‘Stand by your oath to respect rule of law,’ Lammy tells Justice Secretary

David Lammy has told the Justice Secretary that he should “stand by your oath to respect the rule of law” after the government admitted yesterday that its new Brexit bill would break international law.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis confirmed to the House of Commons on Tuesday that the government’s internal markets bill would “break international law in a very specific and limited way”.

Cabinet member Matt Hancock agreed this morning that he was “comfortable” with the plan to break international law. It has been reported that Robert Buckland “can live with it” and does not intend to resign.

But the Shadow Justice Secretary has applied further pressure on Buckland, with a letter reminding him of his “sworn duty to respect the rule of law” and asking whether he will break cabinet responsibility.

Below is the full text of David Lammy’s letter to Robert Buckland.

Dear Robert,

In your role as Lord Chancellor, you have a sworn duty to respect the rule of law. Maintaining the sanctity of the rule of law has been central to your position for more than 400 years. I do not need to remind you of the oath you took on the on 30 July 2019 in the Royal Courts of Justice:

“I… do swear that in the office of Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain I will respect the rule of law, defend the independence of the judiciary and discharge my duty to ensure the provision of resources for the efficient and effective support of the courts for which I am responsible.”

Yesterday Brandon Lewis MP, the Northern Ireland Secretary, confirmed that by breaking the EU withdrawal agreement, the government would “break international law in a very specific and limited way”. This morning Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said he is “comfortable” with the fact the UK is willing to break international law.

What steps do you plan to take to protect the rule of law from attack from inside your own government? If you fail to prevent the government from breaking the rule of law, will you stand by your oath to respect the rule of law by breaking cabinet responsibility on this matter?

Yours sincerely,

David Lammy MP
Shadow Lord Chancellor and the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice