European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

I must draw the House’s attention to the fact that financial privilege is engaged by Lords amendm...

I beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 110.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Lords amendment 128, and Governme...

Let me start with the obiter dictum that there is a difference between eating into time and exhau...

Does the Secretary of State recall that on page 21 of the original White Paper on the great repea...

With great respect, the hon. and learned Lady is a lawyer, and she knows that the words in an Act...

I understand the point that my right hon. Friend is making, but I have to say that I am not sure ...

My right hon. and learned Friend, as I have known for a long time, is a very good lawyer, but I a...

I am rather sorry that my right hon. Friend is so distrustful of judges on what are essentially p...

I hear my right hon. and learned Friend—and old friend, because we are still capable of having a ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

If the hon. Lady will forgive me, I will make a little progress, because I am quite sure that my ...

rose—

I give way to the hon. Gentleman who has campaigned long on this issue.

I am very grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way. What the Lords amendment seeks to do...

I start by saying to the hon. Gentleman that I respect his point of view. He has the honesty to s...

rose—

I will give way in a moment.

It is accepted practice that Governments negotiate treaties, a...

rose—

I give way to the right hon. Gentleman. I do hope the Whip’s Office was not responsible for his i...

I hope that our Whip’s Office is kinder than the Government’s Whip’s Office will be in getting th...

The right hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. It is certainly the case that the European Comm...

rose—

I want to make a little progress, and then I will give way again.

Furthermore, the Lords am...

I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for giving way. It is not clear what the choices a...

People keep using the phrase “meaningful vote”. What it conceals in some cases, and I suspect tha...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I will give way in a moment.

The Government have also made provisions to allow the vote to ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

Not for the moment, no.

Secondly, we have removed Parliament’s power to give binding negoti...

rose—

I will give way in a moment.

Instead, we have provided that, in the event that Parliament r...

I think that everybody in this House would accept my right hon. Friend’s proposition that we cann...

If there were no deal for some reason other than the House rejecting it—it is incredibly, almost ...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for giving way. I recognise some of the problems that he ha...

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his view on this. He sort of expressed it in an amen...

Will my right hon. Friend allow me?

In a moment.

We cannot do that. This constitutional structure has stood for hundreds of yea...

Will the Secretary of State give way?

Not for the moment.

Thirdly, we must—under all circumstances—respect the result of the refe...

Is not the kernel of the problem that all the amendments tabled by my right hon. and learned Frie...

My hon. Friend goes to the heart of the problem, which is that we have to consider that anything ...

May I start by paying tribute to their lordships for the diligent and considered manner in which ...

Rather than praising the Lords for the number of amendments they have passed, would it not be mor...

I respect my hon. Friend’s argument and his long-held views, but I have to fundamentally disagree...

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way, and pay tribute to the work that our Front-B...

My hon. Friend makes a good point. There is nothing more damaging. As the Secretary of State hims...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am just going to make some progress.

Lords amendment 19 is of critical importance. In man...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way.

Order. No discourtesy intended to the right hon. Gentleman, but I think that the hon. Member for ...

Is it not the case that some of the staunchest Brexiteers, including the Secretary of State himse...

That is absolutely right, and I thank my hon. Friend for that point.

Some people in this House have been quite clear that they want to prevent Brexit. Others disguise...

I have to disagree with my right hon. Friend’s point. I did not say that there were no lordships ...

Order. I know that the hon. Gentleman is not accusing any individual Member of being disingenuous...

I am happy to clarify that.

That is good enough. The hon. Gentleman may continue.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

As I was saying, the choice that faces us under the Government’s ame...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make a bit of progress.

However, we also recognised at Committee stage that t...

Would the hon. Gentleman care to reflect on the fact that the decision to transfer the vote to th...

The hon. Gentleman makes the same point as many others have done, and I have dealt with it in say...

Would it not be one of the most supreme ironies of this entire Brexit debacle if, at the end of i...

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. The Commission cannot approve the deal on the European Uni...

My hon. Friend is making the points about a meaningful vote with a great deal of power. Does he a...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is the choice that faces every hon. Member in the Chambe...

rose—

rose—

I am going to make some progress.

I want to return to amendment 7 in the name of the right ...

I am going to make some more progress.

With their new clause, their lordships have develope...

The hon. Gentleman said earlier that no Lords amendment is intended to frustrate the result of th...

If such a scenario were to occur—this is the important point; I take head on what the hon. Gentle...

rose—

No, I am going to make some progress.

The aim of this amendment is to establish a clear pro...

