UK riles EU with bill on Brexit tweak

Proposed legislation would enable 2019 departure deal to be amended

With negotiations for a free-trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union continuing in London, the British government has unveiled proposed legislation that sets out how former EU powers could be shared within the UK in a post-Brexit world.

The Internal Market Bill details how trade should be conducted between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales after the UK stops following EU rules at the end of the transitional period on Dec 31.

The bill includes provision for ministers to amend the exit agreement London signed with Brussels last year, a power that this week triggered the resignation of Jonathan Jones as permanent secretary to the Government Legal Department, a role in which he served as the government's most senior lawyer.