European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

It is a pleasure to serve under your guidance, Mrs Laing. I will speak to new clauses 64 and 65, ...

I completely agree with the point my hon. Friend is making so eloquently. Does the news from Brus...

I encourage Ministers to listen very carefully to what my hon. Friend says. Like me, he has a dee...

My hon. Friend refers to Donald Dewar. The basis for the devolution process came about via refere...

My hon. Friend is right. People voted for these powers to be devolved and it is wrong for the Gov...

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all her work on the Bill. Is she surprised, as I am, that the...

We will have to wait until later this evening to see which Lobby they choose to walk through. I, ...

The hon. Lady is making a passionate speech, but does she accept that powers are not being ripped...

I think that the hon. and learned Lady—if I may be polite—has not quite grasped what we are talki...

Does my hon. Friend agree that in Wales devolution actually came in two tranches—in 1997, but als...

I would never wish to be accused of being anti-Welsh.

My hon. Friend is talking about the UK framework and the devolved Administrations. Would she care...

My hon. Friend is highlighting the alarm with which we are witnessing the statements coming out t...

Is there not a really important point that the Government seem to forget? When they are negotiati...

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the fact that the Government seem to have acted in a rather ...

I agree with the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant). The other border between the United King...

That is shocking. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman and other colleagues from Wales will continue...

My hon. Friend is being very generous in giving way. Just last week, senior border immigration of...

I could not agree more.

The hon. Lady is making a persuasive speech. She mentioned the renowned Scottish historian Sir To...

I sincerely hope that that will not be the outcome, but I have to admire the hon. and learned Lad...

I am following the hon. Lady’s speech carefully. I am also looking very carefully at her new clau...

The new clause is not intended to cause conflict—we already have a certain degree of conflict bet...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the JMC should be producing communiques that give the public and t...

I hope that Ministers are listening and taking note.

Do the Welsh First Minister, and indeed the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for these matters, agree with...

My understanding is that the answer is yes. We have not worked alone on this—we have worked toget...

The plight of the First Minister has always been that new UK frameworks have to be made collabora...

The intention is that the frameworks would be achieved collaboratively. That is precisely what we...

On the point about conflict that was raised by the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield...

That is absolutely the approach that we have tried to take. We are trying to be practical, realis...

Will the hon. Lady give way on that point?

I believe that the hon. Gentleman is sincere that his intervention will be on that point.

Perhaps the hon. Lady requires a note from elsewhere to say that this is not one of the amendment...

I understand what the hon. Gentleman is saying, but I think he is dancing on the head of a pin. W...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I have already given way quite a lot. If the hon. and learned Lady does not mind, I am going to c...

rose—

I will give way one last time, to the former Minister.

Pursuing the same point, does the hon. Lady not accept that new clause 64(3), having provided tha...

The Joint Ministerial Committee said that it wanted frameworks to be created in this way, I think...

I first want to pick up on an earlier comment about what Mr Juncker has been saying. If one could...

Would the hon. Gentleman like to explain to the House why he was opposed to Wales having full law...

I would be delighted to explain, but I probably will not be able to today. It is a lovely idea, a...

Order. I do not think that the hon. Gentleman would like to tell the House that at this point. We...

Let me return to the matter in hand for a minute, because the hon. Member for Clwyd South (Susan ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I would be delighted.

Perhaps the reason why the hon. Gentleman’s campaign against the Welsh Assembly in 1999 failed wa...

As the hon. Gentleman knows, that is for the Scots to decide, and they decided that, for the time...

The hon. Gentleman cannot compare an unconstitutional referendum in Catalonia, in which only 2 mi...

I am comparing not the two referendums but the reaction to those two referendums. On that point, ...

The hon. Gentleman appears to be making light of the powers coming back from the EU. The Welsh an...

The hon. Gentleman knows the difference between a local authority area and a parliamentary consti...

Is not the key point about the referendum not which regions or nations within the United Kingdom ...

