Senior Tory Law Officer Quits in Protest at Boris Johnson’s Brexit Plan

No 10 announced that MPs would be given a new “lock” before controversial powers contained in the Internal Markets Bill can be used.   

But the concession was not enough to convince Lord Keen, the advocate general for Scotland and a member of the House of Lords, to stay in his post.

Johnson is facing a rebellion on his own benches after a cabinet minister said that the bill, which is currently going through the Commons, does break international law “in a limited and specific way”.

Lord Keen of Elie’s position was cast into doubt after he contradicted Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, by telling peers that the controversial bill did not "constitute a breach of international law or of the rule of law".

He claimed that Lewis had “answered the wrong question” in his comments to MPs.

But within hours Lewis had reiterated his position, telling MPs that he had given “a very straight answer" last week.

In his resignation letter, Lord Keen told Johnson he had found it “increasingly difficult” to reconcile his obligations as a law officer with the prime minister’s policy intentions.

His decision to step down came despite Johnson bowing to demands by backbenchers to give MPs another vote before the powers can be used.

Many Tory MPs had been expected to vote for a similar amendment, tabled by the Tory MP Sir Bob Neill, next week.

The deal was brokered between Johnson, Sir Bob and Damian Green, the chair of the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs.

But it will not satisfy all those with concerns around the bill, who fear the message it may send about Britain as a global power.