Contributions
1,092 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI will give way in due course, if I may, because I will come on to the specific amendments, and it might be more prudent to give way at those points to the individual Members.…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI am in full agreement with you, Dame Eleanor, and I am coming rapidly to a conclusion with my points on new clauses 1, 2 and 3, which relate to the Government’s approach to…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillMy right hon. Friend makes an excellent point, as usual. I have to say that I have never heard those requests. Amendment 10, again tabled by the hon. Member for Foyle, relates to…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI begin by thanking Members across the Chamber for their participation on Second Reading. I want to allow for thorough debate of the Bill in Committee, and to facilitate that, and…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillMy right hon. Friend is conflating two issues. I will come to necessity in due course. My hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst also mentioned article 16, and the…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI am very conscious of the time and the number of amendments I have to get through, but I will give way again.13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI am not giving way, as I have indicated. I will give way in due course. It has long been the position that the Northern Ireland protocol and negotiations regarding it are, like…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI thank my right hon. Friend for making that point. With your permission, Dame Eleanor, I will speak to amendment 25 and new clause 7 together, which are in the name of the hon.…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI will not give way. The European Union is not willing to entertain the changes that are necessary to fix the issues with the protocol, so the Government’s judgment is that,…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillIt is long-standing convention for very good reason that legal advice is not published in full. We know that, famously, from the Labour Government a couple of decades ago, when…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillIf I may, I will make some progress. The amendment is well-intentioned, but I hope the Committee will understand that our priority as a Government is to proceed in a way that best…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his intervention. “Urgent” does not necessarily mean “immediate”; it means, “As soon as we can reasonably and practically do it.” I think he…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillMy understanding is that Sinn Féin is willing to go back in and has not set preconditions. That is the actuality of the position, rather than the hypothesis raised by the hon.…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI will come on to the hon. Gentleman’s question—forgive me; I was distracted. Would he reiterate his point?13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI will because it is the hon. Lady’s amendment.13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillOf course, it takes two sides to discuss such matters and come to a solution. I think it has been accepted by all who have spoken so far that there has been some intransigence on…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI commend to the hon. Lady the legal memorandum that was published by the Government. It is, I think, only the second time that a Government of the day has published such a legal…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI am sure that my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst will have heard what my hon. Friend has said. I will now turn to amendment 27 and new clause 9, tabled by the…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillI hope to come to the right hon. Member’s point more specifically in due course, if he will bear with me. I want first to turn to amendment 5. We have always been serious about…13 Jul 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillForgive me, but may I move on to the issue of necessity, since a number of Members have mentioned that and it may be relevant? On amendment 6, I understand the desire of the hon.…13 Jul 2022