Absolutely. My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Of course, the Government’s whole purpose is...

The hon. Gentleman was a Member of the Welsh Assembly for some considerable time. Is he saying th...

I can say to the hon. Lady that that is exactly what I am saying to her. May I remind her that in...

Before I begin, I wish to pay tribute to the former hon. Member for Clydesdale, and for Lanark an...

What are the circumstances in which the right hon. Gentleman would vote for, and what are the cha...

If the hon. Gentleman bears with me, I will take him through that in my speech.

The fundame...

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that his tone and language in this debate are quite differen...

A simple one-word answer: no.

Amendment 72 is simple and straightforward. It seeks to ensur...

We had a very good briefing, as we always do, from the Law Society of Scotland. It concludes, aft...

Absolutely. When so many people have worked so hard over many generations and many decades to est...

I was happy to put my name to amendment 72 because it is not about whether we want this Brexit Bi...

I am very grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s remarks. He is absolutely correct. Amendment 72 is ab...

Can the right hon. Gentleman please tell me one of the 109 powers that is not already implemented...

I am not quite sure what the hon. Gentleman is referring to. If he had listened to what the Scott...

Order. I hesitate to interrupt the right hon. Gentleman, but he knows what I am going to say: I a...

My sincere apologies, Mrs Laing. You are right to reprimand me, and I apologise. I am talking abo...

The Secretary of State and the United Kingdom Government have made it absolutely clear that, afte...

My goodness, that really does demonstrate that they are not getting this. Purely and simply, it i...

I wish to make some progress. I will happily take interventions later.

By supporting the am...

The right hon. Gentleman says that he wants to keep the powers where they are. Does he therefore ...

I do not appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s tone. We cannot get away from the simple fact that this ...

The right hon. Gentleman keeps saying that we are trampling on powers that Scotland has, and I ju...

The simple fact is that the Secretary of State and others have been asked on a number of occasion...

On that point, does the right hon. Gentleman agree that, if another region of the United Kingdom ...

Indeed, although I am not quite sure what the hon. Gentleman is referring to when he talks about ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will give way later.

The Scottish and Welsh Governments have tabled a number of key amend...

At the start of his remarks, the right hon. Gentleman sought to give us feedback from the meeting...

Hear, hear!

I can hear Conservative cheering, but what a waste of time that intervention was. The question wa...

Is the right hon. Gentleman not just demonstrating how out of the loop he is with his own party, ...

I am surprised at that intervention from the hon. Gentleman. I expressed right at the outset of m...

If I may say so, I have sympathy with the point that is being put across—that the way in which th...

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend, if I may call him that, for that intervention. I always...

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman, whose amendments I will support this evening; I believ...

The answer is very simple: we would not be leaving the single market of the UK. We are hoping to ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make some progress.

The enormity of clause 11 has been highlighted by numerou...

Is the right hon. Gentleman genuinely surprised that there has not been progress on some of the r...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important intervention. We are 17 months on from the vote and we are ...

There is a lot of scoffing on the Government Benches. Three Committees of this House have heard e...

My hon. and learned Friend makes a strong case. That is why the Government should listen to her, ...

I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak, as a Scottish Conservative MP and as a member of ...

Would the hon. Gentleman like to tell us how interim interim is?

If the hon. Lady will bear with me, I am coming on to talk about that.

Clause 11 provides t...

The hon. Gentleman is pouring some scorn on the phrase “power grab”. He might be interested to kn...

The hon. and learned Lady and I perhaps have different definitions of what is interesting.

...

The hon. Gentleman is a very assiduous member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, for which I am g...

I absolutely agree, but the point is that the amendments proposed by the Scottish and Welsh Gover...

Some of the hon. Gentleman’s Conservative colleagues have proposed their own amendments on other ...

For the simple reason that there is another JMC meeting on 12 December, and we do not believe it ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make some progress.

