07/12/2016

:00:00. > :00:07.Electoral reform. Second reading. What they? Friday, the 13th of

:00:08. > :00:11.January. Thank you. Order. We now come to the opposition motion in the

:00:12. > :00:16.name of the Leader of the Opposition. On the Government's plan

:00:17. > :00:22.for Brexit. I inform the house that I have selected amendment a in the

:00:23. > :00:30.name of the Prime Minister. To move the nation in the name of the Leader

:00:31. > :00:38.of the Opposition, I call the shadow secretary of state for exiting the

:00:39. > :00:43.European union. Thank you. For months, Labour has been pressing the

:00:44. > :00:53.Prime Minister and the governments to set out its plan for Brexit. For

:00:54. > :00:56.months, the Prime Minister and a succession of ministers have refused

:00:57. > :01:03.to do so, either in writing from this dispatch box. Facing defeat

:01:04. > :01:10.wanted a's notion, the Government has now caved in. Last minute

:01:11. > :01:21.amendments tell their own story and everybody knows it. A victory for

:01:22. > :01:24.common sense. Can I thank those on the side of the house to have backed

:01:25. > :01:28.the pressure for the Government to disclose its plan? Can a thank

:01:29. > :01:36.honourable members opposite you have, quite rightly, wanted to see

:01:37. > :01:40.far more detail about the approach? The approach their front bench is

:01:41. > :01:43.willing to take. I will. I am grateful to him forgiving way but

:01:44. > :01:48.would he acknowledge that, by excepting the governed's amendments

:01:49. > :01:54.to his otherwise very good notion, he is falling into a Tory trap,

:01:55. > :02:00.supporting invoking article 50 by March, which is unrealistic. Just

:02:01. > :02:05.before the honourable gentleman response, can I politely say that

:02:06. > :02:08.the intervention is legitimate but it is a good guide. If a member

:02:09. > :02:13.hopes to speak and intervened more than once in accordance with very

:02:14. > :02:19.long-standing practice, they will be relegated on the list. I think

:02:20. > :02:24.that's only fair if I can to try to secure equal opportunities for all

:02:25. > :02:27.members. I'm grateful for the intervention. I will come to that

:02:28. > :02:33.point because it is important. I will come to it in due course. I've

:02:34. > :02:38.seen the overnight briefings which will no doubt be repeated today from

:02:39. > :02:47.the dispatch box navigable and almost intended to publish its plan

:02:48. > :02:51.but, but an 11th hour concession is an 11th hour concession. I asked for

:02:52. > :02:54.a plan on many occasions and it was refused on every occasion. No one

:02:55. > :03:01.will fall for that. I will make progress if I may. The focus is now

:03:02. > :03:06.where it ought to be, on the substance and not on the process.

:03:07. > :03:12.The terms upon which we leave the EU will define us and our country for

:03:13. > :03:14.many years and this house and the public are entitled to know the

:03:15. > :03:20.approach that the Government is intending to take. Today's

:03:21. > :03:23.victory... I will in just a moment. I will just make a bit of progress

:03:24. > :03:30.and get to the amendment if you don't mind. Today's victory is

:03:31. > :03:34.important and so is the timing. As we debate this notion, the

:03:35. > :03:39.Government's appeal is being heard any screenful. We need to remind

:03:40. > :03:43.ourselves that the Government is arguing this house should have no

:03:44. > :03:47.say on the question of invoking article 50. That is the argue that

:03:48. > :03:54.it is presenting. -- Supreme Court. In the Supreme Court. The prospect

:03:55. > :04:01.of a vote granted by the High Court a few weeks ago, that is the court

:04:02. > :04:05.of its argument and purpose of its appeal. To remove that road from us.

:04:06. > :04:14.That is what it is seeking to achieve. But though -- vote. That

:04:15. > :04:22.would be to avoid scrutiny and avoid accountability. If the Government

:04:23. > :04:29.succeeds in that appeal, this notion will be very important because it

:04:30. > :04:34.puts grit into a process which would otherwise have none. We would only

:04:35. > :04:38.have they planned to discuss because they would not be getting a vote. We

:04:39. > :04:44.would not be getting a vote. I will give way. However, if the Government

:04:45. > :04:47.held at the Supreme Court, there will have to be a legislative

:04:48. > :04:53.process. This is not a legislative process today, is it? I am grateful

:04:54. > :04:57.for that intervention and I am coming to that point so I will press

:04:58. > :05:03.on with it, if I may. What I'm going to do is get to the amendment so I

:05:04. > :05:07.can make my position clear on the amendment and then I will take some

:05:08. > :05:11.interventions. A plan will now have to be prepared, debated and

:05:12. > :05:18.subjected to scrutiny as to whether I not we have a vote and that is a

:05:19. > :05:22.good thing. For anyone who believes in parliamentary scrutiny. If, on

:05:23. > :05:29.the other hand, the Government loses its appeal, label -- there will need

:05:30. > :05:34.to be article 50 legislation in the New Year. A mission of this house

:05:35. > :05:40.will not suffice. I pause here to deal with the amendment, which I

:05:41. > :05:46.want to make clear to all members of the house. Today is not a vote to

:05:47. > :05:51.trigger Article 50 or to give authority to the Prime Minister to

:05:52. > :06:01.do so. It is most certainly not a vote for article 50. Unless the

:06:02. > :06:06.Supreme Court over reels -- overrules the High Court, only

:06:07. > :06:09.legislation can do that. Nor does today's notion preclude the Labour

:06:10. > :06:12.Party or any other party putting down amendments to the article 50

:06:13. > :06:19.legislation and having them voted upon. The amendment... I will just

:06:20. > :06:27.complete this part and then of course I will. But it is the notion,

:06:28. > :06:33.as amended, is an indication that the purpose of calling for the plan

:06:34. > :06:36.is not to frustrate the process or delay the Prime Minister's

:06:37. > :06:41.timetable. That is what has made clear by the motion and the

:06:42. > :06:44.amendment taken together. Labour has repeatedly said it will not

:06:45. > :06:52.frustrate the process and I stick by that. That is why the Government

:06:53. > :06:56.should prepare its plan and publish it in time for this house to

:06:57. > :07:02.consider it when it debate and vote on the article 50 legislation and

:07:03. > :07:09.the timetable of the amendment is in fact to put treasure on the

:07:10. > :07:14.Government because a late plan, a late plan would clearly frustrate

:07:15. > :07:18.the purposes and intentions of this notion and I put the Government on

:07:19. > :07:24.notice that I will not be slow to call them out if they do not produce

:07:25. > :07:30.a tiny plan. I will give way. I'm very grateful for the Shadow

:07:31. > :07:35.minister giving way. -- Supreme Court. What I did not want him to do

:07:36. > :07:38.was inadvertently mislead the house. There is already legislation on this

:07:39. > :07:47.house which has a first reading at it is the Withdrawal From An Article

:07:48. > :07:54.50 Withdrawal From The European Union Bill. I am grateful for that

:07:55. > :07:57.intervention and understand the point. We will have to see what

:07:58. > :08:03.happens on the 16th of December but I think the Secretary of State has

:08:04. > :08:08.made it clear, on a number of occasions, understandably, that in

:08:09. > :08:11.addition to the main point of the appeal, survive the Government is

:08:12. > :08:15.concerned, which is to take away any right to vote on year from the mac

:08:16. > :08:21.invoking of article 50, there is a secondary intention and that is to

:08:22. > :08:24.get greater clarity on the type of legislation may be needed in the New

:08:25. > :08:28.Year and I anticipate it is that legislation that we will be will be

:08:29. > :08:34.addressing before too long. I do acknowledge the private members

:08:35. > :08:39.Bill. I thank the memo that forgiving way and I'm glad he has

:08:40. > :08:43.made it clear that it's not down to us to invoke article 15 because the

:08:44. > :08:46.Government and their supporters have been put around -- putting Iran that

:08:47. > :08:58.we are trying to sabotage that. And because what we have seen is the

:08:59. > :09:05.characterising of anyone who questions the Government's approach

:09:06. > :09:08.as frustration. -- I am grateful for that intervention. That is the wrong

:09:09. > :09:12.characterisation and to be avoided. Having accepted the amendment today,

:09:13. > :09:17.I hope people will not continue to intervene on me saying it is an

:09:18. > :09:21.attempt to frustrate. The plan is to be produced in good time with

:09:22. > :09:25.sufficient detail for us to debate it, but the purpose is not to

:09:26. > :09:30.frustrate the process of all ought to delay the timetable the Prime

:09:31. > :09:37.Minister set out some time ago. I will give way.

:09:38. > :09:41.I am grateful to him for giving way, but isn't the fact... If he accepts

:09:42. > :09:46.the amendment of the Government, he is effectively giving unilateral

:09:47. > :09:49.support to what ever planned they decide to bring foreign commerce of

:09:50. > :09:52.the opposition will not be able to perform their parliamentary duties

:09:53. > :09:57.to the executive. That is not the case and I will make

:09:58. > :10:00.that point in a moment. I understand the concern but that is not the

:10:01. > :10:05.case. I will give way. I'm grateful to the Shadow Minister.

:10:06. > :10:10.Would you agree with me that the opposition support or at least do

:10:11. > :10:16.not oppose the Government's amendment today, it would be

:10:17. > :10:20.completely unacceptable and totally inconsistent, having accepted the

:10:21. > :10:25.amendment, then, when we get into the New Year, to do anything to

:10:26. > :10:31.delay the triggering of Article 50 beyond the 31st of March?

:10:32. > :10:38.I have made it absolutely clear that nothing in today's motion precludes

:10:39. > :10:42.any party, including my own, putting down an amendment to legislation if

:10:43. > :10:50.there is legislation, and it voted on. I am astonished that members of

:10:51. > :10:53.the House are, in some cases, willing to pass up the opportunity

:10:54. > :10:58.to have a vote in the first place, and to restrict the ability for

:10:59. > :11:00.debate and amendment in the second place.

:11:01. > :11:05.I do not want to break up his flow, but will he please answer the

:11:06. > :11:08.question put to him - does he think it is reasonable, having supported

:11:09. > :11:13.this amendment, that they should frustrate and slow down the process

:11:14. > :11:19.of Article 50? I have made it absolutely clear and

:11:20. > :11:24.they make it clear again. Know he has not!

:11:25. > :11:28.The purpose of this motion, calling for a plan, is not to frustrate or

:11:29. > :11:31.delay the process. That is not the purpose or why we are calling for a

:11:32. > :11:36.plan. It does present a challenge for the Government. It now means the

:11:37. > :11:42.Government has got to produce a plan in good time to allow the proper

:11:43. > :11:44.formalities and processes. It is a challenge... The timetable is more

:11:45. > :11:47.of a challenge for the Government than it is for the opposition on

:11:48. > :11:53.this. I will make some progress...

:11:54. > :12:01.I will make some progress if I may. I have taken a lot of interventions.

:12:02. > :12:09.The Government must now prepare its plan and publish it. I put the

:12:10. > :12:15.Government on notice. If it fails to produce a plan by the time we are

:12:16. > :12:24.debating Article 50 legislation, if we are, assuming the Government does

:12:25. > :12:28.it, amendments on this site and possibly from the other side of the

:12:29. > :12:34.House that will be put forward, setting up the minimum requirements

:12:35. > :12:39.of a plan, in other words, we are not going to have a situation where

:12:40. > :12:47.the Government seeks a boat in a vacuum or produces a late, vague

:12:48. > :12:51.plan. -- a vote in a vacuum. I will give way.

:12:52. > :12:56.I'm grateful. I congratulate him because it is a difficult wicket to

:12:57. > :12:59.play. In his motion, he says there will be no disclosure material that

:13:00. > :13:02.could be reasonably judged to damage the UK. When he talks about a plan,

:13:03. > :13:09.could he explain perhaps does he mean that should be series of Kents?

:13:10. > :13:17.Is at an explanation of principles or is it specific priorities? -- a

:13:18. > :13:20.series of? When he talks about a plan, it would be hobbled in what he

:13:21. > :13:25.means. It is straightforward. I have said

:13:26. > :13:28.number of times. -- it would be helpful to know what

:13:29. > :13:31.he means. I have said the Government would

:13:32. > :13:36.enter into confidential negotiations for a number of months. Producing a

:13:37. > :13:41.plan should not undermine that process. I have said that... This is

:13:42. > :13:46.not the first time I have said it, but repeat. I understand the point

:13:47. > :13:51.made about not producing a plan on the basis that saying anything might

:13:52. > :13:55.undermine the negotiations, I do not accept this. I accept there is a

:13:56. > :13:58.level of detail for confidential issues and tactics which should not

:13:59. > :14:05.be disclosed. I have never said otherwise. I just want to put the

:14:06. > :14:11.contrary proposition forehead, to see how comfortable members are with

:14:12. > :14:12.it, which is absent a plan, absence knowing the objectives, absent

:14:13. > :14:18.knowing the starting position, the Government would then negotiate for

:14:19. > :14:23.two years without telling us any of that detail. For two years... Are

:14:24. > :14:30.any members of this has content not to know... Hands up who doesn't want

:14:31. > :14:38.to know... Hands up if you don't want to know. Between now and March

:14:39. > :14:47.2019, you are happy? "I don't need to know". Whatever you negotiating,

:14:48. > :14:52.it's fine by me. Well, the honourable gentleman is an

:14:53. > :14:58.experienced lawyer, and I am sure this is old hat to him. Can he then

:14:59. > :15:02.tell me, since the alternative he thinks is telling the House nothing,

:15:03. > :15:07.what he thinks of this? The comments made eight times by me to the house.

:15:08. > :15:11.I said several times in debates he has attended, I will make as much

:15:12. > :15:17.information as possible available without prejudicing our

:15:18. > :15:24.investigation. As much information as possible. I made that .8 times to

:15:25. > :15:28.this House. -- eight times did I make this point.

:15:29. > :15:33.I heard the point made and I understand and respect the Secretary

:15:34. > :15:37.of State's position on this issue, and his history on issues of

:15:38. > :15:41.scrutiny and accountability. I understand why he feels

:15:42. > :15:47.uncomfortable not disclosing the information that can be disclosed.

