Contributions
550 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActIt is a pleasure to open this debate on global Britain and the economy as we consider how to honour the decision made by the British people, in a democratic referendum, to leave…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThe advice I will give to the hon. Gentleman is this. The point was raised in the previous Session that no House can bind its successor, but 80% of Members of this House were…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will give way to my hon. Friend, and then I will give way on a number of occasions later on.14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThe very act of spending that £9 million, given the outcome of the referendum, shows quite how easy it is to waste Government money. It is clear that there are three possible…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThe hon. Gentleman confirms my wisdom in not giving way to him. It is clear that there are three possible outcomes to our deliberations. I want to say at the outset that Members…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will give way in a moment. The UK has an excellent economic success story to tell. Since a Conservative-led Government came to power in 2010, exports have grown by 38.1%, at…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will come to the specifics of the freedom to negotiate free trade agreements and the Opposition’s policy on that. The point I was making was that when we voted to leave the…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActAs the law stands, were there to be no changes, we would automatically leave the European Union on 29 March. If that piece of legislation was, however, changed by one means or…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will give way to the hon. Lady, if only because of her patience and tenacity.14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActAs usual, my right hon. Friend makes her point concisely. The argument has come from a wide range of business sectors that, while they can price in risk, they cannot price in…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising a very important point. Yes, the Government’s intention is, of course, that we will get this deal through, in which case, when it comes…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThat is why it is to our mutual advantage to get a free trade agreement with the European Union. I hear people say that it would be fine simply to leave purely on World Trade…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will give way again in a little while. World trade is at a pivotal moment. We are at the intersection of a series of major global trends—trends so seismic that they have…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActPerhaps the hon. Lady was not listening to the answer I gave earlier, but that process is getting to the point where we are likely to be signing some of those agreements in the…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThe Department for International Trade is putting increased resources into improving the elements we have to enable businesses to operate online, and we will continue to do so. We…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will not go back over the ground that the Prime Minister went over extensively this afternoon, but I would say that we perhaps need to take cognisance of the wording of the…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActWhy not? I will give way to the hon. Gentleman again. I am feeling extraordinarily generous.14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActThe hon. Gentleman should not put himself down in that way; that is normally the business of those on the other side of the House. It is clear that if we do not accept a…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI will give way one more time before I finish. It is time to consign the divisions of the referendum to the past. It is time to raise our sights and acknowledge that there is a…14 Jan 2019HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal) ActI think that my right hon. and learned Friend, in making his points so succinctly, has just saved himself several hours of waiting. I believe that having a deal is preferable to…14 Jan 2019