These rules are now uniform throughout the UK and many, b...

I am astonished. Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that continual discord, arguments about the co...

I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, but I do not agree. I think that amendments 164 and 1...

Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that the principle of the Scotland Act 1998 was that what was ...

If the hon. Lady was listening, she will have heard me say that I agreed that that was the purpos...

I ask the hon. Gentleman to seriously consider what he has just said. He said that most of the 11...

They are not on the list.

They are on the list. You should read it.

But not in the form you have said.

Order!

Order. I am always grateful for the help of the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (G...

Again, I draw the attention of the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh South West (Joanna Cherr...

What action will the hon. Gentleman take if amendments 164 and 165 are not passed and his demands...

No, because I do not believe that amendments 164 and 165 provide the position in which I think cl...

I pay tribute to the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Paul Masterton) for his contribution. His...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will be happy to take the hon. Gentleman’s intervention if he tells us whether he is standing u...

That is absolutely the case. That is why there are 13 Scottish Conservative MPs and only seven Sc...

I think the hon. Gentleman has just demonstrated that he will be voting with the UK Government Wh...

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has said:

“I am surprised and dis...

Order. The hon. Gentleman might be making an interesting point, but it is not directly relevant t...

Thank you, Mrs Laing. If I may, I will respond to what the Taoiseach said just by saying I am sur...

With specific reference to the amendments, particularly around the importance of joint ministeria...

That is my point about the constitutional crisis we are in. It seems that the only way to follow ...

rose—

I will give way to my friend from the DUP, because I think he might have something interesting to...

I am glad that the hon. Gentleman thinks I might have something interesting to say as I know that...

I could not agree with the hon. Gentleman more, but why not bring some of that to the House, rath...

Has my hon. Friend noticed that the Minister who has apparently been briefing Conservative Member...

Order. No he cannot. We are discussing new clauses and amendments to the Bill, not what people ar...

I am grateful to you, Mrs Laing. I apologise to the Committee for digressing, but these are incre...

Does the hon. Gentleman not accept that his amendments would allow every single one of the 111 po...

I will answer that directly when I talk about the Law Society of Scotland’s possible options. We ...

Will the hon. Gentleman clarify his amendments? Is he suggesting that some parts of the UK should...

I agree that all parts of the UK should be treated similarly, which is why I have always champion...

On the question of where power actually lies, we know that many farmers voted leave, yet I know, ...

These are complex discussions and issues, but the key principle is that any power devolved under ...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that if the powers are devolved without a framework having first b...

But that assumes that we automatically start from the position of hoarding the powers here at Wes...

rose—

I give way to my parliamentary neighbour.

The hon. Gentleman mentioned the hoarding of powers at Westminster. One of the biggest problems t...

It is against the spirit of the devolution settlement, but it is also against the spirit of the r...

Does the hon. Gentleman also acknowledge the disrespect that the Taoiseach has shown for the peop...

We may be being diverted from the point again, but I think that the Committee, the country and an...

May I gently point out to the hon. Gentleman that at least there are three DUP Members in the Cha...

I normally say that I am grateful for interventions, but in this instance I will refrain. I do no...

The hon. Gentleman is giving a very good speech, but he is not giving a speech in support of his ...

It is funny that the hon. Gentleman now calls my position bonkers after seeking assurances that a...

The hon. Gentleman does not seem to have read his own amendment. I do not want either clause 11 a...

I do not wish to be disrespectful to the hon. Gentleman. I know that he is new to this place, hav...

Is it not the case that the reason why my hon. Friend and I—and, indeed, a number of Members on b...

Absolutely. I think that it comes down to the word “trust”. Many reports on the Bill come down to...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way again. He is being very generous. Does he agree that this i...

Absolutely. We could become involved in a constitutional battle with no end in sight. The Institu...

The hon. Gentleman keeps referring to the single market of the United Kingdom. Does he agree that...

That is legal semantics. I can buy an animal in Edinburgh and sell it in London, crossing the bor...