:15:48. > :15:50.What this motion does is to move the issue on and to make it clear that

:15:51. > :15:55.there will be a plan, whilst of course preserving that which needs

:15:56. > :15:59.to remain confidential. I acknowledge that this has been said,

:16:00. > :16:04.and I also acknowledge that the Secretary of State has said on more

:16:05. > :16:08.than one occasion that when the Government has reached a judgment on

:16:09. > :16:13.the customs union, and I think he means when he has reached a judgment

:16:14. > :16:17.on the single market, it will then make that position public. I

:16:18. > :16:20.therefore anticipate that the Secretary of State has no

:16:21. > :16:23.difficulties in a plan which sets out the position on the single

:16:24. > :16:29.market, set at the position on customs union, said that the

:16:30. > :16:32.position on transitional measures, and on the like. That is the

:16:33. > :16:36.direction of travel I have understood him to be going in. This

:16:37. > :16:40.plan commits him to it and put it within the framework of scrutiny and

:16:41. > :16:44.accountability that will come with the Article 50 legislation. I

:16:45. > :16:48.acknowledge what has been said. Let me pick up the issues he has

:16:49. > :16:51.talked about. There are the circumstances under which the

:16:52. > :16:55.criteria and aims are clear but the individual policy may not be.

:16:56. > :16:59.They're only be several options and it might be in our negotiating

:17:00. > :17:04.interest to keep more than one of them open. Surely that does not

:17:05. > :17:11.necessarily require we specify in detail any individual...

:17:12. > :17:14.Understand the point the Secretary of State is making and to some

:17:15. > :17:19.extent we will probably return to this debate as and when the plan

:17:20. > :17:24.materialises. But I... But it is important that it is not a

:17:25. > :17:29.mischaracterisation of this. Asking for a plan to set out the objectives

:17:30. > :17:36.is not to seek to undermine the UK's negotiating power, nor to seek a

:17:37. > :17:37.running commentary. It is to have clarity, scrutiny and

:17:38. > :17:47.accountability. I will make progress, if I may. I come to the

:17:48. > :17:49.minimum requirements of a plan. They are fivefold. Firstly, and I have

:17:50. > :17:55.really begun to touch on this, enough detail and clarity to end the

:17:56. > :18:00.circus of uncertainty that has been going on in recent weeks on issues

:18:01. > :18:04.such as the single market, paying in for access to the single market, the

:18:05. > :18:09.customs union and transitional arrangement. The pattern and that of

:18:10. > :18:15.these exchanges into the last few days and weeks is clear for all to

:18:16. > :18:17.see. One member of the Cabinet says one thing one day, and another

:18:18. > :18:22.member of the Cabinet says something else on a different day, and then a

:18:23. > :18:26.spokesperson says no decision has been made. We have seen that pattern

:18:27. > :18:35.over and over in the last few weeks. That uncertainty is causing anxiety

:18:36. > :18:40.across the UK, in businesses and working people, and in our nation.

:18:41. > :18:44.It has to end. That uncertainty is causing more damage to this process

:18:45. > :18:49.than anything else just at the moment. This House, the public

:18:50. > :18:52.businesses and working people, and the media and our communities are

:18:53. > :18:57.entitled to know the basis on which the Government intend to negotiate

:18:58. > :19:01.their future. I will give way. The honourable member giving way. He

:19:02. > :19:06.said the alternative are having a plan was no information until 2019.

:19:07. > :19:09.Does he accept that in the debate on the 12th of October, he predicted

:19:10. > :19:12.the Secretary of State that he asked him, will we have the same

:19:13. > :19:17.information that will go to the European Parliament, where there is

:19:18. > :19:19.a mandatory obligation to inform the European Parliament of the

:19:20. > :19:25.negotiations? He said clearly the answer was yes.

:19:26. > :19:29.Good. We are working with our European colleagues on that issue

:19:30. > :19:33.but that is after Article 50 has been triggered. This is what comes

:19:34. > :19:40.before. Of course, there are stages to this process. The reason a plan

:19:41. > :19:43.is important is because it is the start of the process. It sets the

:19:44. > :19:50.scene and it is the direction of travel. Once Article 50 is

:19:51. > :19:53.triggered, any people-mac will be involved in the process, because

:19:54. > :19:59.they vote at the end of the exercise. -- MEPs will be involved.

:20:00. > :20:02.Secretary of State has said in a number of cases that whatever

:20:03. > :20:07.information they have... I should jolly well hope so. The idea that

:20:08. > :20:10.MEPs would be provided with more information about the negotiations

:20:11. > :20:13.than we would would be wrong in the eyes of everybody in this House. The

:20:14. > :20:18.Secretary of State made the commitment early on for this, and it

:20:19. > :20:22.is the right commitment. He will not be surprised to learn I intend to

:20:23. > :20:25.hold him do it every step of the way. I am sure we will meet in the

:20:26. > :20:29.dispatch box to discuss precisely that. I have not finished dealing

:20:30. > :20:34.with this intervention if you do not mind. This is what happens before

:20:35. > :20:40.the negotiations in the run-up to Article 50. There is then the

:20:41. > :20:44.two-year tunnel of negotiations. There is then what happens at the

:20:45. > :20:51.end. MEPs will have a vote and if they vote down the deal, there will

:20:52. > :20:53.be no deal. I have no doubt that the secretary of state would concede

:20:54. > :20:58.that we will have a vote in this house, because the idea of MEPs

:20:59. > :21:02.voting and not this House voting on the final deal would be wrong in

:21:03. > :21:05.principle. Maybe the Secretary of State can indicate that there will

:21:06. > :21:08.be a vote at the end of the process on the deal, in the same way that

:21:09. > :21:13.MEPs will have a vote. That would be horrible on our side of the House.

:21:14. > :21:17.I apologise to intervening a third time, but we have said already the

:21:18. > :21:22.Constitutional reform act procedures will apply. That is straightforward.

:21:23. > :21:27.I have said that at least three times to this House. The point I

:21:28. > :21:32.want to raise to him here is that he is asserting that there is no vote

:21:33. > :21:40.between whatever happens as a result of the court case and the

:21:41. > :21:44.ratification process. Of course, the European... The great repeal act

:21:45. > :21:49.will be presented to this house during that two-year period. After

:21:50. > :21:52.that, there will be a series of consequential legislation, some

:21:53. > :21:58.primary and some secondary, on every piece of which this House will have

:21:59. > :22:02.its vote. I acknowledge that. But my response

:22:03. > :22:06.is exactly the same as the previous response, and that is that the

:22:07. > :22:12.timetable for the great repeal act is after Article 50 has been

:22:13. > :22:18.invoked, so it does not help us with the plan and the starting position.

:22:19. > :22:22.That is why this article process has to be gripped now, because what

:22:23. > :22:25.happens between now and March 31 really matters in terms of the

:22:26. > :22:30.starting position. I accept that after that Great Repeal Act bill

:22:31. > :22:33.will be introduced and debated and no doubt there will be votes on

:22:34. > :22:36.different provisions within it, but it is essentially a bill that

:22:37. > :22:40.indicates what will happen at the end of the process. That is rather

:22:41. > :22:44.than a bill which deals either with a plan at the starting position or

:22:45. > :22:51.the process in itself. But I do accept...

:22:52. > :22:54.Shadow Minister, I understand impressing the Government for its

:22:55. > :23:00.plans and setting down the red lines but I cannot understand him wanting

:23:01. > :23:03.to set down the legislation. It is only so the Labour Party and set

:23:04. > :23:06.down the Government to pursue it later... It is wrecking tactics by

:23:07. > :23:15.any other name. The answer to the question... Mr

:23:16. > :23:20.Speaker, of the contrary, no, I will make some progress. I have taken ill

:23:21. > :23:25.at of interventions. Mr Speaker, the second requirement of a plan is that

:23:26. > :23:29.it must have enough details to allow the relevant parliamentary bodies

:23:30. > :23:34.and committees, including the Brexit select committee, chaired by Mike

:23:35. > :23:37.right honourable friend, to scrutinise the plan effectively. One

:23:38. > :23:43.of the terms of reference of the Brexit select committee, for

:23:44. > :23:46.example, is in examining the objectives of the Government. So it

:23:47. > :23:48.has got to have sufficient detail to allow the parliamentary bodies to do

:23:49. > :24:02.their scrutiny effectively. I'm going to press on. The, the plan

:24:03. > :24:06.must provide enough detail to enable enough budget responds ability to do

:24:07. > :24:10.their job to the best of their ability. As members across this

:24:11. > :24:20.house will know, the budget responsibility in national order act

:24:21. > :24:27.2011 set out the role of the ODI, -- OBR and it is their role to have a

:24:28. > :24:30.say over public finances. Public forecast should be based over all

:24:31. > :24:35.decisions that have an material impact on fiscal output. That means

:24:36. > :24:44.it is respond to foreign policy decisions and costings. It is for

:24:45. > :24:47.OBR to decide on costing. It states that it agrees disagrees with the

:24:48. > :24:52.costings, whether it has been given insufficient time information to

:24:53. > :24:55.reach a decision. It is a very important check and balance in the

:24:56. > :24:59.system when it comes to the spending of public money and costings. In its

:25:00. > :25:04.response in the Autumn Statement, this year, the OBR made the

:25:05. > :25:12.following comment on the assumptions based on the cost of Brexit. It

:25:13. > :25:16.said, as set out in the foreword, we asked the Government for a formal

:25:17. > :25:21.statement of dominant policy as required its trade regime and

:25:22. > :25:24.citizen control on the basis of Jacksons, this was about Brexit,

:25:25. > :25:29.then said the Government directed us to two public statements by the

:25:30. > :25:34.Prime Minister that it stated were relevant to our request. This is the

:25:35. > :25:37.OBR trying to do its job, insufficient information to carry

:25:38. > :25:44.out its statuary function -- statutory function. It is directed

:25:45. > :25:52.to two public statements by the Prime Minister. The response left

:25:53. > :25:57.them the money wiser, as they replied. That is in response to the

:25:58. > :26:02.trade be governed by make during the period of negotiation. It is perhaps

:26:03. > :26:06.understandable in the early stages why that might be the case. I

:26:07. > :26:11.concede that and this is not intended just to be a cheap shot

:26:12. > :26:15.based on the OBR report but it is important that the OBR can do its

:26:16. > :26:19.job properly over the next two years or more. Unless it has sufficiently

:26:20. > :26:24.clear objectives, it will not be able to do so. It's wrong,

:26:25. > :26:29.invincible, for the OBR to be disabled from doing its functions

:26:30. > :26:39.properly. It needs enough detail for that scrutiny to be carried out.

:26:40. > :26:43.Fourth, the plan must have enough detail to enable the relevant

:26:44. > :26:46.authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be assured that

:26:47. > :26:53.the particular specific concerns they have are being addressed.

:26:54. > :26:58.Others will speak about those concerns far more authoritatively

:26:59. > :27:04.than I can. They can include, of course their concerns about the

:27:05. > :27:06.single market and in Northern Ireland, the border related issue.

:27:07. > :27:11.The detail must be enough to enable them to be assured that those

:27:12. > :27:17.concerns are understood and being addressed. Over the last... I will

:27:18. > :27:23.just carry on, if I may. I visited all three devolved governments in

:27:24. > :27:31.all three countries recently. I can assure the house that "Brexit means

:27:32. > :27:38.Brexit" does not come close to answering the concerns that I had or

:27:39. > :27:47.one covering the concerns across the UK. Fifth, the plan must have enough

:27:48. > :27:54.detail to build a genuine consensus. This is a very important point

:27:55. > :28:01.because the future of this country is bound up with these negotiations.

:28:02. > :28:09.It is wrong, in visible, for the Government to act solely for the

:28:10. > :28:15.52%, to base its approach on the 52% or a group within the 52%. The vote

:28:16. > :28:22.on the 23rd of June was not a vote to write those who voted to remain

:28:23. > :28:31.out of their own history. They have a right out and interest in the

:28:32. > :28:37.negotiations. They have a right to have a Government that gives weight

:28:38. > :28:42.to their interests as well as the interests of the 52%. I said this

:28:43. > :28:48.before and I'll say it again, the Government must act, not for the 52%

:28:49. > :28:55.or the 48%, but the 100%. Acting in the national interest. That can only

:28:56. > :29:02.be achieved... I will give way. That can only the achieved if we have a

:29:03. > :29:07.national consensus. Thank you forgiving way. I am fascinated by

:29:08. > :29:11.this focus on the plan. And the amount of wiki is going to invite

:29:12. > :29:15.the OBR to do and everything else. He does understand that no plans of

:29:16. > :29:23.ice engagement with the enemy. Whilst I do not characterise... That

:29:24. > :29:31.is a military metaphor from a soldier. What I would say to the

:29:32. > :29:35.honourable gentleman is that it is plain that our negotiation hand is

:29:36. > :29:41.clear and it is not compatible with the position being taken by our 27

:29:42. > :29:44.partners. This is all going to change any course of the

:29:45. > :29:53.negotiations and we are going to have to leave it to the Government

:29:54. > :29:59.to make those decisions. The intervention is simply too long.

:30:00. > :30:04.Thank you. I think on reflection, the honourable member may think that

:30:05. > :30:15.he didn't use the right word. In describing our partners at the

:30:16. > :30:18.enemy. It brings me to a footnote but an important footnote and that

:30:19. > :30:22.is some of the language and tone that has been adopted by the

:30:23. > :30:30.Government and its front bench. It is not helping the prospects for a

:30:31. > :30:32.good outcome. You say it's disingenuous, I have been to

:30:33. > :30:37.Brussels and spoken to the people who will be involved and they are

:30:38. > :30:46.not particularly amused at jokes about prospective or references to

:30:47. > :30:49.cake and eating it. -- Prosecco. They want a professional,

:30:50. > :30:52.constructive set of negotiations and some of the comments being made

:30:53. > :30:58.about them and their real purposes are not helping the prospects. We

:30:59. > :31:05.have a shared interest across this house in getting these negotiations

:31:06. > :31:08.off to the best possible start. Very difficult negotiations. On helpful

:31:09. > :31:16.or disparaging comments along the way are simply not helping. I will

:31:17. > :31:20.press on. Until now, the Prime Minister's two mantras that Brexit

:31:21. > :31:24.means Brexit and it will be no running commentary of negotiations

:31:25. > :31:31.tell us nothing about the type of Brexit that the Government proposes.

:31:32. > :31:33.I'm not sure the recently coined red-and-white dot-mac, white and

:31:34. > :31:38.blue Brexit takes us any further followed. -- red, white and blue.

