THE Tory Advocate General for Scotland has offered his resignation to Boris Johnson over the UK Government's illegal Internal Market Bill.

According to the BBC, Lord Keen has found it "increasingly difficult to reconcile government plans to change EU exit deal with the law".

He's been under pressure to quit ever since last week’s admission by Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis that the legislation, which allows ministers to override the Northern Ireland protocol, breaches "international law in a very specific and limited way”.

Just yesterday, Keen attempted to defend the Government by saying that Lewis had "essentially answered the wrong question”.

That was when contradicted today, when Lewis said he'd answered the right question and that Lord Keen agreed with him.

The SNP's Joanna Cherry, said the Lord Advocate's resignation was "better late than never." She also doubted whether the Scotland Office would find a replacement.

"No Scottish law officer could possibly reconcile the lack of regard the  @BorisJohnson Govt has for the #RuleOfLaw with his or her obligations as an officer of the Scottish courts," she tweeted.

Cherry added: "I imagine the UK Government will find it hard to find any member of the Scottish Bar @FacultyScot to replace Lord Keen as Advocate General for as long as the Tories are intent on breaking international law"

Many of Keen's critics pointed to a speech he made the Public Law Group on the rule of law and role of law officers, back in June 2018.

The peer said it was “the duty of the law officers is to ensure that the government acts lawfully at all times”. 

He added: “If the rule of law is disrespected, and falls into disrepute, elected governments will not be able to govern effectively – any government is simply shooting itself in the foot if it undermines the rule of law.”In a stinging editorial, Scottish Legal News criticised Keen for defending the Tory Party.

It said: “Loyalty to country and rule of law must trump loyalty to party, especially when that party has been hijacked by a group of fanatical ideologues for whom the law is an inconvenience.

“Unlike many of the Conservative MPs who depend on their salaries and pensions and who find themselves trapped in a Faustian pact thawt entails them supporting that which they know to be wrong, Lord Keen is a wealthy man. He has no need of a sinecure.

"His reputation, and that of the law itself, will only be enhanced by distancing himself from the charlatans at No 10 Downing Street and tendering his resignation forthwith.”