I am not giving way; I will make some progress.

The amendment is about ensuring that in a s...

My hon. Friend has said that supporting this amendment would not necessarily lead to a resolution...

My hon. Friend is dealing in hypotheticals. Under that scenario, it might be the case that an hon...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is Government’s job to bring forward policy and Parliament’s jo...

My right hon. Friend makes a good point.

Lords amendment 19 is about trusting this sovereig...

rose—

I will not give way.

In contrast, the Government’s amendment (a) in lieu of amendment 19, w...

rose—

I am not going to give way at this point.

Yes, the amendment provides for a statutory guara...

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rose—

I am not giving way; I will make some progress.

It almost beggars belief. The vast majority...

Does my hon. Friend understand that Labour voters in the midlands and the north, who voted in lar...

I will tell my hon. Friend how we will explain it to them. We will say that their lordships asked...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am going to make some progress.

There has been a considerable amount of debate over the p...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will give way one final time.

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way. I put it to him gently that his proposition p...

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. Crashing out of the European Union without a deal is exactly ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I said that that was the last intervention; I am not giving way again.

I want to turn brief...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am not going to give way; I am going to conclude.

The question of what form parliamentary...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am not going to give way at this stage.

The amendments in this group are, at their core, ...

Thank you for calling me, Mr Speaker. I will try to be as brief as I can. Everybody knows that th...

Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

I will not, I am afraid, because had the suggestion been put to my hon. Friend during the Maastri...

You’ve got to give way to him now; you’ve mentioned him.

I thought my hon. Friend and I had debated this quite long enough for everybody already, but I wi...

Will my right hon. and learned Friend explain whether he believes it is possible, with the meanin...

I am grateful my hon. Friend—he is a genuine personal friend, and always has been—and he has brou...

Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

No, I have taken too long already. I apologise to my right hon. Friend.

The Government woul...

Yes.

“Yes,” says my hon. Friend behind me. That is what he wants.

Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

No, I will not give way.

It would be a yes/no vote. Members may not like the deal, but if t...

No, I want to make two more points. I will now be very brief, and I will not expound on all the p...

Thank you for calling me, Mr Speaker. It is always a daunting prospect to follow the right hon. a...

The hon. Gentleman is right to suggest that, rather than deriding the House of Lords, we should b...

The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point. It seems like the definition of an enemy of the people is...

Is the hon. Gentleman saying that the SNP’s official position is that we should stop Brexit outri...

I am not quite sure how to break this to the right hon. Gentleman, but nothing would please me mo...

The hon. Gentleman confirms that he and his party want to keep Scotland in the European Union. Ca...

Certainly not, as currently constituted. If there were a common fisheries policy that actually pr...

Is my hon. Friend aware that the front page of today’s Financial Times refers to a shortage of do...

Few of us can speak on the fishing industry with such knowledge and authority as my hon. Friend.<...

Is the hon. Gentleman as outraged as I am that it looks as though we will have no possibility to ...

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that we are quite used to seeing Government Ministers aband...

The hon. Gentleman has been very generous in giving way. Surely we cannot ignore a referendum tha...

I never suggested that, although it is perhaps worth remembering that at least one of the right h...

rose—

rose—

I won’t give way because I know a number of people who did not support the programme motion will ...

Order. I remind the House of what it knows, namely that the time available for this debate is ver...

I agree with the hon. Member for Glenrothes (Peter Grant) that we should use the language of resp...

My hon. Friend will remember that we had many hours of debate and decisive votes before we sent t...

I agree with that. As I was saying, although it is perfectly in order for the other place to try ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No.

Will my hon. Friend give way?

My hon. Friend takes a very different point of view from me, so in all courtesy, I give way, but ...

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. Does he agree that the amendment tabled by m...

No, I do not agree. I talked to my right hon. Friend the Brexit Secretary earlier today. He simpl...

These arguments were put—almost as forcefully as my hon. Friend is putting them—when we had our d...

I am afraid that my right hon. and learned Friend was not listening to his own speech. Was I not ...

Many Members will today be speaking under pressure or while considering different interests. Some...

Does not the right hon. Gentleman concede that when Lord Bilimoria introduced Lords amendment 19,...

The House would have to vote in that way, fully conscious of what it was doing. We just have to w...

Stop Brexit.

No, but stopping Brexit is one option we need to consider.

Although Lords amendment 19 take...

I will complete my remarks and then let others contribute.

Our amendment (a) to Lords amend...

rose—

I think the right hon. Gentleman has completed his speech.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

Order. The right hon. Member for Twickenham (Sir Vince Cable) cannot give way; he has concluded h...