:31:39. > :31:42.The question everyone wants answered is, will it be the hard Brexit

:31:43. > :31:49.suggested in Theresa May's party conference speech all the slightly

:31:50. > :31:55.more vague form which include possible payments into the EU budget

:31:56. > :31:58.to provide guarantees about the prospect of arrangements that are

:31:59. > :32:03.free of tariffs or bureaucratic contentment? These are two different

:32:04. > :32:07.versions of our future that are going to be negotiated over the next

:32:08. > :32:11.few years and we need to know which version we are running with. We need

:32:12. > :32:17.a clear consensus. I will. I'm before tonight honourable friend

:32:18. > :32:22.forgiving way. He is right to insist on a plan and it's also important

:32:23. > :32:25.that we do not stand in the way of the will of the British people and

:32:26. > :32:31.the referendum but will he accept that there are many people on all

:32:32. > :32:35.sides of the house who have some doubts and some misgivings about the

:32:36. > :32:40.timing of the trigger and invoking of Article 50? The 31st of March is

:32:41. > :32:45.just too soon and we are rushing into it. We won't start negotiations

:32:46. > :32:52.until the German elections and that means you need may just get one year

:32:53. > :32:56.of these. -- we may just get. I'm grateful for that intervention and I

:32:57. > :33:03.do understand the concerns. I think they are shared across the house

:33:04. > :33:09.about the timetable. It is a tight timetable. What I am accepted, in

:33:10. > :33:12.accepting any amendment is the purpose of the plan and that the

:33:13. > :33:16.motion is not to frustrate or delay the process. I know the Secretary of

:33:17. > :33:23.State equally wants to keep to that timetable but it is an exact

:33:24. > :33:27.timetable and it is incumbent on the Government to make sure that the

:33:28. > :33:31.deadline is net by ensuring that the plan is available as soon as

:33:32. > :33:43.possible in January of next year. I am going to press on. So far as...

:33:44. > :33:52.Mr Speaker, the question, as I say, everybody's glitz, is it hard Brexit

:33:53. > :33:57.like it was sketched out at a party conference? Being outside the single

:33:58. > :34:02.market, arms length relationship with our EU partners. That is how it

:34:03. > :34:05.was written. Or is it a more collaborative approach with our

:34:06. > :34:07.partners? I understand and can hear from the statement that there is

:34:08. > :34:13.disagreement on the other adventures about this. We cannot go in to

:34:14. > :34:19.negotiations with that disagreement still raging and we need to go in

:34:20. > :34:24.with consensus. I will say this allowed and clear, there is no

:34:25. > :34:34.mandate for hard Brexit. There is no consensus for hard Brexit. No, I

:34:35. > :34:37.have given way a number of times. In the last few months, I have

:34:38. > :34:41.travelled across the UK to hold meetings with a wide range of

:34:42. > :34:44.interested parties, such as businesses, large and small, two

:34:45. > :34:51.different nations and regions, trade unions, working people in the local

:34:52. > :34:54.amenities on the terms upon which the UK leaves the EU. I know the

:34:55. > :34:58.secretary of state and his team have been engaged in the same exercise,

:34:59. > :35:01.the increase on the same places and same region, speaking to some of the

:35:02. > :35:07.same people. The overwhelming evidence is that they do not want

:35:08. > :35:11.hard Brexit. There is not a consensus as therefore hard Brexit.

:35:12. > :35:18.If we are going to reach a consensus, it has to be a genuine

:35:19. > :35:22.consensus that works for everybody. So, the ball is now in the

:35:23. > :35:26.Government's courts to produce a timely plan which meets these

:35:27. > :35:32.requirements. That will then be the start of the process, not the end,

:35:33. > :35:36.the start of scrutiny and accountability, not the end, if the

:35:37. > :35:39.Government fell swoop to produce a timely and sufficiently detailed

:35:40. > :35:43.plan, it should expect further challenge from this site and I put

:35:44. > :35:51.the Secretary of State on Walters that it is what we will do. If the

:35:52. > :35:55.Government... Only legislation can allow the triggering of Article 50,

:35:56. > :35:59.that will have to be debated in the full and proper procedures in this

:36:00. > :36:02.house as the Secretary of State accepts. This notion makes clear

:36:03. > :36:09.that while Labour will not frustrate the process, it will shake the

:36:10. > :36:12.debate up and head of hard Brexit. The question is as on the order

:36:13. > :36:18.paper. To move the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister. I call

:36:19. > :36:28.the Secretary of State for exiting the European Union. Secretary knew,

:36:29. > :36:33.David Davis. Thank you. Before I move the amendment, can I just say a

:36:34. > :36:36.few things to the Labour spokesman? Firstly, he ended by saying that

:36:37. > :36:45.there is no mandate for hard Brexit. To be honest, I don't really know

:36:46. > :36:55.what hard Brexit means. But the simple fact is a mandate was to

:36:56. > :36:59.leave the European Union. I think we should keep that in mind when going

:37:00. > :37:03.through this process. Secondly, to think I want to say and they are

:37:04. > :37:06.both actual. One, he raised the issue quite properly about Northern

:37:07. > :37:11.Ireland and it is because I'm standing in the dispatch box

:37:12. > :37:13.yesterday that I am not chairing the joint industrial committee between

:37:14. > :37:18.the devolved administrations on exactly these issues. There has been

:37:19. > :37:24.a considerable amount of progress on that which, if he does not know, I

:37:25. > :37:29.can be then on. Of course, some of it, almost by definition, is

:37:30. > :37:33.confidential. I think he should take that as read. That is a process that

:37:34. > :37:39.has been going on for some time and is quite well advanced. Another

:37:40. > :37:47.thing is factual, he raises the issue of the OBR. You may remember I

:37:48. > :37:51.was a chairman and I am quite familiar with OBR operations. The

:37:52. > :37:56.conditionality that applies to any information put in the public domain

:37:57. > :38:02.is that it will not bias or undermine in the referendum...

:38:03. > :38:07.Sorry, the negotiations, applies equally there. If we put it into the

:38:08. > :38:10.OBR, we would have the same telegraphic than what we are doing

:38:11. > :38:14.than otherwise. For other reasons, it would be very any appropriate as

:38:15. > :38:18.well. That inappropriate. That is because this is a negotiation, not a

:38:19. > :38:23.policy statement and what we are aiming for, and I think we may be on

:38:24. > :38:27.the same page on this, what we are aiming for may not be the exact

:38:28. > :38:28.place we end up at, and I think he would understand that. Of course I

:38:29. > :38:40.will give way. I was not making the argument that

:38:41. > :38:43.the OBR required confidential information, which would undermine

:38:44. > :38:47.negotiation, but that the plan must be detailed enough to let them do

:38:48. > :38:52.their job that provides the scrutiny they need. That is the point.

:38:53. > :38:58.As I make progress through, I have to say I have explained why, in some

:38:59. > :39:03.respects, that is not practical. But this debate generally is very

:39:04. > :39:07.similar to the last proposition on Brexit, and it is the last sentence

:39:08. > :39:12.that extends it. The Government and I can certainly except with the

:39:13. > :39:14.amendment that whatever plan we set out, the amendment must be

:39:15. > :39:19.consistent with the principles agreed without permission throughout

:39:20. > :39:26.this House on the 12th of October. It recognises this House must

:39:27. > :39:30.respect the wishes of the United Kingdom as expressed by the

:39:31. > :39:38.referendum on the 23rd of June, and must promote Article 50 by the 31st

:39:39. > :39:45.of March 20 17. I must make some progress before I give way on this

:39:46. > :39:49.important argument. To answer what the shadow spokesman said, that is

:39:50. > :39:55.what they are signing up to. The Government should invoke Article 50

:39:56. > :39:58.by the 31st of March 20 17. Let's be clear. It has always been our

:39:59. > :40:02.intention as I said my intervention to him to lay out the strategy in

:40:03. > :40:08.more detail when possible and provided it does not undermine the

:40:09. > :40:12.UK 's negotiating position. On the points... Dolomite he will

:40:13. > :40:20.wait a while and then I will give way. -- he will wait a while.

:40:21. > :40:25.The article does not undermine the UK negotiating proposition. I have

:40:26. > :40:29.said that before the House on a number of occasions and I am happy

:40:30. > :40:32.to confirm it again today. Our amendment lays out the important

:40:33. > :40:38.challenge to the benches opposite to those who say they respect the

:40:39. > :40:41.result of a referendum but his action suggest they are looking for

:40:42. > :40:47.every opportunity to thwart and delay it. We will see today if he is

:40:48. > :40:50.willing to back the Government to respect the decision made by the

:40:51. > :40:56.public of the United Kingdom. Before I continue with emotion, I give way.

:40:57. > :41:00.Can I emphasise to my right honourable friend that the motion

:41:01. > :41:04.must require Parliament to support the triggering of Article 50 by

:41:05. > :41:12.means known to the law. As the law stands at the moment, he will

:41:13. > :41:16.doubtless agree this requires primary legislation. Well possible

:41:17. > :41:19.for bills to be introduced, it will in reality be the Government duty to

:41:20. > :41:23.do that, unless it is the Government's duty to do it if it

:41:24. > :41:25.wishes to proceed, and do that in a timely fashion that enables proper

:41:26. > :41:30.debate on the legislation to take place.

:41:31. > :41:34.My honourable friend should know better than to tempt me to comment

:41:35. > :41:38.on a court case which is taking place as we stand here. I will not

:41:39. > :41:44.do that at the moment, but we will, as you well know that we will obey

:41:45. > :41:49.the role of wall. We will obey what the court fines. We will ensure we

:41:50. > :41:52.do the right thing. As the spokesman for the opposition has said, one of

:41:53. > :41:59.the reasons we're waiting on this outcome is to get precisely right

:42:00. > :42:02.what it is this house has to do... With my right honourable friend give

:42:03. > :42:08.way. I will, at the moment.

:42:09. > :42:12.On the matter of timing in the amendment, would he not accept that

:42:13. > :42:15.because the French election is in May and the general election is in

:42:16. > :42:20.October, nothing will be achieved in a time frame. If we trigger it in

:42:21. > :42:22.March, there will be lost negotiating time within a two-year

:42:23. > :42:29.window. Therefore Article 50 should be triggered in the autumn, in with

:42:30. > :42:33.time, in fact, for a referendum on the exit for the people to decide

:42:34. > :42:38.the final deal. Of the contrary, no, I do not accept

:42:39. > :42:43.that. There are between now and the possible end of the negotiating

:42:44. > :42:49.process if it goes the full edition later distanced... There are 15

:42:50. > :42:52.elections. We have already had two events this weekend, referendum and

:42:53. > :42:56.another election. There is no point where there is no election underway.

:42:57. > :43:00.It is simple possible to meet his requirement. Do you want me to give

:43:01. > :43:03.way? Very good from the Secretary of

:43:04. > :43:09.State. Isn't the crucial issue here tonight that whatever about the

:43:10. > :43:14.caveat sector by the Shadow Minister on this, anyone voting for this

:43:15. > :43:20.amendment tonight will be impossible to justify to the public any brain

:43:21. > :43:23.ageing or any going back or any procrastination, anything about the

:43:24. > :43:27.31st of March that 60 delay the triggering of Article 50? That is

:43:28. > :43:30.the reality of the situation. The right honourable gentlemen is

:43:31. > :43:36.right and I agree, but to balance it up, I give away to the other side of

:43:37. > :43:39.the House. My right honourable friend, thank

:43:40. > :43:41.you. The legalities of the situation, you must address the

:43:42. > :43:46.political question the accountability of Government to this

:43:47. > :43:51.house, or it's important policies. This word "Plan" is being used in

:43:52. > :43:53.extremely vague ways and could cover some of the vague assertions that

:43:54. > :44:01.ministers have been making over the last few weeks. With the except that

:44:02. > :44:03.the House requires a description -- will he except, that the House

:44:04. > :44:08.requires a description preferably published in a White Paper of the

:44:09. > :44:11.strategic objectives the Government will be pursuing, submit that

:44:12. > :44:15.strategy to a vote of the house, and once it has got the house's

:44:16. > :44:21.approval, then it can move to invoking Article 50?

:44:22. > :44:25.My right honourable friend is at least it forward and what he says

:44:26. > :44:29.but does not fully agree with the outcome of the referendum. I agree

:44:30. > :44:35.with him to some extent. My view on this is very clear. He has said that

:44:36. > :44:38.the word plan is vague, and I actually think what I have said

:44:39. > :44:43.already to this house in terms of getting every possible information

:44:44. > :44:45.subject to not undermining negotiation, which isn't more

:44:46. > :44:51.competitive. But there is not an issue here where we are not going to

:44:52. > :44:55.allow the House to vote. We cannot do it as a Government even if we

:44:56. > :45:00.wanted to. And also, as I have said, there is a considerable amount of

:45:01. > :45:04.legislation during the negotiation, which will in some respects... I now

:45:05. > :45:09.makes a more protest? Progress if I may. It is widely... And will not

:45:10. > :45:16.give in to normal today. It is widely... It is widely... No, no,

:45:17. > :45:20.no. Mr Speaker, I will make five minutes' progress if he doesn't

:45:21. > :45:24.mind. Order, the Secretary of State is

:45:25. > :45:26.clearly not giving way. It is so blindingly obvious that only an

:45:27. > :45:32.extraordinarily clever person could fail to grasp it.

:45:33. > :45:38.Secretary of State, you make my point, Mr Speaker... The negotiation

:45:39. > :45:42.of our departure from the European Union is the most important compact

:45:43. > :45:46.negotiation in modern times, it is widely accepted. It is important we

:45:47. > :45:49.get it right. That is common ground. It is normal even for basic trade

:45:50. > :45:56.negotiations to be carried out with a degree of secrecy. Indeed, the

:45:57. > :46:00.European Commission recognises this in its own approach to transparency

:46:01. > :46:05.in such negotiations, in which it says, is a certain level of

:46:06. > :46:09.confidentiality is necessary to protect EU interests, and keep

:46:10. > :46:13.chances for a satisfactory outcome high. When entering into a game, no

:46:14. > :46:17.one start by ruling his entire strategy to his counterpart from the

:46:18. > :46:21.outset. This is also the case for the European Union. The reason for

:46:22. > :46:25.this is to retain room for manoeuvre. This includes the ability

:46:26. > :46:28.to give and take, to trade off between different interests, to

:46:29. > :46:31.maximise the value of concessions, and to do so without always giving

:46:32. > :46:38.the other side advance notice. We must retain the ability to negotiate

:46:39. > :46:43.with a high degree of agility and speed. And the more, likely

:46:44. > :46:46.negotiations mean it is more important. The more parties to a

:46:47. > :46:50.negotiation, the more important this is. The more time pressure on a

:46:51. > :46:54.negotiation, the more important. Any trade negotiation, and this is more

:46:55. > :46:58.than a trade negotiation, Annie trade negotiation is difficult and

:46:59. > :47:01.complex. This is the gauche be another step beyond that for a

:47:02. > :47:06.number of reasons. It is more than just about trade. Secondly, more

:47:07. > :47:10.than one person said, our new relationship with the EU will also

:47:11. > :47:15.encompass continued cooperation in areas such as security, justice and

:47:16. > :47:19.home affairs. Secondly, it is not merely a bilateral negotiation but

:47:20. > :47:24.one involving about 30 different parties, and a number of different

:47:25. > :47:28.interests. Thirdly, well considering our exit, Europe must also consider

:47:29. > :47:33.its own future. We are clear we want to see a stable and secure European

:47:34. > :47:37.Union, a vital partner to the UK at the time of very serious global

:47:38. > :47:43.challenges. By Ellie, the political scene in Europe is not set but is

:47:44. > :47:46.changing. -- finally. During the period of our negotiations, there

:47:47. > :47:51.are at least 15 negotiations another political things which could change

:47:52. > :47:57.the backdrop to our exit process. The combination of these factors and

:47:58. > :48:01.their interplay will be coming towards the changing climate to

:48:02. > :48:04.already come located talks. Give way.

