Reports: U.K. to "override" aspects of Brexit withdrawal agreement amid trade talks

The United Kingdom plans legislation to "override" key aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement reached with the European Union — including on Northern Ireland, the Financial Times first reported Sunday.

Why it matters: The move could result in the unraveling of the deal Johnson reached with the EU last October to avoid a hard border with customs control on the island of Ireland and the collapse of trade talks, which are due to resume in London on Tuesday.

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• Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, said last week a "precise implementation of the withdrawal agreement" would be the "only way to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and preserve the all-island economy."
• The United Kingdom has five weeks to reach a deal with the EU. Johnson said Sunday if no agreement is struck by Oct. 15, the U.K. will "move on."

Between the lines: Northern Ireland has the U.K.'s only land border with an EU member state.

• Top U.S. Democrats have ruled out a trade deal with the U.K. if Brexit creates a hard border with Ireland and violates the Good Friday Agreement — which helped bring peace to Northern Ireland in the 1990s after decades of sectarian violence. Congress must approve all U.S. trade deals.

Details: Aspects of the U.K. internal market bill, to be published Wednesday, are set to "eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement" signed in January — including on Northern Ireland customs, the FT notes.

• A British government source told the Guardian the move was "part of the preparation for a no-deal exit" that would present "new trade barriers" from Northern Ireland.

What they're saying: A government spokesperson told the FT that officials were working to "resolve outstanding issues" on Northern Ireland. "[W]e are considering fallback options in the event this is not achieved to ensure the communities of Northern Ireland are protected," the spokesperson added.

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement, "There is no sense in thinking about timelines that go beyond that point.

"If we can't agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on. ... Our door will never be closed and we will trade as friends and partners - but without a free trade agreement."

Go deeper: Brexit's Irish border headache