THE BRITISH government’s controversial UK Internal Market Bill could face a legal challenge from campaigners opposed to the creation of a hard border in Ireland.
It comes amid concerns the bill could impact some of the legally binding special arrangements in place for Northern Ireland.
Specifically, it is likely to undermine parts of the withdrawal agreement by giving greater priority to seamless trade between England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Some of the clauses may also override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed last year, in a move that could pave the way for a return to a hard border.
The Border Communities Against Brexit group (BCAB), a group campaigning against the creation of a hard border, is considering a potential legal challenge to the bill.
Speaking to RTE News, one of the group’s leading members Damian McGenity said the group is exploring several options and plans to step up its opposition next week.
"We thought some of the most sensitive questions had been settled in the Withdrawal Agreement made by the British government with the EU,” McGenity said.
“But now Boris Johnson seems prepared to go back on his word."
He called on people across Europe, US and Ireland to join together to form a “green wall of opposition” to prevent the British government from breaking an international agreement.
In the meantime, the BCAB group will be erecting a series of billboards across several major roads in Ireland offering a blunt assessment of the British government’s proposals.
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