EU begins legal action against the UK after it approves controversial Brexit bill - CNBC

LONDON — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday said it had sent a letter of formal notice to the U.K. over its plan to override the Brexit divorce deal, marking the first step in legal proceedings.   .

lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial Internal Market Bill earlier this week, despite some ministers admitting the legislation could lead to the country breaching international law.

The head of the EU's executive arm said it had given Britain until the end of September to remove "problematic parts" of the Internal Market Bill, but the deadline had now lapsed and the provisions remained. .

government will have a month to reply with its "observations," von der Leyen said. "Besides this, the Commission will continue to work hard towards a full and timely implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.

The EU has previously said the Internal Market Bill constituted an "extremely serious violation" of the Withdrawal Agreement.

The U.K.'s Internal Market Bill would grant the British government powers to not consult the EU in state aid cases involving the trade of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the EU.

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