:48:05. > :48:09.Any moment. We must seek to a vast number of interests during our

:48:10. > :48:14.outcome. It is that our people benefit. To do this, the Government

:48:15. > :48:17.must have flexible at the two are just during negotiations. It is like

:48:18. > :48:22.spreading the eye of a needle. If you have a good eye and a steady

:48:23. > :48:26.hand, it is easy. If somebody jolt your elbow, it is more difficult. If

:48:27. > :48:32.many people jog your elbow, it is much more difficult.

:48:33. > :48:36.I thank the Secretary of State for giving way. You just read out a list

:48:37. > :48:41.of reasons not to disclose the Government's negotiating objectives

:48:42. > :48:46.as part of the plan, but the right honourable friend for Rushcliffe

:48:47. > :48:49.called rightly in my view for a White Paper on the Government's

:48:50. > :48:53.intentions. If he does not agree with the right honourable member for

:48:54. > :48:57.Rushcliffe, would he at least agree with himself, because he called for

:48:58. > :49:02.the same thing before he was appointed to the job. Why was a

:49:03. > :49:06.White Paper the right thing to do in July but not now?

:49:07. > :49:12.Hear, hear. How to make the people who make this

:49:13. > :49:15.point, it has been made about five times, we doubt what I actually

:49:16. > :49:20.said. I said this is one negotiating option among several, and that is

:49:21. > :49:26.the case. The other thing I say to him is this... He said, I have just

:49:27. > :49:30.been giving reasons for not outlining negotiating objectives.

:49:31. > :49:37.That is not true. I will come back to why any minute. It is a reason

:49:38. > :49:40.not to lay out in detail some of the trade-offs and some of the options

:49:41. > :49:44.which we do have to keep for ourselves, until we play them in the

:49:45. > :49:49.negotiating chamber. I make this point to the house more general in

:49:50. > :49:54.this... During the course of the Amsterdam Treaty, we had a difficult

:49:55. > :49:58.negotiation to carry out, and I kept the house up to date with every bit

:49:59. > :50:02.of it, at the right time, at the appropriate time, not when it

:50:03. > :50:07.undermines the national interest, which is the problem here. I give

:50:08. > :50:09.way to my right honourable friend. I am grateful. Does he accept that

:50:10. > :50:15.you can be an honest Brexiteer, but still want to proclaim parliamentary

:50:16. > :50:19.sovereignty? That is a perfectly logical point of view. I happen to

:50:20. > :50:23.agree with them that we want the article through without any wrecking

:50:24. > :50:27.amendments that tiny hands of the Government unduly, but can he admit

:50:28. > :50:38.that when we have a final deal with the Great Repeal Bill, wall that

:50:39. > :50:42.final deal come to the for approval? The constitutional form, I think,

:50:43. > :50:49.2010, we are effectively bound by that. -- the constitutional reform

:50:50. > :50:55.Bill 2010. Somebody said on this site and maybe it was a spokesman

:50:56. > :50:59.said that... Yes, OK. I'm grateful, maybe we are talking

:51:00. > :51:03.about the same thing, but can he say in terms, because I think it is

:51:04. > :51:08.important, that there will be a vote on the final deal in this House? And

:51:09. > :51:11.what he says about statutes and I understand that, but just simply,

:51:12. > :51:18.for the record, there will be a vote on the final deal in this house?

:51:19. > :51:22.I said before that is what I expect, simple as that. Let me pick up on

:51:23. > :51:28.the point of parliamentary scrutiny in a bit more depth if I may... I

:51:29. > :51:31.will give way... Of the contrary, no, if you forgive me for a minute,

:51:32. > :51:35.I give way to him. I am grateful that I want to pursue

:51:36. > :51:39.the issue of the 2010 act, because the 2010 act says that the

:51:40. > :51:44.Government cannot ratify a treaty until such time as the Government

:51:45. > :51:47.has laid the treaty before the House, and 21 sitting days have

:51:48. > :51:51.passed. It does not guarantee a vote. And in fact this Government

:51:52. > :51:55.since 2010 on several occasions has refused to allow a vote on treaties,

:51:56. > :51:58.even when they have been asked for by the opposition. Is he now

:51:59. > :52:06.specifically saying that they will guarantee a vote at such a point.

:52:07. > :52:11.Point? I was in the middle of a sentence...

:52:12. > :52:17.It is inconceivable... If the European has a vote, it is

:52:18. > :52:19.inconceivable this House does not. I give may...

:52:20. > :52:23.Honourable friend. I wonder if my honourable friend

:52:24. > :52:26.might clarify the point that any think at the end of the process

:52:27. > :52:30.would merely be on the deal, and it would not reverse the fact we have

:52:31. > :52:35.let the European Union? I think that is entirely correct.

:52:36. > :52:40.Will he forgive me for a few moments that I will make a bit more progress

:52:41. > :52:43.and keeping in mind. All of this does not mean that parliamentary

:52:44. > :52:48.scrutiny is not very important. Of course it is, and of all people I

:52:49. > :52:55.would be the last to argue that. That is why I have already given

:52:56. > :52:59.three oral statements to this house, 250 questions answered, and while

:53:00. > :53:02.ministers like myself authority appear before select committees on

:53:03. > :53:08.ten occasions so far, and appearing in front of the Brexit committee in

:53:09. > :53:14.order. That is why the Government announced a series of themed debates

:53:15. > :53:18.with workers' writes being what we discussed, and another debate coming

:53:19. > :53:24.up before Christmas. Also 15 other debates on this and the other House.

:53:25. > :53:27.There is no doubt that how we handle and disclose information is

:53:28. > :53:32.important to the negotiating process. Needless to say, I have

:53:33. > :53:34.given a great deal of thought to how we achieve accountability at the

:53:35. > :53:38.same time as preserving the national interest. That is why, actually, in

:53:39. > :53:44.the first parliamentary committee hearing before the House of Lords

:53:45. > :53:47.select committee, I gave an undertaking... I volunteered an

:53:48. > :53:53.undertaking that British parliamentarians will be at least as

:53:54. > :53:56.well served at in information as the European Parliament. As I said to

:53:57. > :53:59.the spokesmen on other occasions, I said I would provide as much

:54:00. > :54:00.information as possible subject at the end to not undermining the

:54:01. > :54:08.national interest. This is a substantial undertaking

:54:09. > :54:15.but it must be done in a way which would not comprise a negotiation. I

:54:16. > :54:18.give way. Thank you forgiving way. He repeats that what he is doing he

:54:19. > :54:22.thinks is in the national interest but he must have heard from

:54:23. > :54:26.industrialists, as we have on this side of the house, that the

:54:27. > :54:31.uncertainty and the lack of clarity from Government ministers is meaning

:54:32. > :54:37.that people put back projects, and they don't invest and that is why

:54:38. > :54:43.the public finances are in such a mess. We heard this during the

:54:44. > :54:47.campaign, how the economy was going to collapse. I seem to have noticed

:54:48. > :54:52.in your last few months that the economy is doing very well indeed,

:54:53. > :54:57.thank you airy much. This naysaying, this talking down the country is

:54:58. > :55:07.quite frankly the least desirable part of the opposition's behaviour.

:55:08. > :55:10.Yes I will give way. Let me say how strongly I support him but coming

:55:11. > :55:13.back to the point made by our honourable friend from Rushcliffe

:55:14. > :55:19.who is a very great national treasure, he called for us to set

:55:20. > :55:24.out our strategic mission. Surely this Government has set out and

:55:25. > :55:30.strategic vision with great clarity. It is that they want to recover

:55:31. > :55:36.control our borders, make our own laws, keep our own engage in free

:55:37. > :55:42.trade and leave the European Union. What could be more strategic than

:55:43. > :55:45.that? As he is exactly right and that brings me rather neatly to the

:55:46. > :55:49.next thing I want to say because members of the opposite have tried

:55:50. > :55:55.to pretend we have told them nothing but that simply demonstrate an old

:55:56. > :56:03.adage that those who are deaf will not hear. In a moment. As the Prime

:56:04. > :56:06.Minister set in Excel, while we will not give running commentary, and

:56:07. > :56:11.they love that phrase, we will give clarity where ever possible. As she

:56:12. > :56:16.told the house earlier this month, our plan is to deliver control of

:56:17. > :56:19.the people from the European Union to the United Kingdom. I have also

:56:20. > :56:23.been clear about what this involves. Free movement of people cannot

:56:24. > :56:27.continue as it is now. It will not mean pulling up the drawbridge. We

:56:28. > :56:31.will operate an immigration system in our national interest with a view

:56:32. > :56:36.to winning the global battle for talent. Labour do not like this,

:56:37. > :56:39.partly because they cannot agree on their own policy. In the last few

:56:40. > :56:43.weeks, we have heard at least three different positions on the future of

:56:44. > :56:49.free movement remember that the shadow front bench. At least three,

:56:50. > :56:54.probably more. It is no surprise they don't want to talk about it. It

:56:55. > :56:58.is a substantial decision that reflects the will of the British

:56:59. > :57:02.people. Similarly, the Prime Minister said that we intend to

:57:03. > :57:05.remove the UK from media restriction of the European Court of Justice.

:57:06. > :57:10.This is part of the process to recover control of our own laws.

:57:11. > :57:16.Something the Labour Party do not like because they think the ECJ is

:57:17. > :57:25.the printable garage or of British rights and freedoms. In a moment. In

:57:26. > :57:27.which British people fought to create and preserve those freedoms

:57:28. > :57:34.it is unsurprising that the party who tried... Have little

:57:35. > :57:42.understanding of the proper origins of freedom and the rule of law. Yes,

:57:43. > :57:46.I will give way. Thank you much. Any determination to find out something

:57:47. > :57:50.of knowledge from the Minister that was asked today several times, with

:57:51. > :57:58.the UK want to be any customs union or not? It can... Can the Minister

:57:59. > :58:03.for Brexit let us know? Will we be in the customs unit, union or not

:58:04. > :58:10.any customs union? It was on the ballot paper. People did not want to

:58:11. > :58:12.leave the customs union. I think 1 million Scottish people voted to

:58:13. > :58:15.leave the European Union. That is what is on the ballot paper. I will

:58:16. > :58:21.not sidestep the question. The simple truth is what the Prime

:58:22. > :58:25.Minister said, I'm a minister of the covenant. The Prime Minister said

:58:26. > :58:27.this is not a binary option. There are around four different

:58:28. > :58:33.possibilities and they are still assessing that. I'll give an

:58:34. > :58:37.undertaking that I will notify the house in detail when we come to that

:58:38. > :58:42.decision. That is the point. I will make progress and give away again in

:58:43. > :58:47.moment. There are some among the Labour Party who think the

:58:48. > :58:52.jurisdiction of the ECJ will underline employment law. Again,

:58:53. > :58:57.this shows a sorry ignorance. Employment section in the UK does

:58:58. > :58:59.not derive principally from the European Court of Justice.

:59:00. > :59:06.Nevertheless, to prevent any misrepresentation or

:59:07. > :59:10.misunderstanding, the Government has announced it will not road

:59:11. > :59:16.employment connections. Just so there can be no doubt about it. --

:59:17. > :59:18.erode. While Labour talks about employment rights, this Government

:59:19. > :59:22.has made clear guarantees bring forward legislation needs from the

:59:23. > :59:32.repeal bill to ensure those rights currently enjoyed are maintained.

:59:33. > :59:35.Clearly somebody has the support of the Labour Party in what they want

:59:36. > :59:40.to say. I will get round to you indeed. We have been clear that the

:59:41. > :59:45.great repeal buildable translate into the UK law wherever practical.

:59:46. > :59:48.I'm not going to give away for a second because this point is

:59:49. > :59:57.incredibly important. No more will be changed without the explicit

:59:58. > :00:00.approval of parliament. -- law. No law will be changed without the

:00:01. > :00:09.approval of parliament. I give way to the honourable lady. I'm very

:00:10. > :00:12.grateful to the honourable gentleman forgiving way. Did I hear the

:00:13. > :00:15.honourable gentleman correctly? Ditty Sadie Government will decide

:00:16. > :00:21.whether or not we will seek to remain in it or out as it? And then

:00:22. > :00:27.the house, rather the opposition, will be told what the Government's

:00:28. > :00:33.decision is and we will have no say in it in this place? Well, she

:00:34. > :00:37.wasn't listening. I think she should have made up the question before she

:00:38. > :00:40.heard the last paragraph. What I said was there will be no more

:00:41. > :00:47.changed in this country without the approval of the House of Commons. --

:00:48. > :00:51.law. Let B2 customs union, since it is important. There are several

:00:52. > :00:56.options of customs union around. There are several options on customs

:00:57. > :01:01.union. One is shown by Norway, which is in the single market but not any

:01:02. > :01:04.customs union. You have got one shown by Switzerland, which is

:01:05. > :01:09.neither any customs union nor any single market but has a customs

:01:10. > :01:13.agreement. There are a whole series of options that exist and we will

:01:14. > :01:20.come back to the house when you're ready. On her other point, she

:01:21. > :01:23.intimated that because I made the undertaking to the opposition

:01:24. > :01:27.spokesman that was somehow to them and not the House of Commons. Any

:01:28. > :01:32.undertaking from this dispatch box is to be whole House of Commons. You

:01:33. > :01:37.should understand that. A further area where our aims are being made

:01:38. > :01:40.very clear is in justice and Home Affairs. As I said in front of this

:01:41. > :01:46.house last week again, our aim is to preserve the currently ship as best

:01:47. > :01:49.they can, consistent with our broader aims. This clearly extends

:01:50. > :01:55.the areas of security and law enforcement. Even at the delight

:01:56. > :01:58.after we leave, the UK will face threats from terrorism to organised

:01:59. > :02:03.crime. As such, I believe that their mutual interest in, interest for

:02:04. > :02:09.continued cooperation. Being part of Europe will maintain an important

:02:10. > :02:16.role to us, as it does now, to ensure laws are a date and

:02:17. > :02:21.maintained. The area which has dominated this debate, trade, this

:02:22. > :02:24.Government has been as clear as sensible at this stage. We have said

:02:25. > :02:27.that they are seeking the freest possible trading arrangements, both

:02:28. > :02:32.in respect of tariffs but also nontariff barriers. The Government

:02:33. > :02:37.was my view is that the best deal is most likely achieve... One moment.