I was amused to discover that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was a little taken abac...

My concern about my right hon. and learned Friend’s amendment is that it would change the constit...

I take my hon. Friend’s point, but I would like him to consider for one moment the last part of m...

I agree with what my right hon. and learned Friend is saying. I think that, far from suggesting t...

I agree entirely with my right hon. Friend. Let me explain. I did take on board the Government’s ...

Of course I accept that my right hon. and learned Friend and other colleagues wish to discuss fur...

I take my hon. and learned Friend’s comments at face value, and I am most grateful to him for mak...

Overnight, I read my right hon. and learned Friend’s amendment (ii) to Government amendment (a) v...

Again, I am very grateful to my hon. and learned Friend, and let me say to the House that I do no...

I can give my right hon. and learned Friend that assurance. Everything that I do with him and oth...

I am grateful to my hon. and learned Friend. I was glad to hear what he said about the principle—...

As usual, I am listening very carefully to my right hon. and learned Friend’s observations. They ...

Order. I do apologise, but the Solicitor General must address the House. This is not a private co...

Of course, Mr Speaker. I was about to give a clear undertaking to use my right hon. and learned F...

I am grateful to my hon. and learned Friend. Obviously the House will have to make up its mind ab...

I know that the Solicitor General has spoken in good faith, but would it not be best for those di...

I fear not. I think the reality is that if we accept the Lords amendment, that will be the end of...

Both my right hon. and learned Friend and I accept without hesitation the good will of our hon. a...

I am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend. I think that we will hear more about that as t...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No. I am sorry.

Let me end by saying this. The idea that it is wrong, in a crisis, for Parl...

Order. We will have one more speech of up to 10 minutes, but then the limit will have to be cut, ...

It is with some hesitation that I involve myself in the negotiation that the Government are clear...

Given all that the right hon. Gentleman has been outlining, is it not fascinating that when Brexi...

I say to the hon. Gentleman that the British people have made their decision about the fact that ...

I will not give way again as many other Members wish to speak.

The question is: who decides...

The only opportunity.

My hon. Friend is correct: it is the only opportunity to make it clear to the Government that we ...

Order. I am sorry to disappoint colleagues but do so in the spirit of maximisation: a six-minute ...

I have never written a speech before and then had it typed out, Mr Speaker, and now I do not know...

The right hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry) has spoken with passion and clarity, and above a...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I am not going to give way. There are lots of others who want to speak—[Interruption.] No, si...

We have to be realistic, and there is an issue here. If the Government wanted to accept the entir...

That is right, and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I suggest that it is far better t...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I will not give way.

Ministers can come and go, but we across this Chamber need that le...

Does my hon. Friend recall that, during the general election, the Prime Minister said that she wa...

My hon. Friend says it perfectly. We would be failing in our duty if we were simply to delegate a...

rose—

I want to conclude. The other problem with the deal is the future relationship, because when that...

Order. With the last speech on the six-minute limit, I call Sir William Cash.

3.30 pm

I am somewhat troubled by what the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Mr Leslie) just said, not lea...

It has been said that the amendment of my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Beaconsfie...

I am most grateful to my hon. Friend, because I have the texts of the two amendments in front of ...

Order. The hon. Gentleman must be heard. I have never known him to be shouted down, and now is no...

Thank you, Mr Speaker. You did quite a good job to shout down the shouter downers.

The real...

My hon. Friend knows that I am not a remoaner and that I am completely committed to delivering Br...

I absolutely disagree with the notion that this House has the right to overturn the decision take...

Order. The hon. Gentleman has concluded his oration, and we are grateful to him. The time limit i...

The most important point is that we should not be complacent about no deal, first of all for secu...

Resigning ministerial office has been an incredibly difficult decision. I did that in order to su...

Congratulations and well done, sir.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that. I believe there is growing evidence that shows the Brexit ...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on his courageous decision. Does he agree that there is no majority...

I agree with my hon. Friend on that and would add that I am not convinced there is a majority for...

The hon. Member for Bracknell (Dr Lee) said that if Brexit is worth doing, it is worth doing well...

Did the hon. Lady note that the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Sir Vince Cable) talked in his ...

I agree with the hon. Lady. I also think that the people of this country will see through Lords a...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No, I will not.

The people of this country will see that Lords amendment 19 is really about...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No, I will not.

If Lords amendment 19 is agreed to, it will be a recipe for the EU to try t...

In addition to the referendum, will the hon. Lady reflect on the fact that at last year’s general...

