European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon on this very important Bill, Mrs...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

Of course; I would be delighted.

I do not think that I am one of the senior members of my party whom she is criticising. Does she ...

That was very interesting. Lots of points were raised there. The DUP will have to speak for itsel...

I did not think it was worth it.

Well, that is very disappointing.

Could the hon. Lady answer the question posed by the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman so much for that. [Interruption.] Yes, what do you do in respons...

Answer!

I can hear. If the right hon. Gentleman gives me a chance, instead of chuntering away, I might ac...

The hon. Lady and I have got on very well since entering the House together—16 years and I think ...

I am most grateful to the right hon. Gentleman—or the hon. Gentleman; I just promoted him. That i...

The hon. Lady may share with me a certain amount of bemusement. There can be no question for me, ...

I am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend. Even though he sits on the other side of the C...

I do not intend to speak at length. I listened carefully to the hon. Member for North Down (Lady ...

I rise to speak in support of new clause 70 and amendment 174. I applaud the hon. Member for Nort...

I rise to speak in favour of new clause 70, and to make it clear that unless I hear some good rea...

I agree with much of what the hon. Member has said, and I commend what was said earlier by the ho...

I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman, and I think that this is a good way for me to end my ...

It is a pleasure to follow the excellent speeches of the right hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna Sou...

When indicating the substantial contribution and progress made in recent decades in Northern Irel...

Indeed, many men and women of courage and conviction on all sides in that process pushed forward ...

Speakers today, particularly the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), the right hon. Member ...

Order. The hon. Lady is not making a speech; she is making an intervention, and there will be ple...

My sincere apologies.

Does my hon. Friend agree that we were all affected by the troubles, ...

I wholeheartedly agree, and who can forget the Warrington bombing, for example, and the many othe...

I am listening very carefully to what the hon. Gentleman is saying. Of course none of us here—hea...

We are not here to talk about France’s intentions as regards the City of London; we are here to t...

The hon. Gentleman refers to the importance of having stability. Does he also think it important ...

Indeed, but why did the Government reject the amendments that we tabled on putting the Joint Mini...

Would the hon. Gentleman agree, however, that Ministers in the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Pa...

I am speaking about the context of these negotiations. Lots of things get said in all the legisla...

It is really important that all the devolved Administrations retain powers, and it has been said ...

I would gently say to the hon. and learned Lady that I do not think she fully understands the leg...

I agree with the thrust of the hon. Gentleman’s argument, but in relation to a point made earlier...

Indeed. I might have taken some Ministers at their word in the past, but there are others who wou...

It seems to me that the Brexit negotiations have finally started to reach a serious stage over th...

I am glad that the right hon. and learned Gentleman has returned to the veto, because vetoes have...

That is hardly surprising. I do not think that Donald Tusk would go to any of the other 27 member...

It is always a mixed blessing to speak after the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr...

indicated dissent.

I see the hon. Gentleman shaking his head, but of course this is not just my view; it is shared b...

rose—

To give everybody a little break, I shall give way to the right hon. Gentleman.

Given the thrust of the hon. Gentleman’s amendments, has it occurred to him that these powers wer...

I have many face-palm moments when it comes to Tory Brexiteers and that was another one. To compa...

The hon. Gentleman and I agree on many of these matters, but I have to take him up on this point....

I thank the right hon. Lady for her point, but I should make it clear that I said that some Conse...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Not at the moment. I want to move on and there is plenty to go through.

The Bill gives UK, ...

Is this not one of the key differences? I refer to the undertakings the Scottish Government have ...

My hon. Friend makes a good point about the power grab, but of course Government Members do have ...

We are speaking about a power grab. Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that the power grab the SNP w...

Today is the day Finland celebrates its 100th birthday as an independent sovereign state, and it ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No. I am going to move on, but I would like to see the hon. Member for Moray (Douglas Ross) table...

The hon. Gentleman should be in no doubt that amendments cannot be a Trojan horse and they cannot...

It should not be incumbent on any Member of Parliament to pass any old law that the Government wa...

I am not going to woo the hon. Gentleman, but I thank him for giving way. Of course, Henry VIII a...

I am glad that the hon. Gentleman made what will be, I am afraid, the final intervention, because...

Thank you, Mr Streeter, for calling me to speak. I have sat through several of the Committee’s de...

The Good Friday agreement created cross-border institutions and policies that have been supported...

I am grateful for that intervention, but the Government have been clear about their ongoing suppo...

The issue is not whether the Government are in agreement, but that they are co-guarantors of an i...

I am not saying anything against that, but what I am trying to put across is that it is quite cle...

I accept everything that my hon. Friend is saying, and join him in paying tribute to the hon. Mem...

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. We are doing some of that by debating this very issue today. ...

My hon. Friend is very generous in giving way. On the institutions that were set up under the Goo...

I agree with my hon. Friend, and believe that it is useful to get that on record.

I want to...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept the concerns that have been raised by the Law Society of Scotland ...

I know Michael Clancy very well, and have seen the briefing that the Law Society provided for thi...

indicated dissent.

The hon. Gentleman is shaking his head, but the Law Society was absolutely against the Offensive ...

On that point, did the Scottish Parliament not vote that that 2012 Act should be repealed?

I believe that we may be straying slightly from the point. I may now have to declare an interest ...

I will give way in a minute. The SNP is obsessed with centralisation and it is to the detriment o...

The hon. Gentleman refers a great deal to the Scottish Parliament. In the Scottish Parliament, th...

What I would really like to see is the SNP spokesperson on this issue discussing this very matter...

rose—

I will not give way, as I wish to make some progress.

If the SNP wants to limit the power o...

The difficulty is that it will be in the interests of Scotland that there is a swift increase in ...

My right hon. Friend is completely correct. The SNP and its Members here seem to want to go for t...

I wish to speak to amendments 338, 346 and 347 in my name and the names of my hon. and right hon....

To my knowledge, the United Kingdom Government are not proposing to erect tariff barriers, and th...

I struggle to see how the originator of the border—who would erect it—is of any consequence to th...

It is quite clear that the proponents of Scotland remaining in the UK during the 2014 Scottish in...

As earlier contributors have made clear, this issue is the one that finds out the fantasists from...

Is not the hon. Lady putting the cart before the horse? The next phase of the negotiations will d...

I am just making it very clear to the Government and all other observers that this matter is not ...

Perhaps the hon. Lady can help us. Does she agree that it is absolutely agreed by everybody—the E...

I agree with the right hon. Lady, and she can probably guess that I will be making the point late...

Yes, the Irish Government and Her Majesty’s Government are co-guarantors, but does the hon. Lady ...

No, I do not agree with that at all and I will not be tempted into some kind of debate about it. ...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Darlington (Jenny Chapman) and I echo many of the ...

The Minister has told us that he is not going to accept new clause 70. Timing is important, too. ...

Let me reiterate to the right hon. Gentleman that we are absolutely committed to the Belfast/Good...

rose—

If my right hon. Friend will give me a moment, she may be interested in what I have to say next.<...

I have a very high regard for the Minister, but I have to say that I am profoundly disappointed b...

Our commitment to the Belfast agreement is absolutely clear. We are committed to it. We are not c...

My hon. Friend keeps reiterating, with ever greater passion, the Government’s 110% commitment to ...

I have great respect for my right hon. and learned Friend. On the point that he makes, the Govern...

I, too, share the serious disappointment expressed by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon...

Let me make it clear to the hon. Gentleman that no one who supports the Bill will vote against an...

In all honesty, no one in the House who has ever been a Minister or has had any responsibility at...

Let me repeat to the hon. Gentleman what I have made very, very clear: no one in the House would ...

I urge the Minister to hold his ground. My principal difficulty with new clause 70 is that it is ...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who chairs the Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs. I w...

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way once again. I have to say to him ever so gently but ...

