Contributions
1,165 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillMy hon. Friend makes an important point. I think I chose that date primarily because the Prime Minister initially suggested that she may seek a short extension until, say, June.…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillYes, but it does so through a Bill and it gives the Prime Minister the opportunity to make her case to Parliament, but without any constraint on that at all. Given that this is a…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillI thank my hon. Friend for all that. One problem with this whole negotiation is getting hung up over some clause or other in some EU treaty when we all—we or the EU—face a much…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillThere will always be issues when legislation of this sort is drafted. This is unorthodox legislation, an unusual type of Bill, and that is why the two amendments I tabled seek to…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillI understand the right hon. Lady’s point. I simply say that Sweden, unlike Denmark and the UK, never had an opt-out from joining the euro, but it held a referendum that decided it…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillMy hon. Friend makes an important point. It is why, given the rushed nature of the Bill—we all understand the reasons for that—it is necessary to place constraints on the scope of…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillI do not agree, because subsection (3), as amended by amendment 20, would mean that it would not be possible to have a date in a motion under subsection (2) that went beyond 30…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillI thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. Subsection (3) would have to not exist for the point of the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) to be valid.…03 Apr 2019HANSARD European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 5) BillWell, we have all had a little time to look at the Bill, but my understanding is that amendment 20 would insert a maximum time limit and that subsection (5) would then be subject…03 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesDoes my hon. Friend not have at least some sympathy for the argument that Vote Leave was under investigation by the Electoral Commission—a full-scale legal investigation? Given…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesDoes the hon. Gentleman not accept that the direction that Mr Speaker gave at the beginning of the debate was for an important reason? This is a serious discussion of an…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesDoes my right hon. Friend agree that we need to be mindful of the unintended consequences if we were to introduce a stronger sanction on witnesses for failing to appear? What if,…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesWill my hon. Friend confirm, then, that it is his view that it is illegitimate for Ministers ever to claim that they cannot give evidence to a Committee because legal proceedings…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesI understand the point that my hon. Friend is making, but is there not also an issue of consistency? I am told that Mark Zuckerberg also declined to give evidence to the Committee…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesI recall, as a Minister, having agreed to give evidence to a Committee of the Welsh Assembly and being told that it was not Government policy for Ministers in Westminster to…02 Apr 2019HANSARD PrivilegesThe argument that my hon. Friend is making is a curious one, because Dominic Cummings was the director of Vote Leave, and the investigation into Vote Leave was ongoing. As the…02 Apr 2019HANSARD EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship (Motions)For some time, I favoured a simpler and swifter Brexit, based on our leaving the European Union but rejoining the European Free Trade Association, and in so doing, making our…01 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe UK has some of the highest standards of animal welfare in the world, but American attitudes to farm animal welfare remain very backward. Given that there is now a cross-party…28 Mar 2019HANSARD EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship (Motions)I rise in support of motion (H), which stands in my name. It involves leaving the European Union but rejoining the European Free Trade Association and relying on our existing…27 Mar 2019HANSARDdraft Common Organisation of the Markets in Agricultural Products Framework (miscellaneous amendments, etc.) (eu exit) Regulations 2019
Draft Common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and common agricultural policy (miscellaneous amendments) (eu exit) regulations 2019
Draft Agriculture (Legislative Fuctions) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2019All we are doing with the SIs is substituting “a member state” for “national authority”, or replacing “Commission” with “the appropriate authority”, simply to make the existing…26 Mar 2019