Lords to question Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC MP on UK Internal Market Bill

The session will take place virtually at 11.15am on Wednesday 14 October 2020, and can be followed on Parliament TV.

Questions the Committee is likely to ask Mr Buckland include:

• As Lord Chancellor, what is your role when the Government proposes a course of action that is potentially unlawful?
• As Lord Chancellor you swore to “respect the rule of law” under your oath of office. How do you reconcile the provisions in the Bill, which permit breaches of international law, with your oath?
• The statement from the Government that the UK Internal Market Bill would authorise breaches of international law highlights the tension between Parliament’s sovereignty to enact such legislation and its responsibility to uphold the rule of law. Where do you think the balance lies between these fundamental principles?
• Does the Bill confer ministerial powers at odds with the duties set out in the Ministerial Code and the Cabinet Manual?