Britain’s Conservatives have long prided themselves as being the party of law and order. Now, after an extraordinary admission in parliament, it seems they are the party of “specific and limited” law and order. Answering questions about legislation which would override certain provisions of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, departed from the government’s previous line that it was merely interpreting the law narrowly to admit that, yes, this was a breach, but only in “a specific and limited way”. 

The issue concerns how the protocol on Northern Ireland is implemented, and among Conservatives and Brexiters there is significant sympathy for the government’s argument on the substance. Others regard this as a gambit in talks with the EU on a new trade deal. Either way it has already prompted the head of the government’s legal department to resign. 

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the Brexit argument, breaching an international treaty — one that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed — is a dangerous moment for his party and the country. This instance may be limited and specific. The principle is not.