I absolutely give the commitment that we will take away the hon. Lady’s new clause and will ensur...

I have great sympathy with the approach of the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) in her an...

I am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend for that point. I will now move on to other are...

Will the Minister give way?

I will, briefly.

I am grateful to the Minister, who is being extremely generous with his time. We do not for a min...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and for his comment earlier. I agree th...

rose—

I will give way to the right hon. Gentleman, but this is the last one on this issue.

May I just say to the Minister that I have not had a single email, letter or phone call, or any c...

The Good Friday/Belfast agreement is and will continue to be secure.

I want to move on, and...

I am slightly concerned that the Minister will sit down before he has had a chance to make any co...

I apologise to the hon. Lady. I think I mentioned that amendment in the run-up to addressing the ...

I thank the Minister for going into such detail. Earlier today, the Secretary of State for Scotla...

I cannot say at this stage, but let me repeat that in both this debate and the debate on clause 1...

I know the Minister wants to make progress, but I have grave fears. Is there not some way we can ...

I am happy to take up my right hon. Friend’s suggestion, and to work with the hon. Member for Nor...

The cross-party amendments would not have been tabled, or indeed recommended by the Welsh and Sco...

I absolutely respect the effort of, and have referred a number of times to the evidence collected...

I am grateful to the Minister for his detailed responses. He talks about consulting. In an intern...

As we discussed in great detail on day 4, direct Government-to-Government contact is happening on...

The Minister failed to answer the question that my hon. Friend the Member for North East Fife (St...

I do not want to pre-empt the agreement that I believe can and will be reached in the not-too-dis...

rose—

I will give way to the hon. Lady briefly, on that point.

May I take the Minister back to new clause 70? Given the signals and impressions given by the Hou...

The Government have made their position absolutely clear, but let me again reiterate our firm com...

Order. I just point out that 15 Members still wish to speak and there is one hour to go.

4....

I will keep my comments as brief as possible.

I congratulate the Members who have managed t...

rose—

I will give way to the hon. Lady later, but I first want to explain some of my detailed points, g...

I rise to be helpful to the hon. Gentleman. When I made my comments, what I meant was that an iss...

I only go so far with that point, because it is wrong in this sense: every issue that comes befor...

The hon. Gentleman is making a logical and thoughtful case. Does he not agree that all the substa...

The hon. and learned Gentleman has nailed it extremely well. By agreeing to this proposal, we wou...

Order. Mr Paisley, you know the rules on using Members’ names, and you did promise me that this w...

The fact of the matter is that the utter confusion on the Opposition Front Bench on an issue as i...

I will be brief, Mr Hoyle. I would like to start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for ...

I rise to support new clause 70, tabled by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon). Let me b...

rose—

We are under some time pressure, so I would rather continue.

The agreement is also importan...

rose—

I am going to continue. The point about identity is crucial, because we have to understand that t...

I remind everybody that there are still 12 speakers to go.

I apologise to you, Mr Hoyle, and to the Committee, for slipping out at a critical moment and mis...

My right hon. Friend might well reflect on the fact that section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1...

I am grateful that my hon. and learned Friend, who knows considerably more about the law than me,...

We have 11 speakers left, with something like 20 minutes to go. It is just not going to happen if...

Unfortunately, I do not share the optimism of the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Pate...

I echo many of my colleagues when I say that as we leave the European Union, our main goal must b...

While I of course support the amendments tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for North East Fife ...

I am aware of time restrictions, Mr Hoyle, so I will not take any interventions. I shall speak to...

I am sorry, I am completely out of time. [Interruption.] It is completely true; those are facts. ...

I said that I would not take interventions; I am really sorry, as I usually would. What has been ...

rose—

I am sorry, I am not going to give way to the hon. Lady, who arrived late. The hon. Member for No...

I am an MP from Northern Ireland, but not a Northern Ireland MP, which makes speaking in debates ...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way at this late stage. Like him, I am deeply disappointed by t...