:02:38. > :02:42.Most likely to be achieved in the outcome but there are an number of

:02:43. > :02:46.means to arrive at that deal and a number of outcomes. It does not make

:02:47. > :02:51.sense at this stage to box ourselves in. I'm a believer in free trade,

:02:52. > :02:55.and want to see the freest trade possible with the European Union but

:02:56. > :02:58.also the rest of the world. We will be a global, averaging nation and

:02:59. > :03:06.will be an advocate for free trade. We want to embrace opportunities of

:03:07. > :03:08.Brexit. We want to be able to maintain the best relationship

:03:09. > :03:14.possible with European Union. Not for the moment. We have made our aim

:03:15. > :03:19.is clear on immigration, the ECJ, workers' rights and legislation more

:03:20. > :03:24.broadly. Clear aims on justice and Home Affairs, and on trade. Not for

:03:25. > :03:27.the moment. It's important that the house understands what we are aiming

:03:28. > :03:33.for. It's also important that we do not close of options before we

:03:34. > :03:38.absolutely have to do. Just this weekend, the Leader of the

:03:39. > :03:42.Opposition suggested he would seek to try and tie the hands of the

:03:43. > :03:47.Government uncertain outcomes, such as the European market. To do so

:03:48. > :03:51.would seriously undermining national interest because it undermines our

:03:52. > :03:54.ability to negotiate freely. As I said in my first appearance at this

:03:55. > :03:59.dispatch box in this role, Parliament will be regularly updated

:04:00. > :04:05.and engaged. Keeping in mind the strategic aims, as well as the fact

:04:06. > :04:10.that we cannot be an -- it cannot be any national interest to jump to

:04:11. > :04:15.negotiations are set out every detail, we will set out plans on the

:04:16. > :04:18.triggering of article 50. It is well that when we decide to trigger

:04:19. > :04:26.Article 15, the Government will notify European Council. The house

:04:27. > :04:32.will always be informed. -- 50. Having the support of the spirit of

:04:33. > :04:34.today's motion that nothing we say will jeopardise our negotiating

:04:35. > :04:41.position, the Government of entering all so underlines the timetable for

:04:42. > :04:51.our departure. Furthering the priming of the's intention to notify

:04:52. > :04:55.by March 21 -- 31st. Paying lip service but rank to be the aim of

:04:56. > :05:01.the people across from me. The Shadow Cabinet cannot decide if they

:05:02. > :05:06.respect the will of the people. My opposite number once to keep his

:05:07. > :05:08.options open with a second referendum, the most attractive

:05:09. > :05:13.thing you could do with our position at the moment. No. Today, we will

:05:14. > :05:15.see whether they are prepared to back Britain, support our plan to

:05:16. > :05:18.follow the instruction of the British people and leave the

:05:19. > :05:21.European Union. This garment is absolutely determined to know that

:05:22. > :05:27.decision made by the people of Britain on June 23. Order. The

:05:28. > :05:32.original question was as on the order paper. Since when amendment a

:05:33. > :05:36.has been proposed as on the order paper. The question is that the

:05:37. > :05:43.amendment be made. Mr Stephen Geffen 's. Thank you. Can I thank the

:05:44. > :05:48.Shadow Minister for his speech and the opportunity for us to debate

:05:49. > :05:51.this subject today? As we have said in the past, we are keen to continue

:05:52. > :05:57.to work with him and his colleagues and indeed members from across this

:05:58. > :06:02.house where that is possible. We appreciate the remarks that teenage

:06:03. > :06:05.and are devolved administrations but frankly, with very high B moment,

:06:06. > :06:11.and with the comments of the Government, it is not enough for us.

:06:12. > :06:19.What is bound is not enough for us. It is 167 days, almost six months,

:06:20. > :06:23.since the referendum. We have 113 days to go until the 31st of March

:06:24. > :06:28.deadline at the Government has set itself. We are almost two thirds of

:06:29. > :06:33.the way through their to talk about a glacial pace of process made a

:06:34. > :06:36.something of an overstatement in this case. So far, Government has

:06:37. > :06:41.told us nothing for severe mental about soft Brexit, hard Brexit,

:06:42. > :06:47.great Brexit or red, white and blue Brexit earlier on today. What we are

:06:48. > :06:55.getting, are we getting a continental Brexit to keep our

:06:56. > :07:03.partners on onside or a all-day Brexit? May be a deep-fried Brexit.

:07:04. > :07:07.There has been an impact. A significant number of questions

:07:08. > :07:10.remain unanswered. These are not a question that float out there. They

:07:11. > :07:14.are questions that must go to the very heart of what the Government's

:07:15. > :07:19.because trading position is. What is it telling its negotiating partners,

:07:20. > :07:23.if anything? Is it telling them that the single market is important and

:07:24. > :07:27.we need to maintain single membership -- when of the singer

:07:28. > :07:30.market is like having listened to the Scottish leader that said the

:07:31. > :07:33.overriding priority is to maintain single access to the thing market is

:07:34. > :07:35.to maintain single access to the thing market wizards do they agree

:07:36. > :07:41.with her on that? What about the right of EU national? European

:07:42. > :07:44.National 's call this country their home, they call Scotland their home,

:07:45. > :07:47.England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and I hope they continue to call

:07:48. > :07:51.this country their home. What a huge contribute and they have made now

:07:52. > :07:57.and in the past. They deserve better than the continued uncertainty that

:07:58. > :08:00.they have at present. On the point of freedom of movement, it is

:08:01. > :08:05.something on which we all benefit from. I would have bet we will

:08:06. > :08:08.continue to benefit from in a large number -- and a large sum of our

:08:09. > :08:13.industries benefit from. Not least the food and drink in it, industry.

:08:14. > :08:18.Scotland has suffered over the years from emigration. We benefited more

:08:19. > :08:22.than most freedom of movement and the minister is now aware of that. I

:08:23. > :08:24.know. This is something we want to keep, something and benefit us and

:08:25. > :08:30.something that will continue benefit us. It doesn't just benefit us

:08:31. > :08:36.financially, it benefits of culturally by enriching our treaties

:08:37. > :08:37.and also benefit by bringing these people to enrich our society and on

:08:38. > :08:54.that point, I will give way. Honourable gentleman and I'd only

:08:55. > :08:57.thing I will say is this. At that were detained and work in particular

:08:58. > :08:59.is not only achieved by an absolute rule on freedom of movement, control

:09:00. > :09:02.of borders by Rome government will be operated, presumably, in the UK

:09:03. > :09:12.national interest, why does he expect that to punish Scotland, it

:09:13. > :09:17.wouldn't? Why not give Scotland some of the responsibilities over

:09:18. > :09:22.immigration. The vote to leave campaign, the secretary of state was

:09:23. > :09:26.a fall and active member did much. It's good to see the member of

:09:27. > :09:30.Surrey Heath in his place today. Was it not him who said that Scotland

:09:31. > :09:34.could have control over emigration if we voted to leave the European

:09:35. > :09:41.Union? I'd be delighted to hear his plans. I look forward to him joining

:09:42. > :09:48.us in the lobbies at some point. He can come home to his roots and will

:09:49. > :09:52.welcome him. Let's not forget the impact this is having elsewhere in

:09:53. > :09:56.United Kingdom. If you think about jobs and the economy Nissan have

:09:57. > :10:00.been given reassurances, but what about other industries? What about

:10:01. > :10:04.the food and drink industry, what about fishermen and farmers will get

:10:05. > :10:08.rules and regulations from the European Union. What happens to cap,

:10:09. > :10:14.what happens duly coastal communities fund that is so

:10:15. > :10:20.important fishing communities? What happens about Horizon 2020? What

:10:21. > :10:24.happens to universities will benefit from freedom of movement? What

:10:25. > :10:27.happens to work the's writes, who are now having workers' rights which

:10:28. > :10:31.will come back to this place which has not been the best place to

:10:32. > :10:34.guarantee those rights in the past. What happens to be environment, but

:10:35. > :10:41.benefited from Europe as well? I'll gladly give way. I thank the

:10:42. > :10:44.honourable member for giving way. He's referred to work the's writes.

:10:45. > :10:48.The Government has confirmed the Government doing what they in many

:10:49. > :10:54.areas UK law exceeds the UK minimums. And in many areas such as

:10:55. > :10:58.parental rights and others we relied on the European Union ruling. And I

:10:59. > :11:03.tell you right now, I would trust the European Union a lot more than I

:11:04. > :11:10.trust this government. So we need more details. As the president of

:11:11. > :11:14.the European Central Bank said it is important to have clarity over the

:11:15. > :11:19.negotiation process as soon as possible to reduce uncertainty. The

:11:20. > :11:22.Secretary of State's speech has not reduced that uncertainty in the

:11:23. > :11:26.slightest today. Now the Secretary of State also made the point that no

:11:27. > :11:31.law changed without the sale of Parliament. I ask him this. I know

:11:32. > :11:35.he's in the chamber but not in this place. Will no law that is the

:11:36. > :11:39.responsibility of the Scottish Parliament be changed without the

:11:40. > :11:44.seasonal and consent of that parliament? That a critical point

:11:45. > :11:48.because this motion fails to take on board the impact of devolved

:11:49. > :11:54.administrations and that huge array of questions lie on and said --

:11:55. > :12:00.unanswered. Not just in Edinburgh but in Belfast on Cardiff as well. I

:12:01. > :12:03.am grateful to my honourable friend who was making an excellent

:12:04. > :12:08.contribution well worthy of the award he won last night. Would he

:12:09. > :12:13.agree with me that the Government talks about respect, but the people

:12:14. > :12:16.of Scotland voted to remain within the single market. Why were the UK

:12:17. > :12:24.Government not respect the wishes of the Scottish people and make sure

:12:25. > :12:29.support -- make sure we obtain the benefits of membership. He raises an

:12:30. > :12:34.excellent point. I hope the Minister has his notepad today to respond to

:12:35. > :12:37.this. We were told by the Secretary of State for Scotland on November 27

:12:38. > :12:41.that Scotland would be gaining significant powers. Now, I wonder if

:12:42. > :12:47.the Minister will outline to us what those powers are, and I come back to

:12:48. > :12:52.the point I made earlier, will they include immigration amongst other

:12:53. > :12:56.powers? Mr Speaker, Scotland is a European nation. And we are proud to

:12:57. > :12:59.be a European nation. We benefit and we see it every day in our

:13:00. > :13:05.interaction, food and drink, University, businesses, the

:13:06. > :13:08.financial sector amongst many others. It benefits us in many

:13:09. > :13:13.different ways financially, socially, even politically, Mr

:13:14. > :13:18.Speaker, so many areas, climate change, energy where we agreed so

:13:19. > :13:22.much more with European consensus than we do with the Westminster

:13:23. > :13:28.consensus. The relationship with the European Union is important, and

:13:29. > :13:31.with be important in the future, but for the record it's important for us

:13:32. > :13:36.to bear in mind that Scotland has always been a European nation. In my

:13:37. > :13:40.constituency, in the town of St Andrews this as a statue of the

:13:41. > :13:46.general who led Polish region. We remember the sacrifice that they

:13:47. > :13:50.made in the contribution the Polish community has made to Scotland in

:13:51. > :13:53.parts of the UK. I remember the interaction between universes of

:13:54. > :13:57.Scotland and those costume for hundreds of years, such as those

:13:58. > :14:01.attending Scottish universities and in the Netherlands and elsewhere. I

:14:02. > :14:05.remember the letter of the rule that written just after the Battle of

:14:06. > :14:08.Stirling Bridge. The first thing William Wallace did was to tell the

:14:09. > :14:15.Hanseatic league that Scotland was open for business again. This has

:14:16. > :14:18.been going on a long, long time. The lack of preparations for this is

:14:19. > :14:23.irresponsible. Across the road today we have the court case, I don't want

:14:24. > :14:26.to go too much into that. The Scottish law. It will be making the

:14:27. > :14:31.yard was for the Scottish Government and will make them much better than

:14:32. > :14:38.I possibly could. That the Scottish Law advocate will be making the law.

:14:39. > :14:41.What concerns you are trying to take an enormous undertaking, the

:14:42. > :14:45.Secretary of State considers himself, isn't it that the

:14:46. > :14:53.Government governs, also the seagulls, that the legislative

:14:54. > :14:57.scrutinises his belief that it's worth, and never has that more

:14:58. > :15:00.important. The judiciary does not decide the laws but carries out the

:15:01. > :15:03.task of assessing whether or not those rules of thing adhered to. All

:15:04. > :15:09.of us in that chamber must respect that. Similarly, as for the devolved

:15:10. > :15:15.administrations to have a say over areas under their responsibility.

:15:16. > :15:21.I'll give way on that point. In the court is currently going through the

:15:22. > :15:25.sieve the Supreme Court the advocate for Scotland is it as a political

:15:26. > :15:30.restriction on Parliament has the ability to act. Is it not the case

:15:31. > :15:34.that that forms part of the 2016 Scotland act and is on a statutory

:15:35. > :15:42.footing? Is here as concerned as I am as the new lack of clarity on

:15:43. > :15:48.that point? Not yet, not yet. If its time. He makes an excellent point.