The hon. Gentleman is right that all the manifestos referred to honouring Brexit by leaving the c...

Order. We will now have a three-minute limit.

In the three minutes available, let me just focus on what I think is at the heart of the argument...

I was utterly horrified when I saw this morning’s headlines in The Sun and the Daily Express. Tho...

When I talk to people on Dover high street about the situation with Europe, they say to me, “Why ...

I want to focus my remarks on Lords amendment 19, which is about the fundamental question of the ...

The hon. Lady claims that she is very worried about the fact that we could have a bad deal or no ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that comment, but I do not agree.

Legislation is passed in t...

As a remainer who voted to remain and campaigned heavily to remain, and who would do so again if ...

I have heard a number of times that the meaningful vote might or would enable the European Union ...

I find that assessment of the circumstances very hard to follow. We are not negotiating on our ow...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. I want to reiterate the commitment that I have given at th...

I advise the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton that others wish to speak.

I am about to conclude, Mr Speaker.

The amendment would hand over the negotiating advantage...

I would like Members to speak for two minutes each and no more.

I say to the Secretary of State that if he goes naked to the negotiating table—flaunting it all—i...

The key difference between Lords amendment 19 and Government amendment (a) is that, in the event ...

I call Frank Field. You have two minutes.

Two great dramas are being played out. The Father of the House asked how we, as part of a represe...

But two thirds of Labour voters voted to remain.

I am not disputing that. If my hon. Friend wants to intervene, he can do so and give me another m...

rose—

I give way.

May I just say to the right hon. Gentleman that with regard to the issues we have been discussing...

For the referendum, it was not four sides, but a small telephone directory of people—they are gen...

I want to say how grateful I am that the Lords have given the consideration they have to the Bill...

I think it would be very helpful to the House if the hon. Lady could spell out in a little more d...

Order. I am sorry, but time is up— [Interruption.] Order. We are all governed by the programme mo...

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Having failed to secure three days of debate on the Lords amendm...

I am most grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his point of order and for his courtesy in giv...

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I want to raise a real concern among Labour Members. We voted ag...

Order. Mr Bowie, you are usually the epitome of urbanity and restraint. There is an enormous amou...

Insufficient parliamentary time has been allocated for debate. We presented an alternative progra...

I always take the hon. Gentleman extremely seriously—[Interruption.] Order. I most certainly do. ...

rose—

rose—

Order. I think that it is better if we—[Interruption.] Order. I am saving the right hon. Member f...

rose—

I am coming to the hon. Gentleman, too.

Lords amendments 11 to 14, 18, 21 to 23, 44, 47, 10...

As the House is in a state of repose, I suggest, building on earlier conversations that perfectly...

indicated dissent.

No. He will come to it afterwards. Very good; I am grateful to him for his guidance.

I beg to move Government amendment (a) to Lords amendment 25.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Lords amendment 25, and Governmen...

This group of amendments covers two subjects: first, the operation of competences returning to th...

Is the right hon. Gentleman not ashamed, embarrassed and appalled that we have only 15 minutes to...

No. I think that the Government allowed perfectly adequate time for debate on these issues. As th...

Does not the Minister agree that there might be more confidence in the Government’s approach if h...

The purpose of a parliamentary process is to examine in detail. In respect of these clauses, the ...

Is it not the case that the Minister is placing legal constraints on the Governments of Wales and...

It is simply not possible, by legislation, to constrain the UK Parliament. The UK Parliament is s...

I am grateful to the Minister for giving way. Does he not acknowledge that when we passed the Sco...

Not only do the agreements that we have reached with the Welsh Government and embodied in these a...

At a time when President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the most difficult of partners, can show t...

My hon. Friend puts his finger on the truth. It is of course a great disappointment that the Labo...

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the 119 powers coming to the Scottish Parliament and the 2...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for reminding the House that we should bear in mind, when listeni...

While Government MPs and the SNP fight over flags, I would rather fight for my constituents, so c...

I say to the hon. Gentleman, who I suspect does not share the views of the Labour party at Holyro...

Will the Minister accept that the programme motion passed earlier today has led to the ridiculous...

There is a balance between my giving way frequently and allowing more time for others to speak. I...

I welcome the decision to tidy up the jurisdiction and sovereignty issues raised in the House of ...

I can confirm that the right hon. Gentleman’s interpretation of the Government amendment in lieu ...

The Minister will be well aware that there is considerable concern in Northern Ireland that we sh...

As the hon. Lady knows, Ministers in the United Kingdom Government have no power to direct or eve...