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well. Statement, the Prime Minister. | :00:00. | :00:08. | |
Thank you Mr Speaker. And Mr Speaker, before I turn to the | :00:09. | :00:14. | |
European council, I am sure that the whole house will want to join me in | :00:15. | :00:21. | |
sending our congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen as she marks her | :00:22. | :00:25. | |
Sapphire jubilee today. It is testament to Her Majesty's devotion | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
to the nation she is not marking becoming our first monarch to rein | :00:31. | :00:33. | |
with any special celebration but getting on with the job to which she | :00:34. | :00:37. | |
has dedicated her life. And on behalf of the whole country I | :00:38. | :00:43. | |
am proud to offer Her Majesty our humble than Forbes a life of | :00:44. | :00:51. | |
extraordinary service, long may she continue to rein over us all. | :00:52. | :00:55. | |
Britain is leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving | :00:56. | :00:59. | |
Europe. And a global Britain that stands tall in the world, will be a | :01:00. | :01:02. | |
Britain that remains a good friend and ally to all our European | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
partners. So at this summit we showed how Britain will continue to | :01:07. | :01:09. | |
play a leading role in Europe, long after we have left the EU. In | :01:10. | :01:13. | |
particular, through our contribution to the challenge of imagining mass | :01:14. | :01:17. | |
migration, through our special relationship with America, and | :01:18. | :01:19. | |
through the new and equal partnership we want to build between | :01:20. | :01:25. | |
the EU, and an independent global Britain. Let me take each in turn. | :01:26. | :01:30. | |
First on migration. The discussion focussed in particular, on the route | :01:31. | :01:34. | |
from Libya across the central Med trainian, as I have argued we need a | :01:35. | :01:38. | |
comprehensive and co-ordinated approach, and that is what this | :01:39. | :01:42. | |
council agreed. This includes working hard, in support of an | :01:43. | :01:46. | |
inclusive political settlement to stabilise Libya, which will not only | :01:47. | :01:50. | |
help to tackle migration flows but counter-terrorism. | :01:51. | :01:55. | |
It means working to reduce the poor factors to encourage people to risk | :01:56. | :01:59. | |
their live, building the capacity to the Libyan, to return hieings to | :02:00. | :02:03. | |
their own shore, and hem them return home. It means looking beyond Libya | :02:04. | :02:08. | |
and moving further up stream, including by urgently implementing | :02:09. | :02:12. | |
the EU ex entering investment plan to help create more opportunities in | :02:13. | :02:17. | |
migrant's home countries and by helping genuine refugees to claim | :02:18. | :02:20. | |
asylum in the first safe country they reach. It means better | :02:21. | :02:24. | |
distinguishing between economic migrants and refugee, swiftly | :02:25. | :02:28. | |
returning those who have no right to remain, and there by sending a | :02:29. | :02:32. | |
deterrence message to others thinking of embarrassing on perilous | :02:33. | :02:36. | |
journeys and the council agreed action in all of these areas. | :02:37. | :02:39. | |
Britain is already playing a leading role in the region, at this summit I | :02:40. | :02:45. | |
announced further step, including support if Libyan coastguard and | :02:46. | :02:51. | |
more than ?30 million of aid for the vulnerable refugees. | :02:52. | :02:59. | |
Britain is also setting up an 8 million pound protection fund to | :03:00. | :03:02. | |
help men, women and children in the Mediterranean region safe from | :03:03. | :03:08. | |
trafficking, to help keep men, women and children safe from trafficking | :03:09. | :03:12. | |
sexual violence and labour exploitation as part of our | :03:13. | :03:16. | |
commitment to tackle modern slavery. The council agrees we should do | :03:17. | :03:19. | |
everything possible to deter this horrific crime, including by | :03:20. | :03:22. | |
introducing tough penalties for those who trade in human misery, and | :03:23. | :03:27. | |
by working together, to secure the necessary evidence for prosecutions, | :03:28. | :03:30. | |
that can put these criminals behind bars where they belong. | :03:31. | :03:35. | |
Mr Speaker, turning to America, I opened a discussion on engaging the | :03:36. | :03:39. | |
new administration, and I was able to relay the conversation I had with | :03:40. | :03:43. | |
President Trump at the White House, about the important history o | :03:44. | :03:46. | |
cooperation between the United States and the country countries of | :03:47. | :03:50. | |
Europe. In particular, I confirms that the | :03:51. | :03:54. | |
President declared his commitment to Nato as the cornerstone of our | :03:55. | :03:58. | |
security in the west. But I also made clear that every country needs | :03:59. | :04:02. | |
to share the burden and play its full part, meeting the Nato target | :04:03. | :04:07. | |
of spending 2% on defence, because Mr Speaker, it is only by investing | :04:08. | :04:12. | |
properly in our defence we can ensure we are properly equip to keep | :04:13. | :04:17. | |
our people safe. I was able to relay my discussion with President Trump | :04:18. | :04:22. | |
on the importance of maintaining the sanctions regime in Russia. I very | :04:23. | :04:26. | |
much welcome the strong words last week from the new US ambassador to | :04:27. | :04:32. | |
the UN in confirming America's continued support for the sanctions. | :04:33. | :04:38. | |
Of course, there is some areas we disagree with the new approach and | :04:39. | :04:41. | |
we should be clear about that and the values that underpin our | :04:42. | :04:43. | |
response to the globe challenges we face. | :04:44. | :04:47. | |
But I also argued at this council, that we should encage patiently and | :04:48. | :04:52. | |
constructively with America, as a friend and ally, an ally that has | :04:53. | :04:56. | |
helped guarantee the longest period of peace Europe has known. We should | :04:57. | :05:01. | |
be clear, Mr Speaker narks the am terntive o division and | :05:02. | :05:04. | |
confrontation would only embolden those who would do us harm where | :05:05. | :05:08. | |
ever they maybe. Finally turning to Brexit. European leaders welcomed | :05:09. | :05:12. | |
the clarity of the objectives we have set out for the negotiation | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
ahead. They warmly welcomed our ambition to build a new partnership | :05:17. | :05:19. | |
between Britain and the European Union, that is in the interests of | :05:20. | :05:24. | |
both sides. They also welcomed the recognition | :05:25. | :05:28. | |
that we in Britain want to see a strong and successful European | :05:29. | :05:31. | |
Union, because that is in our interests and the interests of the | :05:32. | :05:35. | |
whole world. On the issue of acquired rights the general view we | :05:36. | :05:38. | |
should reach an agreement which applied eequally to the other 27 | :05:39. | :05:42. | |
member states and the UK, which is why we think a unilateral decision | :05:43. | :05:45. | |
from the UK is not the right way forward. But as I have said before, | :05:46. | :05:51. | |
EU citizens living in the UK make a vital contribution to our economy | :05:52. | :05:55. | |
and society and without them, without them we would be poorer and | :05:56. | :06:00. | |
our public services weaker. So we will make securing the | :06:01. | :06:05. | |
reciprocal agreement that will guarantee their status a priority as | :06:06. | :06:08. | |
soon as the negotiations begin. I want to see this agreed as soon as | :06:09. | :06:13. | |
possible because that is is in everyone's interest. Our European | :06:14. | :06:16. | |
partners want to get on with the negotiations, so do I. And so does | :06:17. | :06:22. | |
this House. Which last week voted by a majority of 384, in support of the | :06:23. | :06:25. | |
Government triggering Article 50. There are of course further stages | :06:26. | :06:30. | |
for the bill in committee and in the other place. It is right this | :06:31. | :06:33. | |
process should be completed properly, the message is clear to | :06:34. | :06:37. | |
all. This House has spoken, and now is not the time to obstruct the | :06:38. | :06:42. | |
democratically expressed wishes of the British people. It is time to | :06:43. | :06:45. | |
get on with leaving the European Union, and building an independent | :06:46. | :06:49. | |
self governing global Britain, around I commend this statement to | :06:50. | :06:53. | |
the House. Thank you Mr Speaker. I thank the | :06:54. | :06:58. | |
Prime Minister for the statement and the advance sight of it and I also | :06:59. | :07:02. | |
echo her sentiments towards Her Majesty and wish her well on this | :07:03. | :07:06. | |
auspicious time in her life and thank her for her service. The Prime | :07:07. | :07:13. | |
Minister has used this rather curiously named inform informal EU | :07:14. | :07:18. | |
summit to press the EU Nato members to fulfil their defence expenditure | :07:19. | :07:22. | |
requirements. The last Labour Government consistently spend over | :07:23. | :07:28. | |
2% on defence, the Tory Government's cuts since 2010 have demoralised our | :07:29. | :07:35. | |
Armed Forces, cut spending by 11% in the last Parliament, and reduced the | :07:36. | :07:41. | |
size of the army from 82,000, to 77,000. As well as making these | :07:42. | :07:48. | |
cuts, they have changed the way in which the 2% spending is actually | :07:49. | :07:53. | |
calculated. So while the Prime Minister is lecturing other | :07:54. | :07:58. | |
countries, can she tell the House why her Government changed the | :07:59. | :08:02. | |
accounting rules to include aspects of expenditure that were not | :08:03. | :08:05. | |
previously included? Included? The previously included? Included? The | :08:06. | :08:13. | |
Defence Select Committee in 2015, noted the Government is only meeting | :08:14. | :08:17. | |
the 2% figure by including other areas, such as... Not been included | :08:18. | :08:24. | |
before and goes on to say, this redefinition of defence expenditure, | :08:25. | :08:28. | |
undermines to some extent the credibility of the Government's | :08:29. | :08:32. | |
assertion that the 2% figure represents an increase. | :08:33. | :08:40. | |
Mr Speaker, to add to this disarray, this weekend the Sunday Times The | :08:41. | :08:49. | |
Sunday Times newspaper koufrned a series of equipment failure, bungled | :08:50. | :08:54. | |
deals including apparently ordering tank that are too big to fit in the | :08:55. | :08:58. | |
aircraft that are supposed to be transporting them. This really does | :08:59. | :09:03. | |
cast some doubt on the Government's competence in this area, so perhaps | :09:04. | :09:07. | |
it is not such a good idea to go lecturing other countries on defence | :09:08. | :09:10. | |
spending and procurement. Labour has long been concerned about | :09:11. | :09:23. | |
short-sightedness from the MoD, with long delays delivering projects. It | :09:24. | :09:27. | |
is worrying, the extent to which the MoD seems to have lost control of | :09:28. | :09:31. | |
some of the biggest equipment Roger X and it would be nice to know what | :09:32. | :09:39. | |
action the Prime Minister is taking. Mr Speaker, today the Prime Minister | :09:40. | :09:48. | |
had a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, did she make it clear to | :09:49. | :09:52. | |
him, as this house has often spoken about, that continued opposition by | :09:53. | :09:58. | |
the British government to the illegal settlements being built at | :09:59. | :10:05. | |
the Palestinian settlements. Labour has been unequivocal that it is | :10:06. | :10:13. | |
within this government's gift to guarantee rights of EU citizens to | :10:14. | :10:18. | |
remain in this country. No need to wait for negotiations to begin. The | :10:19. | :10:22. | |
government could do that now. This is not a question about Brexit, it | :10:23. | :10:27. | |
is about human rights, democracy and decency towards people who have | :10:28. | :10:34. | |
lived and worked in this country, and many families have got children | :10:35. | :10:39. | |
born here. We must guarantee their rights. Many of those people have | :10:40. | :10:47. | |
been left in limbo, deeply concerned and stressed. Did the Prime Minister | :10:48. | :10:54. | |
discuss this issue with counterparts and provide them with clarity and | :10:55. | :10:57. | |
assurances that they need and deserve? We are clear, Mr Speaker, | :10:58. | :11:05. | |
that we respect the mandate of the British people to leave the European | :11:06. | :11:09. | |
Union but we will not accept this government turning this country into | :11:10. | :11:19. | |
our bargain basement tax haven. Finally, Mr Speaker, we welcome the | :11:20. | :11:23. | |
additional 30 million that the government has committed to the | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
refugee crisis across Europe. Last week that Prime Minister's | :11:28. | :11:31. | |
Questions, the Prime Minister said that the United Kingdom had settled | :11:32. | :11:36. | |
10,000 refugees from Syria. According to the House of Commons | :11:37. | :11:39. | |
library, it has been less than half of that, 4,414. And ongoing and | :11:40. | :11:50. | |
grave tragedy has resulted in over 5000 people drowning in the | :11:51. | :11:56. | |
Mediterranean last year, 254 already this year at the beginning of the | :11:57. | :12:02. | |
jury. We should also, Mr Speaker, note the phenomenal commitment from | :12:03. | :12:08. | |
the people of Greece to refugees, and the difficulties they have had | :12:09. | :12:12. | |
supporting them. What conversations her she had with her Greek | :12:13. | :12:21. | |
counterpart? Even after Brexit, this is an issue that is going to affect | :12:22. | :12:26. | |
every country in Europe. It is the biggest crisis that we have ever | :12:27. | :12:30. | |
faced and we need to coordinate as a continent to address this issue with | :12:31. | :12:36. | |
all of the humanity and resources that our collective values determine | :12:37. | :12:41. | |
should be deployed to this issue. Thank you Mr Speaker. The right | :12:42. | :12:52. | |
honourable gentleman opened his remarks, referring to the curiously | :12:53. | :12:55. | |
named informal council. It is actually the convention that new | :12:56. | :13:01. | |
presidency, the presidency has an informal Council, people being able | :13:02. | :13:05. | |
to come and talk about a number of issues and looking ahead to the | :13:06. | :13:08. | |
formalities of the council. There we are. That is what happens. He also | :13:09. | :13:17. | |
referred to the meeting I had with Benjamin Netanyahu. This is not a | :13:18. | :13:21. | |
subject for discussion at the European Union Council last week, | :13:22. | :13:26. | |
however I have made the UK Government position clear on | :13:27. | :13:32. | |
settlements. On the issue of EU nationals, it is absolutely correct | :13:33. | :13:36. | |
that we value the contributions that EU citizens have been playing in the | :13:37. | :13:46. | |
United Kingdom, to the community, society and public services. But it | :13:47. | :13:48. | |
is also correct that we should ensure that the rights of United | :13:49. | :13:54. | |
Kingdom citizens are also looked after. The conversations I have had | :13:55. | :13:57. | |
with the number of European leaders on this matter makes it clear that | :13:58. | :14:02. | |
they see this as a matter that should be dealt with, but also with | :14:03. | :14:14. | |
conversations I have had with the Prime Minister of Spain, we want to | :14:15. | :14:17. | |
reassure people as early as possible in the negotiations. He talked about | :14:18. | :14:26. | |
the issue of refugees, and people drowning in the Mediterranean. The | :14:27. | :14:29. | |
continuing loss of life has been terrible, despite the best efforts. | :14:30. | :14:37. | |
The Royal navy has been there, to protect and rescue people. That is | :14:38. | :14:41. | |
why it is so important that we stop people from meeting that perilous | :14:42. | :14:48. | |
journey in the first place. That is why the work that we discussed that | :14:49. | :14:52. | |
the European Council was so important. He asked about her | :14:53. | :14:56. | |
relationship with Greece, and continue to provide support on the | :14:57. | :15:00. | |
ground and Greece, giving people help in dealing with refugees. And I | :15:01. | :15:08. | |
committed that this is an area that we want to cooperate with European | :15:09. | :15:12. | |
partners on, after we have left the European Union because it is not an | :15:13. | :15:16. | |
issue confined to the European Union. And finally, he made a number | :15:17. | :15:23. | |
of comments. Devoting a lot of those response to the question of defence. | :15:24. | :15:28. | |
He said the fact that we're spending 2% on defence, casts doubt on the | :15:29. | :15:36. | |
competence of the United Kingdom government with defence. This was | :15:37. | :15:38. | |
the right honourable gentleman who said he wanted to send out nuclear | :15:39. | :15:42. | |
submarines with no missles! You could not make that up. Kenneth | :15:43. | :15:53. | |
Clarke. Mr Speaker, I think they mean business of this council was | :15:54. | :15:59. | |
another attempt to tackle the mass migration problem from the Middle | :16:00. | :16:04. | |
East and North Africa, destabilising the politics of every European | :16:05. | :16:07. | |
country. Will my right honourable friend conform, that is Prime | :16:08. | :16:13. | |
Minister she will take as active part as she was when she was Home | :16:14. | :16:19. | |
Secretary, working with other Union countries to tackle this? Otherwise | :16:20. | :16:22. | |
we have a continuing problem, he bore attempting to get to this | :16:23. | :16:27. | |
country. If we are going to start returning refugees to the north | :16:28. | :16:35. | |
coast of Africa, any progress being made after the efforts when she was | :16:36. | :16:39. | |
Home Secretary? Finding somewhere on the other side of the Mediterranean | :16:40. | :16:43. | |
when Europeans can finance and organise reception centres, refugees | :16:44. | :16:50. | |
and applicants can be processed in a civilised way, and only genuine | :16:51. | :16:59. | |
asylum allowed? Seekers I can give my right honourable friend those | :17:00. | :17:05. | |
assurances. This issue continues to affect all of us. It is not | :17:06. | :17:09. | |
justified to the borders of the European Union. We will continue to | :17:10. | :17:14. | |
coordinate, when we remain in the European Union and beyond. As he has | :17:15. | :17:19. | |
indicated, one of the concerns about returning people to north Africa has | :17:20. | :17:23. | |
been the conditions to which they would be returned. We have had | :17:24. | :17:29. | |
efforts in Niger, to provide centres so that people do not progress | :17:30. | :17:34. | |
through to Libya. But it is also widely referenced, our support for | :17:35. | :17:42. | |
the Battalion initiative. They have worked with the government of | :17:43. | :17:47. | |
National Accord at Libya. Getting an agreement that they are going to do | :17:48. | :17:53. | |
work, for suitable conditions. -- Italian. I want to join the Prime | :17:54. | :18:00. | |
Minister and the leader of the Labour Party, extending my wishes | :18:01. | :18:10. | |
for the Queen's Sapphire jubilee. We wish her a pleasant day. I want to | :18:11. | :18:18. | |
thank the Prime Minister about the statement of the opening European | :18:19. | :18:23. | |
Union summit since the white paper was published. And of course, the | :18:24. | :18:31. | |
visit to Dublin as well. As we have already established, the Prime | :18:32. | :18:36. | |
Minister does not want hard borders, she wants the free movement of | :18:37. | :18:39. | |
people on these islands and safeguarding and boosting of trade. | :18:40. | :18:45. | |
And we wholeheartedly support these objectives. But given the importance | :18:46. | :18:49. | |
that the Prime Minister gives in the White Paper to the union of the | :18:50. | :18:54. | |
United Kingdom, what we are told is a partnership of equals, she will | :18:55. | :18:57. | |
surely have breached European colleagues when she was in Malta, | :18:58. | :19:05. | |
about progress of negotiations with governments across these islands. | :19:06. | :19:08. | |
Has she confirmed that she is going to work with the Scotland government | :19:09. | :19:14. | |
for continuing membership of the single market? That we value | :19:15. | :19:18. | |
European Union citizens in our country, that the presence will be | :19:19. | :19:25. | |
guaranteed and she is going to learn lessons from Canada, Australia, | :19:26. | :19:27. | |
Switzerland. It is perfectly possible to have different | :19:28. | :19:32. | |
immigration priorities and policies within a unitary state. Did the | :19:33. | :19:39. | |
Prime Minister remained European colleagues that in Scotland we voted | :19:40. | :19:44. | |
by 62% to remain in the European Union, and only one member of | :19:45. | :19:52. | |
Parliament representing a Scottish constituency voted for Brexit | :19:53. | :19:57. | |
constituency. It is getting to a stage when warm words from the | :19:58. | :20:02. | |
government is not enough. We have got to negotiate on all of the | :20:03. | :20:09. | |
house. Scotland did not warrant a single mention in the Prime | :20:10. | :20:13. | |
Minister's statement. She has the opportunity to tell us what Scottish | :20:14. | :20:20. | |
priorities did she raise? Any at all? The right honourable gentleman | :20:21. | :20:26. | |
is correct that I have confirmed the commitment to the common travel | :20:27. | :20:31. | |
area. That is something I have been discussing, and we will continue | :20:32. | :20:37. | |
those discussions. He referenced EU citizens. As I said in response to | :20:38. | :20:42. | |
the leader of opposition, we all value the contribution that citizens | :20:43. | :20:47. | |
have been making to society, economy, public services. We want to | :20:48. | :20:51. | |
be able to give them the real assurance at an early stage as | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
possible about the continuation. We have a duty to consider British | :20:57. | :21:02. | |
citizens living in the European Union states. And as I have said, it | :21:03. | :21:08. | |
has been clear that we have caught goodwill on all sides. An | :21:09. | :21:12. | |
expectation this will be considered and we can look at EU citizens here, | :21:13. | :21:18. | |
and British citizens at other states. He also asked a number of | :21:19. | :21:23. | |
questions about what I was putting forward to the European leaders of | :21:24. | :21:28. | |
the 27. What I was putting forward, the views of the United Kingdom. The | :21:29. | :21:36. | |
United Kingdom will be negotiating, we incorporate the views and listen | :21:37. | :21:41. | |
to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, but I am the Prime Minister | :21:42. | :21:49. | |
of the United Kingdom. Did the right honourable friend observe that after | :21:50. | :21:53. | |
she had spoken to the 27, they were far more realistic, particularly | :21:54. | :22:04. | |
with the question to the defence and Nato than they had been before... | :22:05. | :22:13. | |
Particularly, Donald Tusk's letter to the 27, sent on the 31st of | :22:14. | :22:19. | |
January? My right honourable friend is absolutely correct. We have got a | :22:20. | :22:21. | |
growing recognition among the growing states -- member states that | :22:22. | :22:28. | |
it is important to meet the 2% commitment for defence. A small | :22:29. | :22:31. | |
number of members of European states have already reached that 2%, but | :22:32. | :22:37. | |
those actively moving towards that 2%. Most notably, some of the Baltic | :22:38. | :22:45. | |
states. Last spring, pointing out that we export more to Ireland than | :22:46. | :22:50. | |
China, and almost twice as much to Belgium and India, the Prime | :22:51. | :22:55. | |
Minister said it is not realistic to think that we could just replace | :22:56. | :22:58. | |
European trade with these new markets. Can she therefore give the | :22:59. | :23:06. | |
house and assurance that in the negotiations she will seek to | :23:07. | :23:13. | |
safeguard tariff and barrier free access to European markets for | :23:14. | :23:18. | |
British businesses, if necessary, remaining in the customs union if | :23:19. | :23:24. | |
that is the only way to ensure this? Nobody is talking about replacing | :23:25. | :23:27. | |
European Union trade with trade from around the rest of the word. What we | :23:28. | :23:32. | |
are talking about, expanding trade across the world so that we have got | :23:33. | :23:35. | |
a good trading relationship but also able to sign up to new trade | :23:36. | :23:40. | |
agreements and as the right honourable gentleman knows, a number | :23:41. | :23:44. | |
of countries already talking about potential trade agreements. We will | :23:45. | :23:49. | |
do what is necessary to ensure we can expand, including across the | :23:50. | :23:50. | |
European Union. Is the Prime Minister as shocked as | :23:51. | :24:03. | |
am they are unable to offer a, they won't face eviction? Well, I think I | :24:04. | :24:10. | |
am more hopeful than my right honourable friend is, in that I have | :24:11. | :24:13. | |
every confidence we will be able to address this issue as an early | :24:14. | :24:17. | |
discussion in the negotiation, I would have like to have been address | :24:18. | :24:21. | |
outside the negotiation, some member states didn't wish do that but I | :24:22. | :24:25. | |
think there is the good will there to give the reassurance to EU | :24:26. | :24:29. | |
citizens here and UK citizens in Europe. | :24:30. | :24:34. | |
Thank you. On the cows Toms union, the Prime Minister has said -- | :24:35. | :24:37. | |
customs union the Prime Minister has said she will be be outside the | :24:38. | :24:45. | |
common external tariff. With we have different tariffs coming in from | :24:46. | :24:49. | |
outside how will she guarantee to have barrier free goods passing | :24:50. | :24:52. | |
between these different countries?s? A lot of people are saying they | :24:53. | :24:58. | |
can't see how to be outside that and have barrier free trade, if it comes | :24:59. | :25:03. | |
to that crunch, will she agree to go back in to the customs union and be | :25:04. | :25:08. | |
part of the common external tariff in order to have barrier free trade? | :25:09. | :25:17. | |
She is approaching this as a binary issue twine the customs union | :25:18. | :25:20. | |
membership and having a good trade agreement. I don't see it as such. | :25:21. | :25:26. | |
We want to be able to negotiate free trade agreements with other | :25:27. | :25:28. | |
countries round the world. That means there are parts of the customs | :25:29. | :25:32. | |
union and not just a single in or out, parts of the union which | :25:33. | :25:36. | |
currently exist which where we are members of them, prevent us from | :25:37. | :25:40. | |
doing the free trade agreement, I am confident we can achieve the sort of | :25:41. | :25:44. | |
free trade agreement with European Union that is in our interest and | :25:45. | :25:46. | |
the interest of the European Union, that gives us the sort of ability to | :25:47. | :25:51. | |
trade across border, that we, that we see and that we want in the | :25:52. | :25:55. | |
future. In her statement my right honourable | :25:56. | :25:59. | |
friend talked about the new and equal partnership we wish to build | :26:00. | :26:04. | |
between the EU and independent self government governing global Britain. | :26:05. | :26:08. | |
She pointed out the importance of cooperation on issues such as | :26:09. | :26:12. | |
migration from Libya, were there any discussion and what contemplation is | :26:13. | :26:18. | |
she given to Britain's de facto involvement in the common foreign | :26:19. | :26:23. | |
security policy after Brexit? I can reassure my right honourable friend | :26:24. | :26:26. | |
that this is one of the issues we are looking at in relation to the | :26:27. | :26:29. | |
future negotiations that are coming up, in the speech I gave in | :26:30. | :26:34. | |
Lancaster House two-and-a-half weeks ago we were clear we recognised the | :26:35. | :26:38. | |
importance of the security cooperation and defence cooperation | :26:39. | :26:40. | |
we have with our European partners and we wanted to continue that in | :26:41. | :26:44. | |
future. Thank you. Can I thank the Prime | :26:45. | :26:51. | |
Minister for her advance sight of the statement and also associate | :26:52. | :26:57. | |
myself and those of my colleagues with her comments congratulating the | :26:58. | :27:01. | |
Queen on the occasion of her Sapphire jubilee. During the Prime | :27:02. | :27:04. | |
Minister's brief walk about with Angela Merkel, during which I assume | :27:05. | :27:09. | |
she offers her a state visit, did she raise the issue, did she raise | :27:10. | :27:14. | |
the issue of unaccompanied child refugees. Did she raise the issue | :27:15. | :27:19. | |
unaccompanied child refugees and will she now confirm that this | :27:20. | :27:24. | |
Government will not make break the promise made by this House nine | :27:25. | :27:28. | |
months ago under the terms of an amendment of the safe feature of the | :27:29. | :27:33. | |
children and this will remain open and in use for the rest of this | :27:34. | :27:38. | |
Parliament to often safe haven to at least 3,000 child refugees. I can | :27:39. | :27:42. | |
reassure the right honourable gentleman that indeed, this | :27:43. | :27:46. | |
Government is putting into practise, the commitment it has given to | :27:47. | :27:50. | |
ensure we are giving support to child refugees from, who have | :27:51. | :27:54. | |
already made it across into Europe and bringing child refugees here | :27:55. | :27:59. | |
into the UK. Many have been brought under that scheme. Given that there | :28:00. | :28:09. | |
can be no security for Europe, without the intimate involvement of | :28:10. | :28:16. | |
the United States, will she please redouble her efforts to persuade our | :28:17. | :28:20. | |
continental friends, and indeed our friends on the opposition benches, | :28:21. | :28:26. | |
that whatever they feel about an individual President's personal | :28:27. | :28:31. | |
qualities, the way to proceed has to be the reach out to rim, to respect | :28:32. | :28:38. | |
his office and -- to him, to respect his office and strengthen the | :28:39. | :28:40. | |
alliance. My right honourable friend is right. It was one of the themes | :28:41. | :28:44. | |
at the informal council, was a recognition of the role that America | :28:45. | :28:49. | |
has played in supporting European defence and security, and the need | :28:50. | :28:52. | |
to engage fully with the European administration, that is what we are | :28:53. | :28:55. | |
doing and it is what I am encouraging others to do. | :28:56. | :29:01. | |
I welcome what the Prime Minister said about the importance of | :29:02. | :29:05. | |
maintaining the sanctions regime on Russia, in response to their actions | :29:06. | :29:09. | |
in Ukraine, once we leave the European Union, can she reassure the | :29:10. | :29:14. | |
House that we will continue to agree with our European partners where | :29:15. | :29:18. | |
necessary, those sorts of sanctions in future? First of all, to reassure | :29:19. | :29:22. | |
her while we are ebb managerses of the European Union we continue to | :29:23. | :29:25. | |
encourage the other member states to maintain those sanction, there are a | :29:26. | :29:30. | |
number of areas of this sort of foreign policy area under the | :29:31. | :29:33. | |
security of Europe where we will, as I say want to co-operate in future | :29:34. | :29:37. | |
with our European Union partner, of course once we are outside the | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
European Union, we won't have a vote round that table in terms of the | :29:42. | :29:43. | |
sanctions regime but we will continue to make our views clear. | :29:44. | :29:49. | |
Contrary to the rather negative comments from the party opposite, | :29:50. | :29:54. | |
was my right honourable friend heartened by Germany yet again, over | :29:55. | :30:01. | |
the weekend, the German Finance Minister said that there is no | :30:02. | :30:05. | |
question of the United Kingdom being punished, for leaving the European | :30:06. | :30:10. | |
Union, and indeed, London remains the heart of the finance industry in | :30:11. | :30:15. | |
the globe. What influence does my right honourable friend think | :30:16. | :30:18. | |
Germany will have over these negotiations? Thank you Mr Speaker, | :30:19. | :30:33. | |
I was aware of the comments that the minister had made, I can't claim I | :30:34. | :30:36. | |
had read the particular publication that my right honourable friend | :30:37. | :30:39. | |
refers to. But it is an important point, and I think this is what we | :30:40. | :30:45. | |
are now seeing, as we move forward to the triggering of the | :30:46. | :30:49. | |
negotiations, a genuine willingness to discuss on both sides the future | :30:50. | :30:53. | |
of European Union, UK relationship, the new partnership that we want, | :30:54. | :30:58. | |
and a recognition of the role that the United Kingdom plays in Europe, | :30:59. | :31:01. | |
an of course Germany is one of the remaining 27 member states but I | :31:02. | :31:06. | |
look forward to having further conversations with my, our German | :31:07. | :31:09. | |
counterparts on the importance they place on the City of London and the | :31:10. | :31:13. | |
UK's trading relationship with Europe. | :31:14. | :31:18. | |
The Prime Minister has guaranteed Parliament vote on the final deal | :31:19. | :31:23. | |
wean the UK and the EU, can she confirm that that commitment applies | :31:24. | :31:27. | |
to both the Article 50 divorce negotiations and the free trade | :31:28. | :31:32. | |
agreement she hopes to negotiate. Could she tell the house what | :31:33. | :31:35. | |
happens if Parliament says no to the terms of either of these deals? What | :31:36. | :31:40. | |
I can say to the right honourable gentleman, is that we see these | :31:41. | :31:44. | |
negotiations not as being separate but as going together, that the | :31:45. | :31:49. | |
arrangement that we aim to negotiate is a deal that will cover the exit | :31:50. | :31:53. | |
arrangement and the future of free trade agreement we will have with | :31:54. | :31:55. | |
the European Union. I have every confidence we will be able to get a | :31:56. | :32:00. | |
good deal agreeded with the European Union, in relation to both of those | :32:01. | :32:03. | |
matter, including our future cooperation not just on trade but on | :32:04. | :32:07. | |
other matters and be able to bring a good deal here for the Parliament to | :32:08. | :32:13. | |
vote on. I have to confess I am still reeling | :32:14. | :32:24. | |
from the novelty of the right hob nab member for Islington North | :32:25. | :32:30. | |
talking about defence. -- honourable. Can I ask my right | :32:31. | :32:35. | |
honourable friend, I think the sooner with can give them that | :32:36. | :32:39. | |
reassurance they seek, the better, can she tell us, which of the, our | :32:40. | :32:46. | |
EU partners are so reluctant to offer reciprocal rights to her | :32:47. | :32:50. | |
majority cease subjects residing in their countries. Could I say to my | :32:51. | :32:54. | |
right honourable friend that I think the whole House was somewhat | :32:55. | :32:57. | |
surprised by the contribution that the Leader of the Opposition made in | :32:58. | :32:59. | |
relation to defence spending but we wait to see, we wait the see whether | :33:00. | :33:04. | |
that is followed up by their commitments that in other debates. | :33:05. | :33:09. | |
On the question of EU nationals I absolute agree with, I absolutely | :33:10. | :33:13. | |
agree with my right honourable friend it is important we give that | :33:14. | :33:18. | |
reassurance at an early stage as possible. It is not the question of | :33:19. | :33:23. | |
offering reciprocal rights. For some states they didn't want to negotiate | :33:24. | :33:30. | |
part of what they saw as the fuller New negotiations until Article 50 | :33:31. | :33:33. | |
that has been triggered. It that will enable us to discuss in matter. | :33:34. | :33:38. | |
May I associate my right honourable friends with the Prime Minister's | :33:39. | :33:42. | |
warm words of congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of | :33:43. | :33:48. | |
her Sapphire jubilee, and given this countries enormous contribution to | :33:49. | :33:52. | |
the defence of Europe and indeed the west generally, and given our | :33:53. | :33:57. | |
massive contribution, one of the highest contributors to humanitarian | :33:58. | :34:00. | |
and international aid in the world, can I urge the Prime Minister to use | :34:01. | :34:05. | |
every opportunity in discussions with our European friends and | :34:06. | :34:08. | |
partners to reiterate the need for them also, to step up to the plate | :34:09. | :34:12. | |
on both of these vital issues which are just as important of some of the | :34:13. | :34:17. | |
other issues we are discussing. The right honourable gentleman is right, | :34:18. | :34:21. | |
and I do give that commitment, that we can, I continue to express to my | :34:22. | :34:26. | |
European colleagues the importance of them, actually stepping up to the | :34:27. | :34:29. | |
plate and spending the requisite amount of money on defence. I think | :34:30. | :34:33. | |
it is important that Europe shows that commitment. Can I welcome the | :34:34. | :34:38. | |
Prime Minister's statement on the informal council today, and in | :34:39. | :34:43. | |
particular, can I welcome the 13 million worth of new aid for | :34:44. | :34:48. | |
refugees. With recent reports of children, particularly, returning to | :34:49. | :34:54. | |
the Jungle camp area in Calais, did my right honourable friend have the | :34:55. | :34:56. | |
opportunity to discuss this with her French counterpart? What more could | :34:57. | :35:01. | |
be done to prevent children from returning to this area with the | :35:02. | :35:06. | |
false hope of expecting to come to the UK? My right honourable friend | :35:07. | :35:11. | |
raising an important issue, and I have asked the Home Office, today I | :35:12. | :35:15. | |
have asked the Home Office to look at this particular concern, that | :35:16. | :35:18. | |
people including children are now returning to the camps at Calais, | :35:19. | :35:22. | |
obviously the action that will be taken within France is a matter for | :35:23. | :35:27. | |
the French Government. I think they share the concern about the | :35:28. | :35:31. | |
possibility of migrants returning to the camps at Calais, and obviously | :35:32. | :35:35. | |
they have already acted in relation to that matter. In, we will continue | :35:36. | :35:38. | |
to operate the schemes we have done, working with the French Government | :35:39. | :35:41. | |
in the past, to ensure those who have a right to be in the United | :35:42. | :35:44. | |
Kingdom are indeed able to come to the United Kingdom. Thank you Mr | :35:45. | :35:50. | |
Speaker. What discussion did the Prime Minister have in Malta round | :35:51. | :35:53. | |
trade deals? He will by a wear all member of the European Parliament | :35:54. | :35:57. | |
will be able to vote on the UK Canada trade deal. Her Government | :35:58. | :36:01. | |
has gone back on its promise to bring a debate. Given the prominence | :36:02. | :36:07. | |
given to that deal in her brief Brexit White Paper as an example of | :36:08. | :36:10. | |
what we can expect from future trade deals, why is this Government | :36:11. | :36:14. | |
running scared of Parliamentary scrutiny? This Government is not | :36:15. | :36:18. | |
about taking back control for the people, it is about take back | :36:19. | :36:22. | |
control for itself. The, the deal as I understand it | :36:23. | :36:27. | |
will be discussed today, in European committee B, on which I, on which I | :36:28. | :36:31. | |
understand the honourable member is a member and therefore will be able | :36:32. | :36:41. | |
to contribute to that debate. First the question asked by my right | :36:42. | :36:45. | |
honourable friend for Aldershot, on the issue of acquired rights, which | :36:46. | :36:51. | |
countries are standing out against an immediate deal based on | :36:52. | :36:54. | |
reciprocity before the start of Brexit negotiations, which countries | :36:55. | :36:59. | |
and do they include Germany? As I said to my right honourable friend, | :37:00. | :37:03. | |
the issue is whether or not this should be part of the formal | :37:04. | :37:07. | |
negotiations or not part of the formal negotiations. It has been | :37:08. | :37:11. | |
made clear that there are those who believe it should be part of the | :37:12. | :37:15. | |
negotiations, and therefore we will be able to consider this issue, with | :37:16. | :37:20. | |
our European colleagues, once Article 50 has been triggered. | :37:21. | :37:27. | |
What did she say to her fellow European leaders about her | :37:28. | :37:30. | |
assessment of the trump Putin relationship? And specifically, | :37:31. | :37:35. | |
about Russian interference in western democracies including our | :37:36. | :37:39. | |
own? The concern has been expressed at this council meeting and not only | :37:40. | :37:43. | |
at this council meeting but at others about the role that Russia is | :37:44. | :37:48. | |
playing, in a number of ways in terms of the interference they are | :37:49. | :37:56. | |
taking and the Shadow Foreign Secretary interference in western | :37:57. | :37:58. | |
democracies including our own? The concern has been expressed at this | :37:59. | :38:01. | |
council meeting and not only at this council meeting but at others about | :38:02. | :38:03. | |
the role that Russia is playing, in a number of ways in terms of the | :38:04. | :38:06. | |
interference they are taking and the Shadow Foreign Secretary is shouting | :38:07. | :38:08. | |
at me "By you", yes, by me. But it is a matter of continuing | :38:09. | :38:11. | |
concern and will remain and subject on with I we discuss. | :38:12. | :38:15. | |
-- which. Does my right honourable friend think in her discussion with | :38:16. | :38:23. | |
her 27 EU partners we will be able to negotiate a reciprocal right free | :38:24. | :38:29. | |
for citizens is living here and UK citizens living abroad sooner than | :38:30. | :38:33. | |
Article 50? I think from my honourable friend, do expect that we | :38:34. | :38:37. | |
will be able to ensure that we can get, what I want to see is an | :38:38. | :38:42. | |
agreement about the position of EU citizens and UK citizens at an early | :38:43. | :38:48. | |
part in the negotiations so we can give that reassurance up front so it | :38:49. | :38:52. | |
will not be necessary to keep that agreement with the other 27 member | :38:53. | :38:56. | |
states as part of the final deal. We need to have that up front at an | :38:57. | :39:01. | |
early stage so we can give people the reassurance not just they need, | :39:02. | :39:02. | |
but actually they deserve. On the 15th of July last year, the | :39:03. | :39:14. | |
Prime Minister pledged that she would not trigger article 50, until | :39:15. | :39:22. | |
she had agreed approach, backed by the devolved administrations. Does | :39:23. | :39:29. | |
she intend to keep her word? We have been having a number of engagements | :39:30. | :39:35. | |
with the various devolved administrations, taking issues into | :39:36. | :39:40. | |
accounts, and as we agreed, we are intensifying discussions with the | :39:41. | :39:47. | |
Scottish Government on issues raised within the Scottish White Paper. The | :39:48. | :39:52. | |
decision to trigger article 50 should be taken, this house voted | :39:53. | :39:58. | |
overwhelmingly that that should be the state that we take, on behalf of | :39:59. | :40:03. | |
alienated kingdom. -- United Kingdom. | :40:04. | :40:08. | |
I apologise. The right honourable gentleman was chantering at me! I | :40:09. | :40:23. | |
was about to go to an appointment. The right honourable gentleman now | :40:24. | :40:26. | |
has the opportunity for an appointment with the house. | :40:27. | :40:36. | |
Mr Speaker, I am delighted to have the opportunity to ask if we have | :40:37. | :40:43. | |
had any discussion about the assets of the European Union, to which we | :40:44. | :40:52. | |
may have some claim after 40 years of being a major contributor. I can | :40:53. | :40:59. | |
assure my right honourable friend, that looking at future negotiations, | :41:00. | :41:03. | |
we will be looking at every angle of the relationship. Can I welcome the | :41:04. | :41:14. | |
200 million Euros that have been pledged to the Mediterranean crisis, | :41:15. | :41:21. | |
3800 people have travelled to Libya. But can I ask her to be cheerful, | :41:22. | :41:26. | |
with regards to the Libyan coastguard, strong evidence that be | :41:27. | :41:34. | |
have been working with people smugglers, 11 boats to leave these | :41:35. | :41:39. | |
waters. How much of the 200 million will be used, to counter the work of | :41:40. | :41:43. | |
these criminal gangs? The work that we are doing with the Libyan | :41:44. | :41:53. | |
coastguard, it is about training the coastguard, but separately from that | :41:54. | :41:55. | |
we will be enhancing the ability to work across borders, using joint | :41:56. | :42:02. | |
investigation teams to insure that we are going to catch these criminal | :42:03. | :42:06. | |
gangs. I think we need to put even more effort into this in the future. | :42:07. | :42:14. | |
In welcoming the statement, and my right honourable friend's comments | :42:15. | :42:21. | |
about refugees, which she agreed that the work we're doing through | :42:22. | :42:25. | |
the development budget and Armed Forces to the fragile states of | :42:26. | :42:33. | |
Libya and Jordan, it is vastly more than the rest of Europe? My right | :42:34. | :42:38. | |
honourable friend makes a very important point, we have taken a | :42:39. | :42:42. | |
simple view that actually be to support more people who have fled | :42:43. | :42:47. | |
from Syria by giving been humanitarian aid in the region, than | :42:48. | :42:51. | |
by taking people to the United Kingdom. We will be bringing | :42:52. | :42:56. | |
particularly vulnerable refugees to the United Kingdom but we continue | :42:57. | :42:59. | |
to believe is the second biggest financial donor to the region that | :43:00. | :43:10. | |
is important. I commend in the work of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Given | :43:11. | :43:19. | |
President Trump's talk about renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal, | :43:20. | :43:21. | |
any opportunity to have discussions with French and German counterparts, | :43:22. | :43:27. | |
about how to respond should the President Prosser this? We continue | :43:28. | :43:32. | |
to believe that the Iran nuclear deal was an important step forward, | :43:33. | :43:38. | |
an important contributor to stability in the region. Thank you | :43:39. | :43:47. | |
Mr Speaker. I welcome the Prime Minister's statement today. The | :43:48. | :43:52. | |
status of EU national stars not just affect members of my constituency, | :43:53. | :43:58. | |
but members of my family and friends personally. The Prime Minister has | :43:59. | :44:03. | |
given me, and members of the house, the personal guarantee she's going | :44:04. | :44:06. | |
to seek agreement on this issue. I am putting my entire trust in the | :44:07. | :44:10. | |
Prime Minister to honour this promise. Getting an early agreement | :44:11. | :44:17. | |
will be in my opinion a decisive mark of her negotiating skills and | :44:18. | :44:23. | |
leadership qualities as Prime Minister. Thank you. I thank my | :44:24. | :44:28. | |
right honourable friend for the trust that he has been placing in | :44:29. | :44:33. | |
me. I want to reassure them not only of my good intentions but also of | :44:34. | :44:38. | |
the number of European colleagues who I have spoken to about this | :44:39. | :44:43. | |
issue. They also recognise the importance for United Kingdom | :44:44. | :44:49. | |
citizens living there, but EU citizens living here, as we want to | :44:50. | :44:55. | |
give reassurance at an early stage. The Prime Minister made a big point | :44:56. | :44:59. | |
about how she was communicating with European counterparts about | :45:00. | :45:08. | |
president Trump's negotiations, but one Republican senator has said I do | :45:09. | :45:12. | |
not understand what the President's possession is on Russia. Does she? | :45:13. | :45:19. | |
Has she communicated that? The discussions I have had so far, | :45:20. | :45:24. | |
President Trump fuse the need to engage more with Russia, than has | :45:25. | :45:29. | |
happened in the past. The message IDs, when I spoke in Philadelphia to | :45:30. | :45:33. | |
the Republican party was that I think it is correct to engage, | :45:34. | :45:41. | |
engage but beware. I very much welcomed the statement from the | :45:42. | :45:45. | |
Prime Minister, paragraph four of the conclusions talks about tackling | :45:46. | :45:51. | |
radical extremism and terrorism in Libya. Recent reports have said we | :45:52. | :45:57. | |
have 6000 militants, is that accurate? And how effectively have | :45:58. | :46:05. | |
the organisation 's been working, to defeat IS? We have been doing all | :46:06. | :46:20. | |
that we can, to try to defeat Daesh, and steps have been taken at the | :46:21. | :46:24. | |
parts such as Iraq to have an impact on Daesh. It is important that we | :46:25. | :46:33. | |
come forward in parts of other worlds. But as he said, underlying | :46:34. | :46:42. | |
all of this we have to deal with an ideology. It is about dealing with | :46:43. | :46:47. | |
ideology, and that is when the work to do with radicalisation become so | :46:48. | :46:53. | |
important. Can I ask the Prime Minister to answer that part of the | :46:54. | :46:56. | |
question that my right honourable friend from Wolverhampton pressed | :46:57. | :47:03. | |
on. Parliament must give its consent in advance to whatever the new | :47:04. | :47:09. | |
proposed relationship will be, deal or no deal? I have been very clear | :47:10. | :47:15. | |
that Parliament is going to have a vote on this steel. This is good to | :47:16. | :47:19. | |
be discussed in some detail tomorrow. The Secretary of State for | :47:20. | :47:23. | |
exiting the union will be able to set out in more detail then, rather | :47:24. | :47:26. | |
than in response to one single question. I am sure the Prime | :47:27. | :47:37. | |
Minister shares my can see, about ballistic and missile tests from | :47:38. | :47:42. | |
Iran in January. What discussions has she had with European partners, | :47:43. | :47:46. | |
how we can work with the President Trump administration? My right | :47:47. | :47:51. | |
honourable friend is correct, raising concern about the missing | :47:52. | :47:58. | |
testing taking place. The overwhelming message that we took | :47:59. | :48:04. | |
place from the summit, working with America on a number of issues | :48:05. | :48:09. | |
including Russia, but also around. It is important to engage directly | :48:10. | :48:13. | |
with the American administration on these matters and make clean up the | :48:14. | :48:17. | |
position we have in Europe. -- clear. According to pressure falls, | :48:18. | :48:27. | |
the Prime Minister's masterplan was not well received. Does she really | :48:28. | :48:31. | |
think it is in the interest of the British state to be increasingly | :48:32. | :48:36. | |
isolated from Europe, and with a president who has been taking the | :48:37. | :48:39. | |
united states on a dangerous journey? I think it is important | :48:40. | :48:45. | |
that the United States and Europe work together. Would my right | :48:46. | :48:55. | |
honourable friend not agree while it welcome that this country has been | :48:56. | :49:03. | |
doing the right thing by vulnerable children, it is important that we | :49:04. | :49:09. | |
work together with the French, to target traffickers, and make sure | :49:10. | :49:15. | |
that the Calais jungle does not reappear? Absolutely correct, and | :49:16. | :49:22. | |
with this particular constituency interest, very aware about migrants | :49:23. | :49:28. | |
at the camp, and the pressure that puts on Dover. We will make every | :49:29. | :49:31. | |
effort to work with the French government to say that we do not get | :49:32. | :49:35. | |
ripped on to discounts that we saw last year. -- these camps. The | :49:36. | :49:46. | |
mantra of nothing agreed until everything agreed has been adopted | :49:47. | :49:54. | |
as far as much to -- EU citizens have been agreed. It is not possible | :49:55. | :50:01. | |
to have an informal letter, with the Prime Minister of France, to agree | :50:02. | :50:06. | |
that when it is possible technically after negotiations have started, to | :50:07. | :50:13. | |
get this locality in? It is not the case that people have been saying it | :50:14. | :50:19. | |
can only be agreed of the deal. What they have said, they do not believe | :50:20. | :50:21. | |
her frustrations and discussion should be starting until article 50 | :50:22. | :50:29. | |
is triggered. I think it is good to be possible to get an early | :50:30. | :50:32. | |
agreement on this matter, to give people reassurance that they need. | :50:33. | :50:39. | |
Can I thank the Prime Minister on behalf of the safety of my | :50:40. | :50:42. | |
constituents, raising the 2% defence spending issue. If Greeks can do it. | :50:43. | :50:52. | |
Why can't the rest? My right honourable friend is absolutely | :50:53. | :50:56. | |
correct. The United Kingdom, Greece, Poland, Estonia. Some of the rest | :50:57. | :51:03. | |
are making every effort to do this, progressing to the 2% target. I | :51:04. | :51:08. | |
remember as a backbencher, as DCI, the honourable gentleman had one, I | :51:09. | :51:15. | |
said get in there! This is his opportunity. The Prime Minister has | :51:16. | :51:23. | |
referred to her meeting with President Trump, but not | :51:24. | :51:35. | |
with President Erdo an. Has she informed of European members of the | :51:36. | :51:41. | |
discussions with Erdo an, but of the 3000 refugees that Turkey has been | :51:42. | :51:48. | |
made to take, and the support or lack of it? And also discussing the | :51:49. | :51:56. | |
customs union that Turkey is a member of? I was able to make | :51:57. | :52:01. | |
reference, as we were discussing migration. A number of references | :52:02. | :52:07. | |
made to the Turkey deal, the number of migrants moving from Turkey to | :52:08. | :52:15. | |
Greece moving significantly. When I was in Turkey, I commended the | :52:16. | :52:17. | |
government on the support they have given to the 3 million refugees in | :52:18. | :52:25. | |
Turkey. I welcome this government's commitment to come before this | :52:26. | :52:28. | |
house, updating progress on the negotiations. But would my right | :52:29. | :52:33. | |
honourable friend agree with me that the European Council statements are | :52:34. | :52:36. | |
the perfect opportunity to update their house on the Prime Minister's | :52:37. | :52:40. | |
negotiations with European leaders after we trigger article 50? The | :52:41. | :52:46. | |
European Council statements given in response to business done at the | :52:47. | :52:50. | |
European Council. I can assure my right honourable friend we have | :52:51. | :52:53. | |
every opportunity for Parliament to be kept informed as we go through | :52:54. | :53:00. | |
this process. It is the case that we have had 70 debates, statements | :53:01. | :53:08. | |
already on this issue. 30 reviews by different parliamentary committees. | :53:09. | :53:11. | |
Not a single day has gone by since the referendum that this issue has | :53:12. | :53:20. | |
not discussed in this house. One of the primary schools in my | :53:21. | :53:26. | |
constituency is wonderfully diverse, many Scots making Glasgow there | :53:27. | :53:35. | |
home. A lot of children are from Europe, do we have to leave or not? | :53:36. | :53:41. | |
Seeing as soon as possible is not a good enough answer. When will we | :53:42. | :53:44. | |
know that these children can stay in Scotland? I repeat answer that I | :53:45. | :53:49. | |
have given two of us, in relation to those from the European Union living | :53:50. | :53:52. | |
in the United Kingdom, expect to be able to deal with this issue at an | :53:53. | :53:58. | |
early stage and negotiations. And good will on all sides when | :53:59. | :54:01. | |
negotiations have been triggered to address this issue. Everybody | :54:02. | :54:04. | |
understands the concern that people have about the future. | :54:05. | :54:06. | |
Plenary. Might I ask the Prime Minister which | :54:07. | :54:14. | |
is more important, Europeans in Britain, or Brits in the EU? It is | :54:15. | :54:21. | |
not a question of which is more important, what we recognise is that | :54:22. | :54:25. | |
there are people from European Union member states, who have made their | :54:26. | :54:28. | |
life here in the United Kingdom, some of them over a significant | :54:29. | :54:32. | |
period of time. I also recognise that there are UK citizens who have | :54:33. | :54:37. | |
made their life in other member states. I want all of those people | :54:38. | :54:42. | |
to be able to carry on living where they choose to live, and be able to | :54:43. | :54:48. | |
do so, in the security of knowing that their future is determines and | :54:49. | :54:51. | |
the choice is up to them. But I want to make sure that that opportunity | :54:52. | :54:56. | |
and that reassurance is given to all of those people, that is why, and I | :54:57. | :55:00. | |
hope we will be able to do it at an early stage of the negotiations. | :55:01. | :55:06. | |
The Prime Minister said that the other European member states had | :55:07. | :55:10. | |
welcomes the clarity of her objectives, did she have any | :55:11. | :55:14. | |
discussion with them about the realism of completing the | :55:15. | :55:19. | |
negotiations within the substantive negotiations within 18 months? I | :55:20. | :55:23. | |
have every expectation indeed, a number of comments have been made by | :55:24. | :55:28. | |
others around Europe, of the importance of ensuring that we can | :55:29. | :55:32. | |
do this deal, we can complete these negotiations within the timescale | :55:33. | :55:38. | |
set. I can see that the Prime Minister is | :55:39. | :55:43. | |
general which I will disappointed not to be able to assure EU zitsist | :55:44. | :55:51. | |
citizen, but does she think in the light of the rapidly changing | :55:52. | :55:57. | |
landscape, if that deal isn't done with fellow nation, as early as she | :55:58. | :56:03. | |
would like, would she review it again? I recognise the concern my | :56:04. | :56:09. | |
right honourable friend has shown, for some considerable time round the | :56:10. | :56:13. | |
position of EU citizen living here in the United Kingdom, I have every | :56:14. | :56:17. | |
expect takes, given the responses that I have so far had, from other | :56:18. | :56:21. | |
member states that we will indeed be able to get that reassurance at an | :56:22. | :56:26. | |
early stage, I want to be be able to reassure people living here in the | :56:27. | :56:30. | |
UK, from other EU member states, I want to be able, and I intend to be | :56:31. | :56:35. | |
able to give them that reassurance and I have, as say, every | :56:36. | :56:38. | |
expectation we will be able to get that at an early stage of the | :56:39. | :56:42. | |
negotiations. In her Lang cast terse house speech, | :56:43. | :56:46. | |
the Prime Minister put on her wish list a new form of membership of the | :56:47. | :56:50. | |
customs union, an associate membership. Did she raise the idea | :56:51. | :56:53. | |
with the other members of the European council this weekend and | :56:54. | :57:00. | |
what did they make of it? I actually did, in Milan caster house speech | :57:01. | :57:03. | |
was to say that I hadn't come to a firm decision as to whether the | :57:04. | :57:07. | |
future relationship should be an associate membership or some other | :57:08. | :57:10. | |
sort of relationship with the customs union, I was clear about we | :57:11. | :57:14. | |
need to be able to negotiate trade deals with other countries round the | :57:15. | :57:18. | |
world. My constituency contains more EU nationals than any other, and | :57:19. | :57:23. | |
they say to me two things, first they deeply want their right to be | :57:24. | :57:28. | |
reassured in this country, but also, that they understand than it is | :57:29. | :57:31. | |
vital this country is the kind of country that stands up for the | :57:32. | :57:35. | |
interests of our citizens abroad as well. I wonder if the Prime Minister | :57:36. | :57:40. | |
agrees this is a test of national a character and while the politics | :57:41. | :57:44. | |
maybe hard, it is the only option we can reasonably pursue. I think he is | :57:45. | :57:47. | |
right. I think it is right that we should be clear that we have a duty | :57:48. | :57:53. | |
for UK, considering UK citizens, who have chosen to make their life | :57:54. | :57:59. | |
outside the UK, to live in other European member states as well as we | :58:00. | :58:03. | |
have a duty to consider those EU citizens living here, and that is | :58:04. | :58:07. | |
why I expect we will at an early stage be able to give reassurance to | :58:08. | :58:11. | |
both. With how many EU leaders at this | :58:12. | :58:17. | |
council, or earlier council, since the 23rd June did our Prime Minister | :58:18. | :58:23. | |
discuss the UK staying in the single market post-Brexit? What I have been | :58:24. | :58:28. | |
clear about with all the European leaders I have spoken to, what we | :58:29. | :58:32. | |
want when we leaf the European Union is a good free trade arrangement | :58:33. | :58:36. | |
with the member states of the European Union, in the form of the | :58:37. | :58:39. | |
European Union. That is what we want and that is what we will be working | :58:40. | :58:47. | |
for. Mr Speaker, there is something that | :58:48. | :58:53. | |
began with the German Chancellor admonishing the Prime Minister for | :58:54. | :58:57. | |
threatening to undercut our neighbours, the model she talked | :58:58. | :59:01. | |
about. Could she confirm this she is still threatening to cut corporation | :59:02. | :59:06. | |
tax in a race to the bottom. Could she tell us she is worried that the | :59:07. | :59:10. | |
manner of the negotiations is damaging our reputation abroad. | :59:11. | :59:16. | |
What I set out in the speech, was my 12 objectives for the negotiations, | :59:17. | :59:21. | |
within that was a free trade agreement, awe agreement with | :59:22. | :59:26. | |
European Union and a belief we have and have every possibility of | :59:27. | :59:29. | |
getting that, the arrangement we want for the future strength of the | :59:30. | :59:33. | |
UK economy. What I also said, was very clearly, that we would not be | :59:34. | :59:37. | |
wanting to sign up to a bad deal for the UK, and I think the UK public | :59:38. | :59:42. | |
want to hear from their Prime Minister, that we are not willing to | :59:43. | :59:46. | |
sign up to a bad deal, we will make every effort and expect to get the | :59:47. | :59:52. | |
best deal possible for the United Kingdom. Would my right honourable | :59:53. | :00:02. | |
friend confirm that the position of the UK in defence terms in Europe is | :00:03. | :00:06. | |
at the heart and did she get an agreement from partners in the | :00:07. | :00:10. | |
European council, that very much our reliance from countries like den | :00:11. | :00:18. | |
mash and Estonia demonstrates we are more influential in other areas of | :00:19. | :00:22. | |
European policy that is recognised. The role that the UK plays in | :00:23. | :00:27. | |
defence of Europe, as a whole, is something that is reck niced widely, | :00:28. | :00:33. | |
and I have been very clear we want to co-operate on matters like | :00:34. | :00:38. | |
defence once we have left the EU. The Prime Minister indicated she | :00:39. | :00:42. | |
speaks on behalf of the whole United Kingdom, which she will know is a | :00:43. | :00:46. | |
differentiated union with Scotland having its own legal and educational | :00:47. | :00:53. | |
system. What did she raise in relation to Scotland's requirements? | :00:54. | :00:58. | |
I hate to disappoint the honourable gentleman, the answer I give him | :00:59. | :01:02. | |
will give him is the same answer I gave earlier. When I go into the | :01:03. | :01:05. | |
European Union -- European council, the Communications Workers' Union | :01:06. | :01:08. | |
European Union will be negotiating with the UK and the Government will | :01:09. | :01:11. | |
be negotiating on behalf of the whole United Kingdom. | :01:12. | :01:17. | |
The Prime Minister mentioned people trafficking and sexual exploitation | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
in her statement. Did she give any reassurances or get any from the | :01:24. | :01:27. | |
UK's continued membership of the means of exchange of information. | :01:28. | :01:33. | |
That will be a matter of course for the negotiation, but as I said in my | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
speech, one of the objectives we will set up is our cooperation on | :01:39. | :01:47. | |
justice and security matters. It as been -- been reported at the | :01:48. | :01:52. | |
council meeting on Friday Angela Merkel among other leaders were less | :01:53. | :01:58. | |
impressed with the Prime Minister's threat to turn the UK into a tax | :01:59. | :02:02. | |
haven. Can the Prime Minister outline what her EU counterparts | :02:03. | :02:06. | |
said to her regarding this, and also whether she intends on taking this | :02:07. | :02:14. | |
threat off the table? Can I is a to the honourable lady, as I said in | :02:15. | :02:17. | |
response to an earlier deon this hear, what I have done is clearly | :02:18. | :02:23. | |
set out and I think it is right, and then clarity has been welcomed by | :02:24. | :02:26. | |
other European leaders, that we expect to get a good deal in our | :02:27. | :02:30. | |
negotiations with the European Union, that includes a good deal on | :02:31. | :02:34. | |
a free today agreement but we will not be prepared to sign up to a bad | :02:35. | :02:37. | |
deal. -- free trade. | :02:38. | :02:44. | |
Thank you. My constituents came to see me on Saturday about their son, | :02:45. | :02:49. | |
who has a Greek wife, and lives and working in the Middle East. Overseas | :02:50. | :02:53. | |
in the Middle East. After Brexit, they are planning to return to come | :02:54. | :02:58. | |
and live in the UK, will their daughter-in-law have to apply for a | :02:59. | :03:03. | |
settlement visa? I said I couldn't answer that question, I said I would | :03:04. | :03:07. | |
ask someone who could answer it, so could the Prime Minister answer it | :03:08. | :03:11. | |
for me? I take it from the honourable gentleman's questions he | :03:12. | :03:15. | |
is talking about somebody who is living outside the United Kingdom, | :03:16. | :03:18. | |
the arrangement for EU citizens in relation to the movement into the | :03:19. | :03:24. | |
UK, from outside into the UK, from elsewhere, after Brex, of course | :03:25. | :03:28. | |
matters that the Home Office is currently looking at, and will be | :03:29. | :03:32. | |
subject to discussion by Parliament. -- Brexit. I welcome the Prime | :03:33. | :03:37. | |
Minister's statement on the importance of EU nationals, but does | :03:38. | :03:42. | |
she understand the damage that is caused when we continue to use EU | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
nationals, including those working in highly skilled areas and stem | :03:48. | :03:53. | |
businesses, when we continue to use them as bargaining chips in our | :03:54. | :03:57. | |
negotiations. What we want to do is provide | :03:58. | :04:01. | |
reassurance to people who are EU citizens who are living here in the | :04:02. | :04:05. | |
UK, and to provide that reassurance also to UK citizens living elsewhere | :04:06. | :04:10. | |
in Europe. But I would remind the honourable lady that during the | :04:11. | :04:16. | |
Scottish independence referendum, the First Minister told EU nationals | :04:17. | :04:26. | |
they would lose the right to stay here... If the All this finger | :04:27. | :04:34. | |
wagging isn't seemly. It doesn't constitute state man ship of the | :04:35. | :04:38. | |
highest order. The Prime Minister will answer and that answer must be | :04:39. | :04:43. | |
heard with courtesy. Of course, the EU made it very clear | :04:44. | :04:47. | |
that Scotland could not consider they were going to get automatic | :04:48. | :04:57. | |
membership of the European Union. Report of the likely appointment by | :04:58. | :05:04. | |
President Trump of Mr Ted mall lock as his ambassador, would that cause | :05:05. | :05:09. | |
concern for the Prime Minister since he has reportedly likened the | :05:10. | :05:13. | |
European Union to the Soviet Union? I have been very clear that the it | :05:14. | :05:18. | |
is in the interest of the UK, to have a continuing strong European | :05:19. | :05:21. | |
Union, and that is is a point I have made to the American administration. | :05:22. | :05:26. | |
Thank you. My wife's an EU national and unlike | :05:27. | :05:33. | |
the honourable member for South Leicestershire, neither she nor I | :05:34. | :05:37. | |
have any faith in this government unless we see action rather than | :05:38. | :05:42. | |
so-called warm words. If she sees herself as leader why does she not | :05:43. | :05:46. | |
confirm the right of EU nationals and that would send a positive | :05:47. | :05:52. | |
message to UK citizens living in European countries rather than being | :05:53. | :05:56. | |
a bargaining chip. I have been very clear about my intentions in | :05:57. | :05:59. | |
relation to EU nationals living here in the United Kingdom, but it is | :06:00. | :06:02. | |
only right and proper that the United Kingdom Government should | :06:03. | :06:05. | |
have a care for the UK citizens living in the European Union. At the | :06:06. | :06:16. | |
summit the Prime Minister announced support to allow 22,000 people to | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
reunite with family members. Can she say a bit more about how what this | :06:22. | :06:25. | |
means in practise and in particular, if it includes extra efforts towards | :06:26. | :06:29. | |
reuniting refugees with family members in the United Kingdom? We | :06:30. | :06:35. | |
are for those who are obviously in member states of the European Union, | :06:36. | :06:41. | |
the Dublin regulation permit for the reuniting families under certain | :06:42. | :06:43. | |
circumstances, it is something we have been working on, we have | :06:44. | :06:48. | |
actively worked with the French Government to increase the speed at | :06:49. | :06:51. | |
which we are able to reunite children with families here in the | :06:52. | :06:54. | |
United Kingdom, we continue to do so. | :06:55. | :07:02. | |
Thank you. We are constantly told by ministers they maintain close | :07:03. | :07:06. | |
relationships with countries who are dubious human rights records. Can | :07:07. | :07:11. | |
the Prime Minister tell us with that extra special super duper | :07:12. | :07:15. | |
relationship with the US, what particular home truths on Trump's | :07:16. | :07:19. | |
plans should she deliver on our behalf? I was very clear about the | :07:20. | :07:24. | |
UK's position on a whole range of issues, that we wished to discuss | :07:25. | :07:28. | |
with the United States administration, and it was the | :07:29. | :07:32. | |
special relationship that enabled us very quickly to ensure that UK | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
citizens were not covered by the ban and the executive order that | :07:38. | :07:39. | |
President Trump brought in place in relation to the movement of people | :07:40. | :07:44. | |
from seven countries into the US. Thank you Mr Speaker. May I entirely | :07:45. | :07:48. | |
concur with my right honourable friend's comments so far as the | :07:49. | :07:52. | |
company is concerned and add my congratulations to Her Majesty, and | :07:53. | :07:56. | |
I just wonder whether any EU leaders said to her during her meeting how | :07:57. | :08:01. | |
envow they are to have such an wonderful head of state -- envious. | :08:02. | :08:07. | |
I seriously don't, say to my right honourable friend, that I regularly | :08:08. | :08:11. | |
hear comments from other leaders not just in Europe but other parts of | :08:12. | :08:16. | |
the world, about how impressive Her Majesty the Queen is, about her | :08:17. | :08:19. | |
dedication to this country and how lucky we are to have her as our head | :08:20. | :08:27. | |
of state. Point of order, Emily Thornberry. Is it in order for the | :08:28. | :08:30. | |
Prime Minister to refer to a member of this House, not by her own name | :08:31. | :08:34. | |
but by the name of her husband, and secondly, for the record, Mr | :08:35. | :08:38. | |
Speaker, I have never been a lady and it will take a great deal than | :08:39. | :08:43. | |
me being married to a Knight of the Realm in order to make me one. | :08:44. | :08:51. | |
Mr Speaker, I did not attempt to be disorderry in this House and I have | :08:52. | :08:56. | |
to -- disorderly, if the honourable lady is concerned about the | :08:57. | :08:59. | |
reference I made, I will apologise for that, I have to say to her | :09:00. | :09:04. | |
though, to for the last 36 years I have been referred to by my | :09:05. | :09:06. | |
husband's | :09:07. | :09:07. |