I thank my hon. Friend for that; the position is very strong and very clear.

The legacy of ...

This has been a wonderful debate, and I greatly appreciate the contributions from all sides, even...

I give the hon. Lady that commitment. The Good Friday agreement is an absolute commitment that we...

I will take that as a commitment that at tea we will agree that the Good Friday agreement will be...

As I said to the hon. Lady in the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, we are in the process of ne...

With that, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the new clause.

Clause, by leave, withdrawn.

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

New clause 80—Transparency of the...

New clause 17 relates to clause 12 —[Interruption.]

Order. Will Members leaving the Chamber please do so quietly so that the hon. Member for Nottingh...

Clause 12 relates to the financial provisions of Brexit. New clause 17 seeks to clarify that a sp...

It seems peculiar that, when we are supposed to be taking back control, the House has not been gi...

That was the surprise, and not just for us. Perhaps we were a bit cynical and did not expect the ...

It is not surprising that the public were surprised. We may have accepted that much of what was p...

It is worth listing the promises that were made to the British public in the run-up to the refere...

Is it not all the more extraordinary that we are told not only that we will have to pay tens of b...

We saw that £3.7 billion of supposed Brexit preparations in the Treasury Red Book at the time of ...

The hon. Gentleman is making an extremely important point. Lots of people who had become really f...

Order. The intervention is too long.

May I just ask this question? Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that there are many forms in whic...

Order. The right hon. Lady must make short interventions. If the hon. Member for Nottingham East ...

The right hon. Lady was making an incredibly important point, Mr Hanson. It is not just a questio...

May I suggest that in fact it is a quadruple whammy, because the hon. Gentleman has not yet refer...

It almost beggars belief that we are hearing not only that the Cabinet has not yet discussed the ...

The hon. Gentleman is very well informed and of course, as we know, very bright, so perhaps he ca...

People have speculated that the net cost in terms of payments was about £10 billion a year, altho...

Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the net benefits has been peace and prosperity across Europ...

Yes, it is true that the benefits are not simply financial. There are social benefits as well as ...

Not only is the hon. Gentleman very wise, as my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edwa...

And we have not left the EU left. The hon. Gentleman makes the point that in any election or refe...

We rightly debate all the figures, including the infamous £350 million on the side of the bus, bu...

Yes, there is a sense that the nation should be talking about how to tackle the massive challenge...

I am a new Member here, and most of the people around the House do not have a clue who I am, but ...

At the very least, we should know what we are being asked to pay. We know that the Foreign Secret...

I am worried that my hon. Friend is going to move on from the important point that he has just ra...

My hon. Friend’s anger about this is correct. For all the bonhomie and swagger of the Secretary o...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I would like to make another point before I give way again.

This brings in the wider theme ...

The new clause goes to the heart of the argument made for the UK leaving the European Union: this...

I see the right hon. Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) nodding his head, so he agrees. He is an...

Has the hon. Gentleman considered whether his new clause would achieve that, because it is phrase...

The hon. and learned Gentleman, who considers these matters in great detail, will understand that...

My hon. Friend is exposing whether the Government are hiding facts from the House over the cost o...

No, and of course we are talking about the divorce bill now, even though we have had no sight of ...

Does the hon. Gentleman believe, as I do, that the Government have managed to convince themselves...

I do not want to get too side-tracked into my opinions on the advice given by the Legatum Institu...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will give way in a minute.

It is important the Committee realises that phase 2 is not tra...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the Bill is paving the way for a hard Brexit? The Bill is deal...

That is why so many of the amendments tabled by the right hon. Lady and by other hon. Members are...

Is my hon. Friend arguing that this country will spend up to £67 billion, over which Parliament w...

More or less, and that that relationship may never match, even partially, the arrangements that w...

Is my hon. Friend aware yet of the evidence the Chancellor gave to the Treasury Committee this af...

It is not just an absurdity; it is massively irresponsible for the Government to run headlong in ...

My hon. Friend is making a good case. There is a further cost that he is not taking into account,...