The crucial difference between the single market and the unitary market is that in the single mar...

We have just had a bombshell there; the hon. and learned Lady has just told us that she wants to ...

Sir David, thank you for calling me at this stage of the debate.

To be fair to the hon. and...

There was a referendum. It was the will of the people.

I am sorry, I did not realise that I was saying anything particularly provocative—[Interruption.]...

I am interested in the point the hon. Gentleman is making, but is it not the case that the UK Gov...

The hon. Gentleman has been in this House for quite some time, and he should be used to that by n...

What is unusual about this Bill is that it followed a referendum that means we are going to leave...

I do not accept that the Bill is in any kind of a mess. I think that we ought to keep the effects...

The main conclusion of Alan Page’s work, with which I am sure the hon. Gentleman is more than fam...

The hon. Gentleman will be surprised no longer, because my next point is that the manner of claus...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that one of the functions or strategists that can deal with this ma...

I do agree, but the number of times that the JMC and its sub-committees have met formally is few....

Does the hon. Gentleman also agree that diarised meetings and more interaction might lead to conf...

I could not agree more, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman will acknowledge—I am not being accusa...

Is it my hon. Friend’s view that the mechanisms that determine such communication should be estab...

I have an open mind on that, and I have fiddled around with my amendments, which have not appeare...

Further to that point, the Scottish Government have consistently made it clear that they cannot s...

I hear the hon. Lady’s impatience, but we need to be more patient. We are not completing the cons...

The hon. Gentleman was mildly critical of the Welsh First Minister for using rhetoric, but the rh...

The better we know each other, the more we will forgive each other for the rhetoric. That is what...

The Good Friday/Belfast agreement set up many inter-parliamentary institutions, both east-west an...

Sir David, am I to be tempted to enter a debate on today’s negotiations, or should we wait until ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I must press on, but I will give way once more.

Does the hon. Gentleman acknowledge that there is an inter-parliamentary council? The British-Iri...

I am endeavouring to raise the tone of this debate, and obviously I am not succeeding with certai...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not give way again. I have said everything I want to say.

My Committee is continuing...

On a point of order, Sir David. I am not sure whether you were in the Chamber earlier, but Mr Spe...

I will certainly pass on your remarks to Mr Speaker but, in the meantime, you have made your poin...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex (Mr Jenkin), who I commend...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the danger of clause 11 is that it seeks to replace Scotland’s...

The hon. Gentleman is, of course, absolutely right. I will address some of those issues. He is sp...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the secret to the Government’s thinking on this Bill is in the...

That is an important point, because a sunset clause is the sort of thing we need to see. It would...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on making a very positive contribution to this debate compared ...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. My Committee looked at these issues an...

I will make some progress; I will deal with our report before letting Members in. The key point i...

rose—

I have given way to the hon. Gentleman. A lot of people wish to speak and I know he will get a ch...

rose—

I have given way to the hon. Gentleman and I want to make some progress. In large swathes of devo...

rose—

I have given way to the hon. Gentleman already. This UK super-state seeks to control and restrict...

rose—

I will give way to the hon. Gentleman just to shut him up for a bit.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way to shut me up. All the things he has said for the past ...

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s intervention, as always, but I do not recognise his view o...

indicated assent.

He is saying that it is, so I will accept that.

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the amendments he is discussing do not reflect the recommenda...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, because I said that. I said that the amendments do not direc...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Yes, of course—as long as I am hearing from the Welsh Government.

The hon. Gentleman gives me more power than I currently have. I refer him to the detail of new cl...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for clarifying that. I just refer him to exactly what is in n...

Read the rest of it.

It speaks about consent, but that leaves it to Ministers of the Crown to create the UK-wide frame...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that Scottish Ministers and Welsh Ministers are also Ministers of ...

Absolutely, but that is not the intention of the new clause.

It is shame we are in this pos...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I was starting winding up, but I give way one last time.

