Brandon Lewis says he gave the correct answer when he said last week that HMG's plan for Northern Ireland would break international law

This is after Lord Keen said yday that Lewis answered the wrong question and Priti Patel said it wouldn't break international law

All clear?

Simon Hoare puts to Brandon Lewis the not unreasonable point that given the "magnitude and sensitivity of the issues," shouldn't the government have put in the Internal Market Bill a commitment to exhausting joint committee talks and arbitration before breaking international law

Hoare tells Lewis that the "heat, steam, anxiety, fear" created by the plan to break int law was totally unnecessary

He says HMG should have made clear that this would be the last resort following JC talks and arbitration

It was "rather clumsy," he says

Many Tory MPs agree

Gloves are off now

Brandon Lewis refused to confirm that the UK would abide by any arbitration ruling re the NI protocol

Hoare says "the seriousness of the damage" being done to the UK's international reputation is "not yet quite properly understood" throughout the government

Hoare tells Lewis that the obvious answer was that the UK would follow the ruling of any international arbitration

"The UK will always abide by international arbitration, end of. Hypothetically or otherwise," he says

"And it's worrying that that answer can't be given"