Yes. All hon. Members, not just the Government—there are such hon. Members even on the Labour Ben...

With his customary eloquence, the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Mr Leslie) has given a splendi...

I think the Government have gone further. They have said that if there is an agreement, primary l...

As so often, my right hon. Friend snatches the next words from my mouth. I was about to say that ...

The right hon. Gentleman makes a fair point about wanting to probe the details of the new clause,...

I do not think there is the slightest chance that a withdrawal agreement will be put before the H...

It is a real pleasure to be called to contribute. I wish to speak to new clause 80 and amendments...

I am just puzzling over how the Government think this will work. Has my hon. Friend thought about...

That is a very interesting point. As a fellow member of the Select Committee on Procedure for sev...

I was slightly not expecting to be called to speak then. I am very glad that I have been—honestly...

As well as upset Members in this House, does the hon. Lady not envisage thousands of upset people...

I absolutely agree. If the incredibly inadequate estimates procedure were used, an awful lot of m...

I agree with the hon. Lady to a large extent. We do not want hidden protocols whereby certain sec...

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman, with whom I used to serve on the Scottish Affairs Com...

I entirely agree with the points that the hon. Lady is making. It was interesting that this after...

I absolutely agree. I will come on to the more indirect costs in a moment, but first I want to me...

I do not know whether the hon. Lady is one of a number of MPs, including me, who put in a freedom...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his comments. I have heard that pretty insubstantial informa...

I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman). I share her bemuseme...

I just want to make sure that I have understood what my right hon. Friend is saying. Surely what ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The amendment simply constrains Ministers’ ability to introdu...

Before my right hon. Friend moves on, is it not worth considering those EU agencies, such as the ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We come directly to that point in amendment 153, in which we ...

The right hon. Gentleman is doing exactly what needs to be done in Committee, and I have consider...

I had not considered that, and the right hon. Gentleman may well have a point. I would be interes...

One of the points made to me by those in the industry is that if these fees and charges shoot up,...

Once again, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. Indeed, my amendments arise specifically from the...

Although new clause 17 may be otiose, to echo the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver L...

The right hon. Gentleman’s remarks so far are interesting. Is it not telling that those who urged...

I agree absolutely. That is why new clause 17, which the hon. Gentleman moved, is not otiose at a...

Speaking as one who voted to remain, I was disappointed on that Friday morning, but I accept the ...

I am absolutely not doing that. That is why I just referred to the idea of having a vote on the d...

Does my right hon. Friend not agree that we should call this process a confirmation of the first ...

I certainly agree with the intent behind what my hon. Friend says, although I would hesitate to c...

The right hon. Gentleman has sparked a highly relevant debate. The referendum asked whether we sh...

I agree. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will regret, as many Opposition Members and I do, that...

We have had a huge election within the past six months. The Conservative party went into that ele...

The clearest outcome of the general election was that the hon. Gentleman’s party lost its majorit...

We have discussed the Irish border an awful lot this week. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree th...

Absolutely; that is probably the only safe solution to the question of Ireland and Northern Irela...

The right hon. Gentleman is making an incredibly powerful case about the importance of data. Just...

The British public cannot but note the incompetence that our Government have shown. Whether they ...

The right hon. Gentleman mentions impact assessments. I wonder whether our 27 friends in the EU m...

We are here today debating the impact that the hon. Gentleman’s Government will have on every sin...

I want to speak in support of the new clause. I have listened to several hon. Members compare the...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful case for parliamentary sovereignty, clarity and transparency....

That clearly must be the case. There is an expectation on us to explain how the pounds, shillings...

When the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Mr Leslie) moved new clause 17 he made a number of wort...

The hon. Gentleman is being a little unfair. He should look at the text of the amendment, which s...

I am addressing the topic. Does the hon. Gentleman deny that he wishes to revoke article 50 and t...

The point that I made was that article 50 can be revoked if the British public wish that to be th...

