UK government prevaricates over ECJ jurisdiction

The UK must keep ‘half an eye’ on rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), according to justice minister Dominic Raab.

Mr Raab, who is not a lawyer, said there will not be a clean break with the court, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our commitment as a government since the referendum has been crystal clear - we’re ending the jurisdiction of the European Court over disputes between the EU and the UK, that’s not on the table.

“But look, let’s also be clear about it - when we leave the EU, we are taking back control over our laws.

“There will be divergence between the case law of the EU and the UK, and it is precisely because there will be that divergence as we take back control that it makes sense for the UK to keep half an eye on the case law of the EU, and for the EU to keep half an eye on the case law of the UK.”

The UK government has been accused by pro-EU campaigners of making an “appalling error” by making the issue of leaving the court’s jurisdiction a “red line”.

Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, said: “The Prime Minister’s ideological insistence that there can be no future role whatsoever for the ECJ or any similar court-like body risks preventing the deal Britain needs.”