UK expects countries to recognise need for Brexit measures, says PM's spokesman

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain expects other countries to recognise that the government must stop its internal market being undermined, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday, defending legislation that undercuts its Brexit deal.

Asked whether the prime minister agreed with some in Britain's upper chamber, which voted to strip contentious clauses introduced to the Internal Market Bill, that passing the legislation would undermine Britain's reputation, the spokesman told reporters:

"We cannot allow the peace process or the UK's internal market to inadvertently be compromised by unintended consequences of the Northern Ireland protocol. We would expect other countries to recognise this and the exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Stephen Addison)