The hon. Gentleman says he has pointed out a legal reality, but the Labour party’s position on al...

I have never heard anybody put this argument in quite this extreme way. The British public answer...

The right hon. and learned Gentleman, the Father of the House, has been a Member of Parliament fo...

Is not this debate bringing out the fact that the will of the people is a very mixed bag? Is it n...

The hon. Lady has made the point about having a second referendum on a number of occasions, and I...

The hon. Gentleman says that the proposal has been rejected. He might have heard me refer earlier...

Yes, and every single poll that I have read about myself and my party tells me that I have lost e...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the logic of the Lib Dems’ position—which they certainly did n...

My hon. Friend puts his finger on a very Irish solution to the problem. I remember the Lisbon tre...

I just want to get the hon. Gentleman on the record saying that, whatever happens to public opini...

In the same way that public opinion changed from 1973 to the present—

Order. I remind Members that we are supposed to be debating the financial provisions. We are stra...

I will take your instruction, Mr Hanson, but I think that the right hon. Member for Carshalton an...

I am pleased to have the opportunity to support new clause 17, moved with great elan by my hon. F...

Does the hon. Lady agree that a good way for the Government to publicise precisely how much the b...

That is a good, eminently sensible idea. I will return to the public’s attitude when I wind up my...

Does my hon. Friend agree that, considering our current trajectory under this Government, the oth...

My hon. Friend is right, but I am confining myself to the impact of new clauses 17 and 80.

...

We have all heard the famous phrase “a week is a long time in politics”. Well, it has now been al...

I am not sure whether the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Mr Leslie) listed as one of the costs ...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his remarks. We have no idea how much extra it is going to c...

Earlier in this debate, I was accused of having an extreme view on something. Is it not rather ex...

I recommend that the hon. Gentleman looks at what was said by the expert who provided evidence to...

Just to add a little more on that, these isotopes often have a half-life of six hours, which mean...

I thank the hon. Lady for adding to the evidence. We must listen to the evidence.

As we kno...

rose—

rose—

Order. I am happy to call both hon. Members—indeed, I have no discretion not to call the hon. Mem...

I am grateful for your comments, Mr Hanson. You are right I have not been present in this particu...

To clarify a point, the 2015 Labour manifesto opposed a referendum; Labour was led then by my rig...

I have to say that I found it a bit curious, having voted for a referendum for many years, to fin...

I am incredibly grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. I accept the point that there could be...

I do not know what decisions will be made. I believe that the Government are likely to pay too mu...

Whatever my hon. Friend’s feelings towards the European Union, he has just said that he fears tha...

I hope that my hon. Friend was listening to me when I was arguing in favour of transparency. I wa...

rose—

I am sorry about this, Mr Hanson. I will not give way again after this intervention, because I di...

As a member of the Labour party, the hon. Gentleman should understand the word “solidarity”. He h...

There could be a very long answer to that question, which I will not give. All I will say is that...

I was here for seven hours on Monday before I spoke, so I feel that I can say at least a few word...

I thank right hon. and hon. Members for their participation in this debate. I congratulate the ho...

Does the Minister accept that we should hope that those fees and charges will be lower than those...

I am happy to tell the right hon. Gentleman that, as a good Conservative, I certainly hope to red...

The Minister says that there will be an opportunity to vote on the finances, but only as part of ...

I am confused by the hon. Gentleman, because he is such a diligent Member of the House. I explain...

In future it may be necessary to do all sorts of things, but surely the powers in this Bill shoul...

This Bill, first and foremost, is about exiting the European Union successfully, with certainty, ...

I am sorry to interrupt the Minister, but there is quite a lot of hubble and bubble from Members ...

Thank you, Mr Hanson.

The power is available only if the public authority is taking on a ne...

The Minister said that he thought that all the amendments muddied the water, but he has also said...

As the hon. Lady would expect me to say, what I want is Parliament to have proper control over ou...

I have heard what the Minister said. In fact, he even had the gall to use the phrase, “take back ...