The Australian Labor Party expects the UK to honour the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and uphold its commitments to its citizens and the people of Ireland.

After 30 years of sectarian violence and thousands of civilian deaths, the Good Friday Agreement represented a determined effort to achieve an enduring peace and to build a better future.

In light of the passage of the British Government’s Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons today, Labor shares the concerns raised by all five of the UK’s living former prime ministers about the need to respect treaty obligations.

The UK’s manner of withdrawal from the European Union is a matter for the British Government and Brussels, but should not come at the expense of the Good Friday agreement and the UK’s upholding of international law.

Labor calls on the Australian Government to reinforce the importance of respecting international law with its UK counterparts, and to explain the consequences of this Bill on the future Australia-UK free trade agreement.

Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra.