Contributions
464 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI am second to none in my admiration and acknowledgment of my right hon. and learned Friend’s experience in this House, but I say to him, having served six years as Minister for…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionBut paragraph 12 explains why, because it describes a scenario in which the United Kingdom had not participated in European Parliament elections and did not have any duly elected…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionThe hon. Gentleman asks a perfectly fair question, but he will also know that the Electoral Commission is a statutorily independent body—it does not fall under ministerial…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI did explain this earlier in my remarks. What the Government have expressed in our motion and what I am trying to put before the House is that there is basically a choice of two…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI am not going to give way again for a while, Mr Speaker, because when I spoke in the Chamber about a week ago, you gently chided me for having gone on for too long, and when I…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionNo, I am not giving way again for a while. I hope that the factual document that the Government published this morning, coupled with the latest statement from the President of the…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionThough I have the utmost respect for Eleanor Sharpston, that view is very different from the views that have been expressed to us very clearly by the institutions of the European…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI have not seen that particular item, but my understanding is that the legal service of the European Parliament has made it very clear that it does not see that an extension is…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionIt would be a decision for the House to take were that to happen. It was open to the hon. Gentleman to table an amendment to that effect today had he wished to do so. These are…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI agree with the hon. Gentleman to this extent: the only way we can move forward, whether we are looking at the immediate future or the longer term, is for this House to come…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionMy right hon. Friend is right. I do not detect from my conversations in Strasbourg much enthusiasm among Members of the European Parliament for another contingent of British MEPs…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionFrom memory, I think that my right hon. Friend repeated this from the Dispatch Box last night, so I am happy to record again that undertaking by the Prime Minister and the…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI do not disagree with my right hon. Friend, but the remedy for the House is to rally behind an actual deal that allows our exit from the EU to take place.14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionAs I said earlier, the Government are giving a commitment that, if it is not possible to secure support ahead of the European Council for our withdrawal under the negotiated deal,…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI really do not think that there is a big difference between what the right hon. Lady quotes and what I said earlier. The commitment is there, in Hansard , as she says, from the…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI will give way to my hon. Friend, who is a former distinguished Member of the European Parliament.14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionMy hon. Friend makes a powerful point. Members of this House, whichever side they have taken in the numerous debates that we have had on European matters, should not underestimate…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionI will not give way. I am conscious that I have been speaking for a long time. Other Members wish to speak, so I am going to make progress now. I want to finish what I am saying…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionNo. I apologise to hon. Friends and Opposition Members who wish to intervene, but I have given way many times, and I have tried to be fair to Members of all political parties…14 Mar 2019HANSARD UK’s Withdrawal from the European UnionNo. I am not giving way; I am sorry. I beg the hon. Lady’s pardon, but I have given way many times. I hope she will have the opportunity to catch your eye later, Mr Speaker. If I…14 Mar 2019