:15:49. > :15:51.It is chaos, pure and simple. The chaos is not the fault of the

:15:52. > :15:56.judges. It is the fault of the Government who have carried on the

:15:57. > :16:01.responsibility of the league campaign by continuing to give

:16:02. > :16:04.personal details. Now, I know that the Secretary of State does not like

:16:05. > :16:13.the use of the prerogative, and we are well aware of that. But this all

:16:14. > :16:17.could have been avoided. Now, credit where it's do. But credit to David

:16:18. > :16:20.Cameron, and you won't hear that often on these benches. Frankly, you

:16:21. > :16:27.don't shoot often on the bench as Ivor! David Cameron sat down with

:16:28. > :16:30.Alex Salmond, sat down with the First Minister of Scotland, the

:16:31. > :16:35.member for Gordon, and hammered out the Edinburgh agreements to give the

:16:36. > :16:39.Scottish independence referendum legal footing. I'll be doubted a

:16:40. > :16:43.little bit from that. The agreement said, it was agreed by Westminster

:16:44. > :16:46.and the Scottish Government, and full credit to everybody,

:16:47. > :16:50.particularly officials who will dominate. The Government are agreed

:16:51. > :16:58.that the referendum should have a clear, legal base. Just imagine,

:16:59. > :17:02.just imagine if you'd done that. Be legislated for by the Scottish

:17:03. > :17:05.parliament, conducted so what to demand the confidence of Parliament,

:17:06. > :17:09.governments and people. To deliver a fair and the expression of the views

:17:10. > :17:15.of people and the result that everyone will respect.

:17:16. > :17:18.Then it went on, the two governments are committed to continue to work

:17:19. > :17:20.together constructively in the light of the outcome whatever is on the

:17:21. > :17:25.best interests of the people of Scotland on the rest of the UK.

:17:26. > :17:34.Silly is this, why, Mr Speaker, was there so little preparation, was it

:17:35. > :17:38.negligence? -- so the question is this. Was this complacency? Or did

:17:39. > :17:42.they think everything would be OK they didn't need to Father? I will

:17:43. > :17:49.give way on that point. That they didn't need to bother. If he has

:17:50. > :17:53.been following the Supreme Court as closely as I have he will be aware

:17:54. > :17:56.that it was pointed out yesterday that the Government had opportunity

:17:57. > :17:59.to give legal force to this referendum as a result of an

:18:00. > :18:05.amendment proposed by the member for Gordon but said they didn't want to

:18:06. > :18:09.do so. The then Minister for Europe said, and I quote, this legislation

:18:10. > :18:15.is about holding a vote. It makes no provision for what follows, the

:18:16. > :18:19.referendum is advisory. It was that clearly that it was their intention

:18:20. > :18:23.to make no provision. My honourable and learned friend

:18:24. > :18:29.makes a very fine point. As always. Can I compare with another point, Mr

:18:30. > :18:33.Speaker, before elections, and we're here to scrutinise the work of

:18:34. > :18:36.government. They put forward elections and we scrutinise that.

:18:37. > :18:42.Nobody questions that the Government should try and prepare the

:18:43. > :18:44.manifesto. For elections we for delivering will pore over

:18:45. > :18:51.manifestos. There is some poor soul in the civil service who has to go

:18:52. > :18:58.through the Labour manifesto. Whatever happens, the Government got

:18:59. > :19:02.it wrong. It needs to change. That is the responsibility of the members

:19:03. > :19:06.who campaigned for out. It's not just us asking these questions.

:19:07. > :19:12.Manfred Webber, the president of the EP PZ, the British government wants

:19:13. > :19:15.to tackle graduate deliverable Brexit, and what Brexit really

:19:16. > :19:17.means. The Foreign Secretary has some

:19:18. > :19:23.responsibility and he has quite a job on his hands. Nobody is taking

:19:24. > :19:29.the Foreign Secretary terribly seriously now. That he seems to be,

:19:30. > :19:34.determined to make a titanic success of this process. But he's also been

:19:35. > :19:37.telling everybody different story. I wonder if this goes beyond the

:19:38. > :19:42.Brexit process. I wonder if what is happening is that he's deciding what

:19:43. > :19:47.Christmas party should be giving his Foreign Secretary counterparts. It

:19:48. > :19:53.is a Christmas tree of the? Is the flight into Egypt if it's too soft

:19:54. > :19:57.on refugees? Or is he going to go for Santa on his way to Lapland with

:19:58. > :20:01.his announcement that would cause a Freedom of movement problem. Maybe

:20:02. > :20:04.he'll just get to done with it. If you look at the chaos of the heart

:20:05. > :20:10.of this government and contrasted with the Scottish Government, look

:20:11. > :20:14.at Ireland. A hugely important partner, a key nation, one of our

:20:15. > :20:18.partner nations, our sister nations. Charlie Flanagan told this

:20:19. > :20:23.government's Brexit committee that they had no idea how the UK would

:20:24. > :20:26.approach Brexit. The Irish Minister for jobs described the international

:20:27. > :20:30.trade sector of the husband who wants a divorce but keeps all the

:20:31. > :20:33.assets on the family home. Compare that with the reception me First

:20:34. > :20:37.Minister got in Dublin just last week. Compare that with the

:20:38. > :20:44.partnership that we are holding. And the member says that getting a

:20:45. > :20:53.positive response, they wish they could get a positive response! Even

:20:54. > :20:56.James Riley, the deputy party leader said we are very much heartened by

:20:57. > :21:00.the fact that Scotland voted to stay in the EU, we would be very

:21:01. > :21:04.supportive of ensuring that Scotland's voices heard in UK

:21:05. > :21:12.dissociation is as well as the voices of our fellow Celts north of

:21:13. > :21:15.the border. It is chaos, pure and simple. It is chaos that is

:21:16. > :21:19.affecting our day-to-day lives and will continue to. Mr Speaker, this

:21:20. > :21:25.is too important to let the Government off the hook. It is too

:21:26. > :21:28.important to have full scrutiny. It is too important to the powers of

:21:29. > :21:32.the devolved administrations to purely leave it to this place. And

:21:33. > :21:40.that's why we cannot back his amendment today. Order, on account

:21:41. > :21:44.of the number of would-be participants in this debate it is

:21:45. > :21:50.necessary to impose time limits. We will start with a time limit of

:21:51. > :21:54.eight minutes on backbench speeches. I give due notice that is not likely

:21:55. > :22:02.to endure for very long. Members can help each other. Mr Iain Duncan

:22:03. > :22:06.Smith. Mr Speaker, I will hopefully be brief. I arrived really to

:22:07. > :22:13.support the Government amendment and to make it clear that I believe

:22:14. > :22:17.making great pacing getting ourselves through this process into

:22:18. > :22:21.the negotiations is the key for whatever the Government does now. I

:22:22. > :22:26.think the one thing that most people, and clearly the opposition

:22:27. > :22:29.failed to define, what is leaving the European Union? They keep saying

:22:30. > :22:33.they want, and don't want to frustrate the will of the British

:22:34. > :22:39.people. They say that means they don't want to delay Article 15. Then

:22:40. > :22:42.in the same breath, with respect to the honourable gentleman who speaks

:22:43. > :22:44.for the opposition on this matter they go on to qualified what leaving

:22:45. > :22:56.means. -- article 50. You want to be a member of

:22:57. > :22:59.everything we are in and of Nablus was one of two small changes. In

:23:00. > :23:04.that sense, I think the purpose of what do speaks more, and I will come

:23:05. > :23:08.back to this, but their own problems rather than negotiations which this

:23:09. > :23:14.Government has embarked on and will embark on once they activate article

:23:15. > :23:18.50. I make no bones about it, I voted in the campaign for the UK to

:23:19. > :23:22.leave the European Union and I again believe that it is necessary for us

:23:23. > :23:26.to understand what they mean by that, define that and then act on

:23:27. > :23:31.that, as some of my colleagues have already said. Leaving the European

:23:32. > :23:37.Union means they are no longer subject to European all. From that

:23:38. > :23:44.flows the other elements that were debated during the process. -- law.

:23:45. > :23:49.Firstly, taking back control of our borders and taking back control of

:23:50. > :23:55.what happens to the money raised by taxation. There's cannot happen if

:23:56. > :23:58.we are subject to European law. This is the key element. Leaving the

:23:59. > :24:04.European Union means we are no longer subject to the jurisdictions

:24:05. > :24:08.of European law. That is quite important. The failure to accept

:24:09. > :24:11.that on the other side means they are not really in favour of leaving

:24:12. > :24:17.or having accepting that we are leaving, they are debating how we

:24:18. > :24:25.say an with modification. Therefore I want to remind that a report was

:24:26. > :24:29.published about why people voted leave and they made it clear in

:24:30. > :24:36.publication 4852. Many remain as on the same. They wanted control of

:24:37. > :24:39.migration and sovereignty to return. I was surprised by them using and

:24:40. > :24:43.agreeing to the term of sovereignty. We have always been told in the

:24:44. > :24:46.south and no one out there can act is about sovereignty. Isn't he said

:24:47. > :24:52.Eric issue only debated here amongst obsessed politicians who can't get

:24:53. > :24:56.away from the fact that no one thought about it out in the country.

:24:57. > :25:01.That track esoteric. This is something they all agreed they

:25:02. > :25:04.wanted. And the phrase take back control, something we used endlessly

:25:05. > :25:09.in the course of our debate in this matter. Without very clear and being

:25:10. > :25:13.clear what they wanted, when people say they don't know what they

:25:14. > :25:17.wanted, it's simply not true. I think that does a disservice to the

:25:18. > :25:21.public that they cannot understand what they mean when they voted to

:25:22. > :25:25.leave. I think there were very clear about that. Then I've heard that the

:25:26. > :25:29.Liberals go on about the destination, they voted to leave but

:25:30. > :25:35.they didn't vote for a destination. Leaving is a destination. It means

:25:36. > :25:40.you are control of yourself. This country is not moving, where it is

:25:41. > :25:45.but we no longer become subject to European law. Laying silly games

:25:46. > :25:52.like that does not help anybody believe what we are going to do.

:25:53. > :25:55.Therefore there is no point in any of these negotiations for us to try

:25:56. > :25:59.and ask the European Union for something they said they cannot and

:26:00. > :26:02.will not give us. This is the main bit. There is no point in going to

:26:03. > :26:06.them and saying, we want to be out of the European Union, we are going

:26:07. > :26:10.to be free to make our own laws but will you let us stay in the single

:26:11. > :26:15.market and can they stay in the customs union as a point of special

:26:16. > :26:18.pleading? I can understand those of my colleagues who want to stay and

:26:19. > :26:22.there are elements that I understand, it's a wholly reasonable

:26:23. > :26:25.position to be in but if we are leaving the European Union, staying

:26:26. > :26:29.in those two things, I do not think stands. Maud Bottomley, I wouldn't

:26:30. > :26:34.want to be because again, that brings us under control of the

:26:35. > :26:42.European Union and that is one of the reasons we originally wanted to

:26:43. > :26:47.leave. I would say another question is of what is enough detail? Enough

:26:48. > :26:51.detail is discussed in these points. I come back to the single point, why

:26:52. > :26:57.would the United Kingdom want to stay in a customs union when one of

:26:58. > :27:01.the DLLs that is important on making that important decision to leave the

:27:02. > :27:08.European Union is getting back the opportunity to make our own trade

:27:09. > :27:12.arrangements? I would rather we stayed in than stay in the customs

:27:13. > :27:15.union because it seems completely pointless to me to actually embroil

:27:16. > :27:19.ourselves in the customs union and go through all of this rigmarole,

:27:20. > :27:22.bargains and eight, rows, only to find that at the end of the day,

:27:23. > :27:26.there is no jewel in the crown at the end which is asked making

:27:27. > :27:31.free-trade arrangements. I would say the house on this point, quite

:27:32. > :27:34.interestingly, I discovered in the house of Representatives there are

:27:35. > :27:40.no no less than five elements of legislation, three bills, I think,

:27:41. > :27:47.and to bills going to build houses of the Senate as well. Actually, now

:27:48. > :27:52.paving the way for a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.

:27:53. > :27:57.So much for the existing president was my view that we will be at the

:27:58. > :28:00.back of the queue, it appears the legislators in Congress they are

:28:01. > :28:06.slowly at the front of that Q. They know the reason why. Because they

:28:07. > :28:09.are the great free trading nation of the world and we believe in free

:28:10. > :28:16.trade and that is very want to be ourselves. It's very want to take

:28:17. > :28:19.ourselves and many others. I think the rest of the debate, once you get

:28:20. > :28:25.through that and understand that buildings, I think for us, it's

:28:26. > :28:30.really a case of process. I listened very carefully to the honourable

:28:31. > :28:32.gentleman as he spoke for the opposition and I understand DVD

:28:33. > :28:37.problem that the opposition has right now. We were in opposition

:28:38. > :28:46.ourselves for a number of years and often divided. I was leader, even

:28:47. > :28:49.so, Ireland it very well. It's like herding cats when you are an

:28:50. > :28:54.opposition and there are a lot of cats on the benches behind him. They

:28:55. > :28:58.are divided about what they actually want. The reality is for many of

:28:59. > :29:03.them that they are exposed into a simple position of not really

:29:04. > :29:07.wanting to leave but recognising that 70% of them now sit in

:29:08. > :29:12.constituencies that actually voted overwhelmingly to leave. They are

:29:13. > :29:18.now actually focusing on the fact that they run the risk politically

:29:19. > :29:21.of being in danger at the next time that an election is called. I

:29:22. > :29:26.understand fully there needs to try and somehow confuse the issue with

:29:27. > :29:29.this particular agreement to the amendment. -- amendments to the

:29:30. > :29:36.agreement. The amendment is very clear. It actually set a date for

:29:37. > :29:41.which article 50 has to be invoked. By not voting against this amendment

:29:42. > :29:51.tonight, the Labour Party has given to the Government a blank cheque to

:29:52. > :29:55.go forward and invoke Article 50 without any real caveats. Now, I'm

:29:56. > :29:59.wholly in favour of that. I have to say. I am supporting the Government.

:30:00. > :30:02.I didn't think the Labour Party was approaching the Government and I

:30:03. > :30:06.welcome them into that position and although some of my colleagues and

:30:07. > :30:13.honourable friends buildable info doing it. I see from the shaking of

:30:14. > :30:16.the heads that many of their own -- many on their own ventures also

:30:17. > :30:23.deplore them for that. I congratulate them. Final order. I

:30:24. > :30:27.was momentarily distracted by someone else speaking to me by which

:30:28. > :30:30.the honourable gentleman was the beneficiary of a few seconds but his

:30:31. > :30:36.time has now elapsed. Mr Hilary Benn. Mr Speaker, I want to begin by

:30:37. > :30:43.expressing my concern about the continuing town of some of this

:30:44. > :30:47.debate around the UK's exit from the European Union and to express the

:30:48. > :30:54.hope, which may be vain, that today will mark the end of the phoney war.

