The political intervention of the archbishops over the Internal Market Bill is highly regrettable

In a letter to the Financial Times, they said that any intentional breaking of international law would set a “disastrous precedent”.

They said that the legislation would have an impact on the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

And they added: “This has enormous moral, as well as political and legal, consequences.”

It was an ill advised intervention.

Numerous distinguished legal experts have explained their view that the bill is entirely compatible with international law (regrettably, the secretary of state Brandon Lewis made a foolish statement to the House of Commons, which helped trigger a row over the ill).

The UK plan is wide ranging and includes elementary steps such as ensuring that the EU will never be able to block goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It is particularly disappointing that the Archbishop of Armagh put his name to the joint letter.

As two letter writers opposite, one of them a distinguished ex unionist MP, say, he does not speak for his flock.

The various archbishops have also ended up in effect siding with Welsh and Scottish separatists and others, including Irish republicans, in their position on this legislation.

Have they examined the arguments that in fact separating NI from the UK internal market is a breach of the Belfast Agreement’s principle of consent and current UK sovereignty?

If so, then they should present detailed arguments as to why such unionist concerns are groundless (given that they feel entitled to weight into this debate).

The Internal Market Bill is a key piece of legislation that seeks to clarify a potential clash between existing UK obligations and its obligations to the EU deal.

It is important that Parliament passes it.

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