Boris Johnson has said reports that the first Treasury counsel has not been consulted on the question of whether the plans to rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol will break international law are "not correct".
The British prime minister's comments came as SDLP leader Colum Eastwood asked him in the Commons: "Today, we hear reports that the prime minister refused to consult the first Treasury counsel on his plans to rip up the protocol.
"I know this question might be redundant given he might not be around very much longer, but given the prime minister's casual record of casual law-breaking, will he give a commitment to the people of Northern Ireland that he will not be breaking international law any time soon?"
Mr Johnson replied: "I can tell him that the reports that he has seen this morning are not correct. And what I can also tell him is that the most important commitment that I think everybody in this House has made is to the balance and symmetry of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
"That is our highest legal international priority and that is what we must deliver."
Earlier today Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Britain’s plans to act unilaterally over the Northern Ireland Protocol would be “deeply damaging” and mark a “historic low point”.
Addressing the European Parliament, Mr Martin said the British government’s proposed legislation to override key parts of the Brexit deal would be “to the benefit of absolutely no-one”.
British foreign secretary Liz Truss has said the UK intends to legislate to override parts of the deal on Northern Ireland, with the details expected to be announced in the coming week.