:30:55. > :30:58.The decision has been made, we will campaign -- we all campaigned on one

:30:59. > :31:01.side of the other, we accept the result and Parliament will vote in

:31:02. > :31:05.favour of triggering article 50 but the deal, and that is of importance

:31:06. > :31:08.to the notion which my honourable friend put down today, is that in

:31:09. > :31:15.return the Government comes forward with and gets on with producing a

:31:16. > :31:20.plan. Because it is entirely reasonable that the house and the

:31:21. > :31:23.British public should expect the Government to publish a plan well in

:31:24. > :31:26.advance of the vote and I would welcome the fact that belatedly,

:31:27. > :31:34.nearly six months on, the Government has finally done so today. Please

:31:35. > :31:39.continue to talk about democracy, deniers, as we see headlines like

:31:40. > :31:44.people defying the will of the people. Or as ECB Prime Minister's

:31:45. > :31:48.official spokesperson saying that while others want to frustrate the

:31:49. > :31:53.will of the British people, the covenant is pressing on with it.

:31:54. > :31:59.Then we have an into that? Because, it does a profound disservice to the

:32:00. > :32:07.scale of the task that we face as a country, to the seriousness of the

:32:08. > :32:09.task and to the importance of the outcome to every thing or person

:32:10. > :32:14.that lives in the United Kingdom. I say to the Secretary of State, the

:32:15. > :32:19.Government, the Prime Minister should be trying to unite the

:32:20. > :32:22.country as it goes about its task. We all try to achieve the best

:32:23. > :32:30.possible deal and to recognise it was was abilities and we have heard

:32:31. > :32:35.it, to the 48% as well as 2-D 52%. Maybe today will mark the day when

:32:36. > :32:40.they begin to do that. Of course, Mr Speaker, there are different views

:32:41. > :32:45.about the future of our relationship with the EU. While leaving is not in

:32:46. > :32:48.doubt, the nature of that new relationship, and there I disagree

:32:49. > :33:00.with the honourable gentleman who has just spoken, well that is up for

:33:01. > :33:05.debate. Yes, very briefly. We all want a plan, but does he believe

:33:06. > :33:10.that Labour should not be default an amendment on the Article 50 vote

:33:11. > :33:18.that lays down a specific future for us to stay in the specific, single

:33:19. > :33:21.market? I have no idea what the legislation will look like I will

:33:22. > :33:26.just make the point that when I last checked, Norway was not a member of

:33:27. > :33:30.the European Union. Unless any honourable members want to

:33:31. > :33:33.contradict me, it is not a member, it is outside the European Union but

:33:34. > :33:37.is a member of the single market. One that demonstrates is there are

:33:38. > :33:46.choices to be made about the future relationship we bought dot-mac

:33:47. > :33:48.aren't going to have. All it does is create further uncertainty and, can

:33:49. > :33:53.I say, the member that is no longer in his place but to say it might

:33:54. > :33:55.consist of hints, I would remind that when Moses came down from the

:33:56. > :34:01.mountain airing the tablet, it did not contain the ten hints. He was

:34:02. > :34:07.pretty clear. He was pretty clear about what he was telling people not

:34:08. > :34:12.to do. Nor I have to say, reminding the house that he has got up eight

:34:13. > :34:15.times to enlighten us not a great deal about what the Government's

:34:16. > :34:21.objectives are to business and I've never heard Parliament described as

:34:22. > :34:26.elbow joggers but I did like the analogy too. We are not elbow

:34:27. > :34:30.joggers, we are participants and we intend to scrutinise the Government.

:34:31. > :34:36.Apart from anything else, it would have been quite unacceptable for the

:34:37. > :34:43.Government, I'm going to proceed, to have told the 27 about what its

:34:44. > :34:48.objectives were before Parliament and the British people. It's really

:34:49. > :34:52.important that we get the plan and that the Government publishes one

:34:53. > :34:56.that is of substance. In some areas, to be feted Government, we know what

:34:57. > :35:02.the plan is as we know, for the car industry, that has been very, very

:35:03. > :35:09.clearly set out. We know what the Government once, no tariffs. Because

:35:10. > :35:11.they don't want things to happen that would make it difficult for

:35:12. > :35:16.trade to be undertaken. The rest of the manufacturing is quite

:35:17. > :35:19.reasonably, as the secretary said about all the meetings he is

:35:20. > :35:23.undertaking, great forecasted what about us? Is it reasonable to then

:35:24. > :35:27.say what the objectives are for the rest of the manufacturing industry?

:35:28. > :35:30.I think it is. Then there is the case of the customs union, which got

:35:31. > :35:34.even more curious during the course of the Secretary of State's speech

:35:35. > :35:39.because the Brymon is that us twice that it's not a binary choice. Now

:35:40. > :35:41.we understand it is a four way choice. The Secretary of State said

:35:42. > :35:46.there are four different models and I think the honourable lady who is

:35:47. > :35:49.no longer in her place asked a perfectly reasonable place, could

:35:50. > :35:54.you at least tell us the four different options you're looking at

:35:55. > :35:57.so we can all join in? So we can join the conversation about which of

:35:58. > :36:02.the Government might eventually decide to choose. Presumably we will

:36:03. > :36:08.seek maximum access to the single market for financial services, jobs,

:36:09. > :36:15.tax revenue that depend upon it. It is important we can do that, I'm

:36:16. > :36:21.sure. It is, I'm sure it causes the Chancellor to lie awake at night.

:36:22. > :36:25.How will they work in practice with Macaulay affect lecturers at

:36:26. > :36:29.universities? Doctors and nurses? People picking and processing

:36:30. > :36:32.vegetables? Chefs, co-workers, highly skilled engineers,

:36:33. > :36:35.technicians, IT specialists. Will companies, and this is a question we

:36:36. > :36:40.have heard on the select committee a lot, will company still be able to

:36:41. > :36:43.move staff within the company to go to another base elsewhere in Europe

:36:44. > :36:50.in order to repair a product, solve a problem, create a new business

:36:51. > :36:54.opportunity? When will we be able to offer clarity to the EU citizens

:36:55. > :36:57.about their position here? Now we know they will all have to be

:36:58. > :37:01.documented full but it's a fair question. How many civil servants

:37:02. > :37:08.will that take? A much will it cost? When will it be completed? What

:37:09. > :37:12.about our universities? Now, young people from the rest of Europe will

:37:13. > :37:16.be asking, will I still apply to come to Britain because when I stop

:37:17. > :37:21.being treated as a home student and be an overseas student? They need to

:37:22. > :37:25.know. Universities need to be able to plan. Will be continue to

:37:26. > :37:27.participate in the Erasmus programme that allows you people in Britain

:37:28. > :37:35.from low income backgrounds do go and study elsewhere in Europe? Will

:37:36. > :37:38.we continue to be part of a rise in 2020? What about the whole range of

:37:39. > :37:42.agencies? I pick one, the European medicines agency. You could say you

:37:43. > :37:46.want to remain a member of it and that could be seen as Jerry picking.

:37:47. > :37:51.Working with European neighbours to agree on how quickly and safely we

:37:52. > :37:57.can bring new medicine to market is good for patients in Britain as well

:37:58. > :38:02.as for patients in Europe. Can I plead with the Government just to be

:38:03. > :38:05.a bit more into the aspect and I don't say that so much about the

:38:06. > :38:09.Secretary of State, but more enthusiastic and clear about

:38:10. > :38:13.determination to find their way to cooperate on foreign policy defence

:38:14. > :38:19.and security in the fight against terrorism? Because that is so

:38:20. > :38:22.important to all of us. Finally, that transitional arrangement, the

:38:23. > :38:29.cliff edge. The fact is, and the negotiating plan. Previous

:38:30. > :38:32.governments on a whole host of treaties, the Lisbon Treaty, the

:38:33. > :38:35.constitutional treaty, the Nice Treaty, the acid and treaty. When we

:38:36. > :38:39.join the Common market, sought to join it in 19 ciggy seven, set out

:38:40. > :38:47.what the governor is trying to achieve. -- Amsterdam. George, they

:38:48. > :38:50.spoke about the need for adaptations and were very considerable that an

:38:51. > :38:54.adequate period would be needed. I simply say that if it was sensible

:38:55. > :38:58.to admit you're going to need transitional arrangements when you

:38:59. > :39:00.were joining the common market, a much simpler organisation, is it not

:39:01. > :39:05.sensible now to admit that if you can't negotiate all of it within 18

:39:06. > :39:12.months, listen to what we shall Bali said yesterday, to admit now that,

:39:13. > :39:14.if necessary, it will be prepared to seek... Do I get any more injury

:39:15. > :39:31.time? Of course I will give way. Does he agree with me that we might

:39:32. > :39:35.fall back on rules and tariffs and how bad bad would be not only for

:39:36. > :39:38.business but jobs and the broader economy.

:39:39. > :39:43.That is absolutely right. We've have a lot of evidence before the select

:39:44. > :39:49.committee of which is a valued member. It says as much about

:39:50. > :39:53.bureaucracy, as she said, rules of origin, delays, you see whole

:39:54. > :39:57.businesses have been created on the basis of goods moving back and

:39:58. > :40:02.forth. Four, five, six times before they are finally added to the

:40:03. > :40:06.product that's going to be sold. People need to understand that. The

:40:07. > :40:11.way business works in the Europe of which we have been part has created

:40:12. > :40:15.a whole way of operating that has sustained jobs. To say we will walk

:40:16. > :40:20.away, it doesn't matter, we can cope, no, I'm not going to give way,

:40:21. > :40:22.that really misses the point about why businesses worried at the

:40:23. > :40:27.implications. The last but 1.I want to make is

:40:28. > :40:31.this, on the question of a vote on the final deal, I heard him say

:40:32. > :40:35.today I expect they will be a vote. Well I expect that the district line

:40:36. > :40:39.will turn up within five minutes. Today they were longer delays. He

:40:40. > :40:44.said it is inconceivable that they will not be a vote. While some

:40:45. > :40:46.people will has said it was inconceivable that Donald Trump

:40:47. > :40:52.would be elected President of the United States. That does not fill me

:40:53. > :40:55.with a great deal of confidence. The simple answer to the question, will

:40:56. > :41:01.there be a devote when the deal comes before us is simply to stand

:41:02. > :41:08.up look at the house directly in the eye and say, yes, they will be.

:41:09. > :41:11.Mr Kenneth Clarke. Mr Speaker, it gives me pleasure to follow the

:41:12. > :41:16.right honourable gentleman. It shows the odd situation we are in. I think

:41:17. > :41:22.I can say I follow him agreeing with every word that he uttered. It may

:41:23. > :41:26.be a very long time before either of us are able to find ourselves in

:41:27. > :41:30.that situation and any other subject. But this particular subject

:41:31. > :41:34.is quite unlike any decision that has come to this House of Commons

:41:35. > :41:39.worried many years. We know that when we leave the European Union,

:41:40. > :41:42.going through a seven-year process of deciding what our political,

:41:43. > :41:47.economic relationships are with the European future with the rest of the

:41:48. > :41:55.world, we are embarked on some of the most complicated and decisions

:41:56. > :41:59.this has won now face for a century. Although those debates come later, I

:42:00. > :42:03.won't choose today to argue my well-known views on the merits of

:42:04. > :42:06.membership of the European Union. I think the decisions we are taking

:42:07. > :42:13.today, on the Parliamentary procedure that should apply to a

:42:14. > :42:17.government when it is engaged in policy-making acting on behalf of

:42:18. > :42:21.the United Kingdom, the urge citizens, not just a citizens, is

:42:22. > :42:26.equally important. If we carelessly agreed to things today we may

:42:27. > :42:33.actually create precedents which will be coated in future to the

:42:34. > :42:39.detriment of both houses of parliament and to the weakening of a

:42:40. > :42:43.system of checks, balances and accountability which I think is

:42:44. > :42:49.crucial to our Constitution. Of course, today, I speak politically

:42:50. > :42:53.not legally. There are series issues for the Supreme Court we are here

:42:54. > :42:57.waiting to hear. I have to say, given that we started with the

:42:58. > :43:02.opposition motion I was never able to understand why the Government was

:43:03. > :43:09.indicating that it posed some sort of threat. If you read the motion

:43:10. > :43:14.that puts down, with great respect to the honourable gentleman of the

:43:15. > :43:19.opposition, he is working very sadly. I have high regard for how he

:43:20. > :43:28.conducts himself, but this is a harmless resolution. It sets out

:43:29. > :43:31.what you would expect to happen in any similar circumstance. And we'll

:43:32. > :43:36.certainly have expected to happen at any time, probably over the next

:43:37. > :43:44.100, 150 years. Certainly in every parliament I've sat in. Before we

:43:45. > :43:49.had this present situation... I said before, only the last few decades,

:43:50. > :43:53.can I recall directly. But in previous parliaments it would have

:43:54. > :43:58.been regarded as self evident that the process we have to follow up was

:43:59. > :44:03.the Government would produce a policy statement, a white paper,

:44:04. > :44:07.setting out its strategic objectives and what its vision was, if you

:44:08. > :44:11.like, for the role of the United Kingdom it was trying to sleep. The

:44:12. > :44:19.House of Commons would be invited to have a vote on that strategy, with

:44:20. > :44:25.approval the Government would then go forward, going getting the

:44:26. > :44:33.consent of the house, invoke article 50 and go on to start the

:44:34. > :44:36.negotiations. It really is quite unnecessary performance to start

:44:37. > :44:45.trying to modify that. I'm extremely worried that people are trying to do

:44:46. > :44:51.so. I echo what was actually said by the party, the Scottish National

:44:52. > :44:54.party 's spokesman, the member for North East Fife. I don't think

:44:55. > :45:01.scrutiny and debate is a threat to the Government of deliberate or the

:45:02. > :45:06.quality of decisions. It is my opinion that if we went back to

:45:07. > :45:09.proper Cabinet did not Cabinet government in this country, if you

:45:10. > :45:14.are a minister with a controversial proposal it is actually very useful

:45:15. > :45:20.to have them tested by your colleagues and improved in this

:45:21. > :45:24.discussion before you go to the House of Commons. Actually, every

:45:25. > :45:28.minister's had the experience of taking part in debates House of

:45:29. > :45:32.Commons. Of course, you maintain your cause, but every now and then

:45:33. > :45:38.you have a sinking feeling that your opponent is on a rather strong point

:45:39. > :45:41.and you go away and improve it. I think in strengthening negotiation

:45:42. > :45:46.positions the Government actually could benefit from having a proper

:45:47. > :45:51.process, particularly as at the moment it is sadly clear from the

