FORMER chairwoman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group Suella Braverman has been appointed the new Attorney General following the departure of Geoffrey Cox.
Braverman, who has been the MP for Fareham since 2015, was appointed the top legal job by Boris Johnson today.
The MP previously served as the UK's junior Brexit minister under Theresa May, but quit over the different "regulatory regimes" planned for Northern Ireland and Scotland in the withdrawal agreement - saying she felt this was "fuelling the fire of Scottish nationalist calls" for indyref2.
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Brexiteer Braverman accused May of raising the "white flag" with her Brexit deal and quit the post in November 2018.
Writing for Politics Home following her resignation, Braverman said the backstop was the main issue preventing her from supporting the deal. She went on: "Secondly, the proposals in the Northern Ireland backstop set out different regulatory regimes for Northern Ireland and Great Britain threatening the precious Union and fuelling the fire of Scottish Nationalist calls for a second independence referendum."
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In reality Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, too, sets out different regulatory regimes between Northern Ireland and Scotland - with special arrangements put in place with Belfast in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The agreement, which passed earlier this year ensuring the UK left the EU on January 31, will see the Northern Irish Assembly given the chance to periodically vote on whether or not to continue its special arrangements.
The First Minister said the arrangement was an example of how Scotland had been treated with "no respect" for the fact 62% of people here voted Remain at the EU referendum.
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And Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader said: "This deal would leave Scotland as only part of UK being taken out of EU, along with the SM and CU without consent and with no say on the future relationship."
Braverman has not explained publicly why she found May's distinctions between Scotland and Northern Ireland unacceptable, but approves of Johnson's.
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