My Lords, I will speak briefly to the amendments in this group, particularly Amendment 343, to which my noble friend the Duke of Wellington has already spoken.
The Government frequently tell us from the Dispatch Box that they require flexibility in the negotiations, despite at the very beginning having ruled out the customs union, the single market and anything to do with the Court of Justice. Almost every single day brings to the forefront new problems that have not been recognised to date. Whether it is Gibraltar, Northern Ireland, the motor trade or pharmaceuticals, the difficulties are enhanced by our inability to contemplate the arrangements that we have already ruled out. I fear that the Government still refuse to tell people that the method of executing what they apparently see as a binding instruction to leave is deeply flawed. It would be possible to leave and remain in the customs union and the single market and recognise the Court of Justice for certain purposes. Indeed, this is being recognised in the proposed transition or implementation agreements which are being talked about.
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I say to my noble friend on the Front Bench that this amendment seeks to remove yet another self-imposed fetter on our ability to operate in the interests of the country. We have heard that this arbitrary date was
added, and we all know the reasons for it. However, the interests of people whose main interest appears to be our exit in almost any circumstances, however disastrous, must not be allowed to determine what is in the Bill. If the date is removed, it will give the Government the flexibility that they constantly claim they want in these matters. It does not threaten the Bill and it is not designed to thwart the will of the people but to ensure that the Government may act in the best interests of the country and the people rather than the interests of a small number of anti-EU ideologues.