I want to be absolutely clear about the new clause, because it says clearly:

“Ministers of ...

I do not know what part of that line the hon. Gentleman does not understand:

“Ministers of ...

I will speak to the measures that relate to Scottish devolution, particularly clause 11, which we...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way.

No, I just want to make a little bit of progress.

Although I do not support the amendments ...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that I and, I hope, the hon. Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murra...

It is my colleagues on the Government Benches who have made the Scottish Parliament as powerful a...

I just find this debate absolutely ironic. We talk about the power of the devolved Assemblies at ...

The hon. Lady should perhaps look at last week’s discussions between the Secretary of State for S...

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to correct his inaccurate record. He tal...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that point. I will leave it to him to explain to his cons...

Given the concerns that the hon. Gentleman is raising about many issues and the complexity that h...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I will not get involved in a running co...

Does not the hon. Gentleman agree that these powers have already been devolved? We are talking ab...

These powers are with the European Union just now. We all accept that there will be a need for UK...

Does my hon. Friend agree that there are many moving parts in the current process? Our debate is ...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Significant progress is being made between the two Gover...

But does the hon. Gentleman accept that this is not just about how well Scotland’s two Government...

I accept that the UK Government are holding discussions with the other parts of the United Kingdo...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I want to make a little bit more progress.

I completely reject the Scottish Government’s un...

I am beyond confused by the hon. Gentleman’s assumption that we would reserve the powers that com...

My comments relate to the UK-wide framework agreements, on which I thought there was cross-party ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I just want to make a little more progress.

The UK Government have made it crystal clear th...

The hon. Gentleman makes a point about the power grab, but he needs to understand that this phras...

The hon. and learned Lady is misrepresenting the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party’s posit...

On a point of order, Mr Crausby. The hon. Gentleman has used the word “disingenuous”. We have alr...

The hon. Gentleman should not have used the word “disingenuous”. I am sure that he will learn fro...

I will learn, Mr Crausby, and I am happy to withdraw the remark.

The hon. and learned Lady ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No; I think I have heard quite enough from the hon. and learned Lady this evening. Despite the rh...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it would be of better service to all our constituents if we dialle...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Both sides agree on the need for common frameworks. As I list...

It seems as if the hon. Gentleman is coming towards the end of his speech. Before he does, will h...

If the two Governments agree that a power is required for the framework, that is the type of powe...

In the past few weeks, we have spelled out many reasons why this Bill will leave the UK worse off...

I entirely agree with the speech my hon. Friend has made so far. [Laughter.] I am sure I will agr...

I thank my hon. Friend, and I completely agree.

Wales voted for a devolved Government 20 ye...

The hon. Lady’s remarks lead me to conclude that there seems to be no basis, in her mind, on whic...

I think we are seeing the beginnings of a constitutional crisis right now actually. [Interruption...

I am afraid that what the hon. Lady is saying is just not true. The excellent report produced by ...

I am afraid the Chair disagreed with the hon. Gentleman. [Interruption.] Well, the hon. Gentleman...

I am most grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way—I know she is trying to get on with her speech...

I thank the hon. Gentleman, and I agree absolutely that we need far more information on how the c...

But the very fact that there is no timetable surely gives weight to the argument that what we are...

I thank my hon. Friend, and I completely agree. That is what I am saying in my speech—that this i...

My hon. Friend is being extremely generous in giving way.

Could we take a practical example...

Absolutely. I completely agree. That just shows that what we have here in a number of policy area...

Like the hon. Lady, I represent a constituency in a devolved part of the United Kingdom. Many in ...

As the hon. Gentleman knows, I am not fanning any flames of nationalism; I am talking about democ...

My hon. Friend makes the point that Conservatives with constituencies in devolved parts of the UK...

Yes. It is so important that structures and discussions are formally put in place across the coun...

I recall that during the passage of the Wales Bill last year we specifically asked for the JMC to...

