WA and TCA could be suspended, and there be full checks on all goods in and out of the EU from the UK, but all other arrangements would fall too, including data, travel, aviation and so on. These are big stakes, and the truth is that Johnson either doesn't understand or doesn't care.

There is no policy from the UK Government, just announcements, no actual action, culture wars and clashing with the EU. And anti-immigration.

Taking back control IS taking responsibility for your choices.