UK moves to rewrite Brexit rules; EU threatens legal action

By SYLVIA HUI and DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government has unveiled legislation that would unilaterally change post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. That move will face opposition from lawmakers — including some in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own Conservative Party — who believe it violates international law. The law would let the government bypass the Northern Ireland Protocol, which requires the inspection of some goods shipped to Northern Ireland from other parts of the U.K. It’s part of the broader trade deal that Johnson negotiated with the European Union when Britain left the 27-nation bloc. Britain’s government says it’s acting within international law, but the European Commission said it could take legal action against the U.K.