The Government will probably see the error of their ways as the Bill passes through the Lords and...

On 23 June last year, I voted, like more than 1 million Scots and more than 17 million Britons, t...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will make some progress, if I may. Voting remain was a leap of faith that I could not take. I a...

One of the hon. Gentleman’s colleagues has just said that he wants specifics about clause 11, whi...

I will come to that. That is going to happen anyway—by legislative consent motion.

Clause 1...

I think the hon. Gentleman misunderstands what is happening. At the minute, the EU has legislativ...

That is correct—that is what we are negotiating about. The 111 powers are already devolved at imp...

The hon. Gentleman talks about different regulations. Surely he understands the desire in Scotlan...

The United Kingdom voted to leave and we respect that democratic decision. Earlier, the hon. Memb...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make some progress. By the time we reach Report, I hope we will have a better idea ...

I want to speak specifically to amendments 132, 133 and 134. Like many others before us today, th...

The hon. Lady is a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, which took evidence from the Secreta...

I will come on to that. As the hon. Gentleman himself has said, it is currently being negotiated ...

No!

No, that is how it is. The Conservatives are needing to be persuaded, even though they themselves...

Would my hon. Friend also like to consider the threat to the United Kingdom that is represented b...

My right hon. Friend makes a very good point. That is yet another example of how this Government ...

This has been a very interesting debate. It has been quite extraordinary to hear some of the rhet...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I am just getting started.

There has been no ability to scrutinise them, amend them, or...

rose—

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, thank you.

The Scottish Parliament will regain powers over agriculture, the environment...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for letting me stop him in mid-flow. Has he never heard of th...

I am aware of the European Parliament, which cannot reject the legislation that is imposed on it ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No.

rose—

Order. We cannot have two Members standing at the same time. I do not think that the hon. Gentlem...

Thank you, Sir David.

There was no option for debate, and no opportunity to amend or even r...

rose—

8 pm

I would like to make some more progress before I take an intervention.

SNP Members have man...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, as is characteristic of him. Does he agree that SNP M...

My hon. Friend is right that the rhetoric of the SNP group in Westminster is very different from ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I will answer this point first. It looks as though we are achieving a real consensus about th...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

The hon. Gentleman will want to hear this point, believe me. The SNP is only stronger for Brussel...

I should point out to the hon. Gentleman that, when we appeared in front of the Scottish electora...

In 2016, the SNP went into the election with a majority in Holyrood and lost it. The SNP now depe...

On that point, will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I have literally just answered a point, so I will finish making this one. We will ensure that no ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that, although the SNP always talks down Westminster, this is a great o...

My hon. Friend is right. Scotland has two Governments: the United Kingdom Government and the Scot...

On the subject of powers, does the hon. Gentleman still subscribe to what was written on the bann...

I am so grateful to the hon. Gentleman for bringing that up. By leaving the European Union, we ca...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for saying that the people of Scotland like it when Scotland’s tw...

I agree with everything that my hon. Friend has said. It is clear from this debate that I want th...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I want to make some more progress, please.

It would make no sense whatsoever to have four d...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, thank you.

We need clause 11 to work for our United Kingdom—to protect it as well as en...

It is a shame to follow the hon. Member for Aberdeen South (Ross Thomson), the tone of whose spee...

The hon. Gentleman is making a good speech showing up the deficiencies of the Welsh Assembly and ...

I do not want to get too drawn into conversations about the state of the negotiations. I have alr...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way. There is a good deal of agreement between us....

Absolutely. The danger of this place is that we sometimes get into the technical detail, but do n...

Those concerns have been laid out by the Scottish Government for over a year now. Surely today’s ...

I completely agree. The simple way to resolve all these issues would be for us to stay within the...

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this lively debate. I am here to represent all my constitue...

Can the hon. Gentleman imagine any politician elected in the Republic of Ireland thinking that Ir...

I do not recognise those concerns. As has been said by several hon. Members tonight, this is a ma...

