Brexit: Amal Clooney resigns from her role as government envoy over a lawbreaking scheme

Amal Clooney resigned from her role as the UK’s press freedom envoy, “out of discontent” at the government’s willingness to breach international law on Brexit.

The human rights lawyer said it was “unfortunate” that Boris Johnson is considering going beyond the Brexit agreement he signed last year.

She has been unable to ask others to respect legal obligations when “the United Kingdom declares that it has no intention of doing so on its own”.

The Prime Minister says he does not want to use the powers stipulated in the Internal Markets Law.

But he says the legislation is necessary to give the government the power to protect the UK, and especially Northern Ireland, if trade talks fail and the European Union behaves “unreasonably”.

In her resignation letter, Mrs. Clooney, who is married to Hollywood actor George Clooney, said that she accepted the job last year due to the UK’s historic role in supporting the international legal system.

But she said that the government’s attempts to pass the internal market bill, which passed its first hurdle in the House of Commons last week, made its position “unacceptable”.

No assurances

She said she decided to resign after speaking to Foreign Minister Dominic Raab and she had not had “guarantees that any change in the situation was imminent.”

She added, “It is regrettable that the United Kingdom has spoken of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the prime minister less than a year ago.

“It has become unacceptable for me, as a special envoy, to urge other countries to respect and implement international obligations while the UK declares that it has no intention of doing so on its own.”

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Mrs. Clooney was appointed by Jeremy Hunt, Mr. Rapp’s predecessor, during the final months of Theresa May’s government and continued in office after Boris Johnson took power in 10th place.

She was the vice chair of a high-level committee of legal experts working with the British and Canadian governments in their campaign to advance media freedom around the world.

‘conflict’

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, who used to train in the same lawyers’ rooms as Mrs. Clooney, said she made the right decision.

“I know Amal and she is a first-class attorney. I am not surprised that she resigned because, like others, she concluded that there is a conflict between the violation of international law – which the government seems bent on – and our reputation as a country in the world that adheres to the rule of law.”

Her resignation adds to a growing list of prominent legal figures who have resigned their roles in concern about the government position.

Lord Kane has resigned as Attorney General for Scotland On Wednesday, he said he found “increasingly difficult” to reconcile his obligations as a lawyer with the provisions of the legislation.

Senior legal advisor to the government – Sir Jonathan Jones, Permanent Secretary, Government Legal Department – He has already resigned, as has the UK’s envoy to protect religious freedoms, Conservative MP Rahman Chishti.

The European Union has demanded the government remove sections of the bill that would give the UK the power to override agreements on the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Britain and subsidies to NI companies.

Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis acknowledged that these powers, if used at all, would breach the UK’s obligations under international law in a “specific and limited way”.

The prime minister sought to quell a potential revolt by Conservative lawmakers next week by promising critics that the House of Commons would get a definite vote on the powers before the government could use them.

But former Conservative leader Lord Howard said the prime minister needed to move forward, saying it was a matter of principle and questioning whether Lords would support the bill as it is.