Hein, who is part of a Lords subcommittee on the protocol, said Brussels seemed willing to compromise, but Johnson was more willing to take part in a “parallel universe responsibility game”. The Labor Party spokesman said the Northern Ireland Protocol bill, which would bypass parts of the withdrawal treaty, was “almost the opposite” of what Johnson and his allies were claiming, leading him to make comparisons with him. leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin. In an article for the Guardian, Hein said: “There is something Putinic about the Government’s framework for the Northern Ireland Protocol bill. “Put aside that it’s tarnishing Britain’s reputation. That was conceived in London as a solution to the riddle of Ulster Brexit. That he denies the exit agreement negotiated with the European Union by Johnson and his lieutenant David Frost. It does not matter that it violates an international treaty signed by the United Kingdom. Forget the very old-fashioned notions of truth, perseverance, trust and obedience to international law. “Instead, focus on his real purpose: to whistle dogs at Johnson’s base, sparking a huge controversy over the old evil in Brussels, because it worked so well in the 2016 Brexit referendum. And keep it up – if possible – until the next general election “. It comes as Michelle Martin, the Irish leader, said he believed the protocol issues could be resolved through ongoing negotiations, but Johnson’s bill to bypass it unilaterally was “economic vandalism”. Speaking to the BBC on Sunday morning, the head of government said the legislation was unacceptable and represented “unilateralism of the worst kind”. “We fully accept that there are legitimate issues regarding the operation of the protocol and we believe that with serious, ongoing negotiations between the EU and the UK government, these issues could be resolved,” he said. Both the UK and the EU have accused each other of not being willing to unlock the stalled negotiations. But Hein said it was not the EU that had “blocked the negotiations to get rid of the rough edges of the protocol”, saying it was Johnson’s failure, along with Frost and now Liz Tras, to negotiate seriously. “The EU is far from being innocent in all this chaos, but it is very ready to make changes. It offers to do so, including the willingness to explore the “red and green channels” respectively for goods heading to the EU across the Irish border and those limited to Northern Ireland only. “There is an agreement that needs to be made,” he said. “The question is: does Johnson really want to? “Or does he just not pay attention when you tell him something to do, but he will not solve the problem, because that would mean irreversible compromises like the one made by Frost himself when he first signed the protocol?” He said that according to the legal advice given to the House of Lords, amendments to the protocol are possible under the withdrawal treaty and may be possible if confidence in the EU is rebuilt. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Responding to a comparison between Johnson and Hein’s Putin, a government spokesman said: “We reject these allegations. We have been consistently clear about the purpose of this legislation – to propose reasonable, practical measures that address the parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol that cause real problems and protect the balance of the Belfast Agreement (Good Friday) in all its dimensions. “EU proposals do not address these issues and in some cases are worse than what we have today. This bill provides an insurance mechanism to deal with the emergency in Northern Ireland if the EU is unwilling or unable to do so. “Our door remains open to a solution through negotiations with the EU if they are willing to change their mandate.”