The hon. Gentleman talks about devolved Administrations being involved in discussions, but none o...

The UK Government are interacting actively with the devolved Administrations, but it has to be re...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (David Duguid), who talked about ...

Although the Tories might need to ruminate on that, clearly Leo Varadkar does not. He has the pow...

Indeed. That was an instructive point for us all.

I rise to speak to Plaid Cymru’s amendmen...

The hon. Gentleman is making a good point, and the rhetoric of a UK single market would make sens...

The hon. Gentleman has made that point already, and I agree with it.

In contrast to the EU ...

It is a great pleasure to be asked to address the Committee as a lonely Welsh voice in this Scott...

There is no such thing.

I hear the hon. Gentleman saying from a sedentary position that there is no such thing. The fact ...

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that France has a French internal market and that Germany has...

I have never been to Perthshire but I am sure that it is a delightful place. In this country, we ...

I am intrigued. Can the right hon. Gentleman identify anyone who has spoken in the House today wh...

No, but I can identify several people who have denied its existence. Clause 11 seeks to ensure th...

That is the problem. There is no timescale. This place is snarled up in dealing with Brexit work,...

I remind the hon. Lady that I am also from one of the devolved countries, so I understand her poi...

Order. Before I call the next speaker, I remind the Committee that the debate finishes at 18 minu...

I rise to support the amendments standing in the name of my right hon. Friend the Member for Ross...

My hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right. The Scottish Affairs Committee has not heard one ...

I am encouraging those Conservatives to listen to the experts who have given evidence to the vari...

We have all raised concerns about clause 11, and we are trying to constructively address them. Th...

The Scottish National party has always worked constructively with all parties to ensure that the ...

I will continue my point.

We are told that it is imperative for everything to be imposed on...

Will the hon. and learned Lady give way?

No, we have heard a lot from the hon. Gentleman. I only have a little time left, and I want to de...

On the definition of what constitutes a single market and a unitary market, my interpretation is ...

The distinction I am drawing is between a single market and a unitary market. I am saying that th...

Will the hon. and learned Lady give way?

As I said, I am drawing my comments to a close.

I want to address one of the many points we...

This debate concerns all constituent countries of the United Kingdom, but I will reserve my remar...

Let me make it simple for the hon. Gentleman. The founding principle of the devolution settlement...

Like my hon. Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire (Paul Masterton), I believe that changes wil...

The hon. Gentleman is talking a lot about being on the doorsteps in his constituency. When his co...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. I have to admit I have never been asked specificall...

Is the hon. Gentleman actually saying that if, for whatever reason, clause 11 was not passed or w...

I am not sure I actually understand the premise of the question. I will give way again if the hon...

It is quite straightforward. The hon. Gentleman is alleging and suggesting that, for some reason,...

I am arguing that, if we agreed to the provisions set down by the Scottish National party and the...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not give way, I am afraid, given that I have to wrap up soon.

As things stand today,...

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in one of the most important constitutional debates im...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

To be fair, the hon. Gentleman has had a good say this evening.

I am not the only one conce...

I will—[Interruption.] Yes, I am going to speak. I know that SNP Members will be very pleased abo...

The hon. Gentleman is one of the 12 new Scottish Conservative MPs. Many of his colleagues have al...

I will come on to that point, if the hon. Gentleman will let me make some progress through my spe...

Does my hon. Friend agree that SNP Members have absolutely no interest in our making a success of...

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I was about to say that the SNP is like a collection...

The Fraser of Allander Institute predicts that not 80,000, but 139,000 jobs are at stake. Does th...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing the Fraser of Allander Institute to the attention of the ...

The hon. Gentleman referred earlier to the Scottish Parliament being the most powerful Parliament...

In my opinion, divergence brought about by devolution enriches the fabric of the Union, but the d...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I was just about to deal with the hon. Gentleman’s previous intervention, but I will sit down.