:45:52. > :45:54.constant remarks made to the newspapers and the leaks from now

:45:55. > :45:59.and again that at the moment the ministers have no idea what the

:46:00. > :46:05.strategy is anyway. They don't actually agree with each other. The

:46:06. > :46:08.Government has two or three oddments against this. There is the royal

:46:09. > :46:12.prerogative which is a matter for the Supreme Court, and excellent

:46:13. > :46:16.treasure from whom I have the highest respect, James Eadie, has

:46:17. > :46:24.been arguing that the Royal prerogative still applies to making

:46:25. > :46:30.more as well as making treaties. -- making law. Politically, if Tony

:46:31. > :46:34.Blair had decided when invading Iraq to tell the House of Commons this

:46:35. > :46:38.was not a matter for the House of Commons, that he was invoking the

:46:39. > :46:43.Royal prerogative and he wasn't going to seek a vote, he would have

:46:44. > :46:48.had even more trouble than he had. With the strange way he chose to go

:46:49. > :46:56.about the vote in any way. We are told the referendum somehow

:46:57. > :46:59.overrides centuries of tradition of Parliamentary accountability. Well,

:47:00. > :47:04.I won't comment on the quite pathetically low level of debate as

:47:05. > :47:10.reported in the national media, on both sides, in the referendum and my

:47:11. > :47:12.right honourable friend, I think, the Secretary of State for Brexit no

:47:13. > :47:17.more adopted some of the daft and dishonest arguments than I did on

:47:18. > :47:23.mine. But serious arguments weren't reported. More to the point, it was

:47:24. > :47:28.not... I'll give way on a second. The public did vote by a majority to

:47:29. > :47:34.leave the European Union. They didn't vote for anything on the

:47:35. > :47:39.subject of replacements for the European Union. It was not even

:47:40. > :47:42.raised in debate. These choices which the ministers are now

:47:43. > :47:47.struggling with, for which they should be accountable would have

:47:48. > :47:54.been a mystery to 99% of the people listening to the debate. And voting

:47:55. > :47:57.in the referendum. Discussion about whether you should be in the customs

:47:58. > :48:04.union and the consequences one way or the other were not decided by the

:48:05. > :48:11.referendum. Brexiteer don't agree with each other on the path they

:48:12. > :48:13.should now follow. And those, we could go back to Parliamentary

:48:14. > :48:19.democracy and accountability in this house. I'm glad my right honourable

:48:20. > :48:24.friend now agrees that this parliament should be supreme. In

:48:25. > :48:27.fact, Mr Blair did take the country to war on the Royal prerogative

:48:28. > :48:36.because the vote in this house was not a law, it was advisory. Is it

:48:37. > :48:39.not odd that we now have a Supreme Court... That we now have a Supreme

:48:40. > :48:44.Court that sees itself as a constitutional court able to direct

:48:45. > :48:50.that this house shall have to do something which has almost

:48:51. > :48:57.previously been the right... We be supreme Parliament. We can stop

:48:58. > :49:05.Brexit if we want to. The Supreme Court is the authority.

:49:06. > :49:09.So, strictly speaking, the legal, constitutional position is this

:49:10. > :49:15.house then has its own political role in deciding how within that

:49:16. > :49:20.framework, it's going to operate. The political practice, for decades,

:49:21. > :49:23.has been these kind of decisions are not taken, telling Parliament did

:49:24. > :49:27.nothing to do with them and you're not having wrote. On that argument

:49:28. > :49:33.the Cameron government would have proceeded with its intervention in

:49:34. > :49:36.Syria when we decided to want to do that. Ignoring and not offering the

:49:37. > :49:42.vote to the House of Commons before it proceeded. Until it's been argued

:49:43. > :49:46.in this particular instance, no government that I can recall would

:49:47. > :49:51.have had the nerve to come along to Parliament and say, oh, we are

:49:52. > :49:57.exercising the Royal prerogative, we are not actually going to go to you.

:49:58. > :50:02.The final thing I got time for, it's the nature of the accountability,

:50:03. > :50:06.I'm not sure the Government has really, totally picked up the point

:50:07. > :50:11.yet, apart from the fact it's got to get out of being defeated by a

:50:12. > :50:16.motion on a labour supply day. We are told only that the Government

:50:17. > :50:20.will make statements. The Government has been making statements. The

:50:21. > :50:25.language used is the rather vague one of a plan. Well, we are probably

:50:26. > :50:30.told the plan is to have a red, white and blue Brexit. And that we

:50:31. > :50:36.are believers in free trade. Whilst giving up all the conditions that

:50:37. > :50:40.govern free trade. Apparently, not only are we going to give up the

:50:41. > :50:44.European Court of Justice, which we've used very successfully to

:50:45. > :50:50.settle disputes, we are going to not abide by the rules of those if we

:50:51. > :50:56.feel like it. We need a white Paper, a strategy, votes in this house, and

:50:57. > :51:01.clarity on policy. Mr Ed Miliband. Mr Speaker, it is a privilege to

:51:02. > :51:08.follow the right honourable gentleman for brush with -- learned

:51:09. > :51:13.gentleman. I to say that this debate may seem to be about the rights of

:51:14. > :51:16.this house, but it isn't. It is not about whether you are leave all

:51:17. > :51:22.remain. It is about a deeply divided country. The truth is that we are

:51:23. > :51:26.divided between people who voted leave, and fear being betrayed. And

:51:27. > :51:31.people who voted remain and be a deep sense of loss. And in case we

:51:32. > :51:35.forgotten, after this is over, which I suspect will take more than two

:51:36. > :51:40.years, levers and remain as will have to live in the same country.

:51:41. > :51:44.That is why I believe the way we conduct this debate, as my right

:51:45. > :51:48.honourable friend from the central side, is essential. All of us,

:51:49. > :51:52.however we voted in the referendum should be seeking to unite the

:51:53. > :51:57.country and not divided. What does that demand, Mr Speaker? We need to

:51:58. > :52:01.honour the result of the referendum. It was a referendum I did not seek,

:52:02. > :52:06.and it was close, but it was clear and needs to be respected. We are

:52:07. > :52:11.leaving the European Union, I couldn't put it any plainer than

:52:12. > :52:15.that. That is my starting point. But unifying the country takes more than

:52:16. > :52:21.simply saying Brexit means Brexit or even red, white and blue Brexit.

:52:22. > :52:24.There are hugely significant and material choices to be made by the

:52:25. > :52:28.Government. And our EU partners which will have implications for our

:52:29. > :52:32.country for decades to come. That is why it is good that the Government

:52:33. > :52:37.has said it was going to publish a plan. I looked up the definition of

:52:38. > :52:41.a plan in the dictionary, and it's this. A thought out arrangement or

:52:42. > :52:46.method for doing something. Right, now that seems to me to be more than

:52:47. > :52:53.a series of hints, to use the phrase of the honourable member for

:52:54. > :52:55.Bedford. What the Government has committed to, and they should be no

:52:56. > :53:02.doubt about this. Is the thought out arrangement that they favour for

:53:03. > :53:06.Brexit. They have committed to produce that for the house before

:53:07. > :53:10.negotiations begin. We know the key questions that need to be answered.

:53:11. > :53:15.Where we remain on the single market or not? Do we remain in the customs

:53:16. > :53:19.unit? If it is outside the customs union as seems to be the position,

:53:20. > :53:24.although there are different options and we don't know what there are,

:53:25. > :53:28.what is the best estimate of the economic impact on our country at

:53:29. > :53:32.each of our constituencies and constituents? The reason this

:53:33. > :53:37.matters, is these aren't nit-picking or procedural questions. They are

:53:38. > :53:42.questions that will affect millions of people and businesses

:53:43. > :53:46.this country. These aren't simply matters of procedure.

:53:47. > :53:52.He's quite right to say it's not nit-picking. One of the things my

:53:53. > :53:56.constituency is responsible for as funding for the South Wales Metro.

:53:57. > :54:01.This is a huge area of uncertainty. This will affect under the thousands

:54:02. > :54:05.people in South Wales. My friend Maggie did very well, what about the

:54:06. > :54:09.ban on immigration? Including for citizens of this country who want to

:54:10. > :54:14.go and work abroad in the future? What is the vision of my honourable

:54:15. > :54:19.gentleman who is no longer in his place said they will not provide a

:54:20. > :54:26.plan on our notes to crime and terrorism? Climate and energy

:54:27. > :54:30.policy, both of these were discussed in Europe. What is the future? We

:54:31. > :54:34.don't know at the moment. It has to be any plans for this is not about

:54:35. > :54:38.the request, to use the word of the Prime Minister, for every dot and,

:54:39. > :54:45.of the investigation. There are fundamental questions about our

:54:46. > :54:47.place in the world post on Brexit. As my honourable friend from the

:54:48. > :54:52.front bench said, this plan must be produced in January, soon enough for

:54:53. > :54:58.Parliament and crucially the British people to debate it properly. I have

:54:59. > :55:01.some time on my hands, so I looked up the consultations they covenant

:55:02. > :55:06.has embarked upon since the 2015 general election and there are 1200.

:55:07. > :55:10.They include everything from the code for small seagoing passenger

:55:11. > :55:13.ships to one and the regulation of traffic signs. The current consult

:55:14. > :55:17.on all of that. We seriously saying the issue they will not consult the

:55:18. > :55:23.British people is a post-Brexit arrangement for our country? I might

:55:24. > :55:26.point out that it is less of a niche if you than the regulation of

:55:27. > :55:33.traffic signs, important though that if you actually is. Here's the

:55:34. > :55:39.Government said it was to bring the country with it. That is really

:55:40. > :55:42.important. These words echoed by the leader of the Scottish Conservative

:55:43. > :55:47.Party, who said we got to listen to the voices of the 48%. You can't

:55:48. > :55:50.take the country with you if you don't tell the country where you are

:55:51. > :55:55.seeking to go before the negotiations begin. I have no

:55:56. > :56:02.greater authority on this than the current Prime Minister falters

:56:03. > :56:06.stomach. She wrote a very interesting piece with Nicholas

:56:07. > :56:12.Timothy, it's called Restoring Voluntary Authority, Eu Laws And

:56:13. > :56:17.Scrutiny. I'm told it's as been taken off the shelves but

:56:18. > :56:24.fortunately I found a copy. It says this, our feeble criticism cannot

:56:25. > :56:29.is... We therefore need a system that gives apology or powers over

:56:30. > :56:34.ministers and enough time to scrutinise, and the transparency to

:56:35. > :56:38.restore public trust in the process. I couldn't have put it better

:56:39. > :56:40.myself. I'll give way to the honourable gentleman who may have

:56:41. > :56:48.had a hand in the pamphlet written many like it. Very grateful. Can I

:56:49. > :56:52.just clarify, for the sake of the house, is the arguing that have to

:56:53. > :56:59.be scrutiny for Parliament or Government gets to decide on how it

:57:00. > :57:02.precedes any negotiations? I believe, as the honourable gentleman

:57:03. > :57:04.Rushcliffe says, because there must be a parliamentary votes on a

:57:05. > :57:09.mandate for the Government. Magically do precisely a crucial

:57:10. > :57:14.point, Mr Seeker. The Government said it will be weaker if it brings

:57:15. > :57:21.a plan to the house and get its support. I think it will be stronger

:57:22. > :57:24.any negotiations because it will be going to our partners in Europe and

:57:25. > :57:27.saying, not only is this the Government's plan but it is a plan

:57:28. > :57:35.endorsed by the British Parliament. Of course the issues the Government

:57:36. > :57:38.users is that one of secrecy. I think that has to be dealt with

:57:39. > :57:43.because I don't think this arguing stand up to even the most basic

:57:44. > :57:47.scrutiny, Mr Speaker. This is the way it will unfold. Once the formal

:57:48. > :57:53.negotiations begin, the EU negotiator will obviously have to

:57:54. > :57:57.confer with the 27 other governments. The Government's

:57:58. > :58:02.intentions, the Government's detailed proposals will remain

:58:03. > :58:08.secret for a view days if they are really lucky and probably not even a

:58:09. > :58:11.view days. They will inevitably leaked what the Government's

:58:12. > :58:15.position is. The question before us is not whether the Government's

:58:16. > :58:18.intentions are kept secret or not, which is apparently what the Prime

:58:19. > :58:24.Minister wants, it's whether this Parliament and this country are the

:58:25. > :58:29.last people to know about what the Government's intentions actually

:58:30. > :58:33.are. There's no chance, it seems to me, of the uniting the country and

:58:34. > :58:37.taking the country with it if the Government take that approach. I

:58:38. > :58:41.want to deal with one particular issue also, Mr Speaker, and this is

:58:42. > :58:46.the question of whether the referendum decides the particular

:58:47. > :58:51.form that Brexit will take and that we will proceed with. I don't

:58:52. > :58:55.believe it does, as many other honourable members have said. It's

:58:56. > :58:58.not just me who have said this, listen to Danielle Hammond, who is

:58:59. > :59:07.one of the leading leave campaigners. He said this. -- Daniel

:59:08. > :59:10.Allen. He said that they can choose whatever option of leaving they

:59:11. > :59:14.want. That is the truth. There is no getting away from it. There are many

:59:15. > :59:17.different forms of Brexit, as you seem from the countries outside the

:59:18. > :59:22.European Union. I want to end any point on the spirit of this debate,

:59:23. > :59:26.which is where I started. Because my honourable friend quoted from some

:59:27. > :59:29.things at that Downing Street had said but also said something else

:59:30. > :59:32.that I think is incredibly troubling. They said most of us are

:59:33. > :59:39.asking for transparency are not backing, and I quote, the UK team.

:59:40. > :59:46.In other words, we are not being patriotically. By my reckoning, Mr

:59:47. > :59:48.Speaker, that proves Sir John Major, Ruth Davidson and a number of

:59:49. > :59:53.Conservative MPs into the unpatriotic category. I have to say,

:59:54. > :59:58.I'm used to being called unpatriotic and my dad has been told it as well.

:59:59. > :00:00.I think it's something when Conservative MPs get caught

:00:01. > :00:05.unpatriotic. You know things have got desperate for the Government

:00:06. > :00:10.when they start doing that. We are not seeking proper scrutiny of the

:00:11. > :00:13.plans for Brexit because of a lack of patriotism, we are doing it from

:00:14. > :00:17.patriotism because they believe in the unity of this country. We

:00:18. > :00:22.believe this country has gone to be brought together. We think the

:00:23. > :00:25.cohesion of this country has got to be protected. This is the most

:00:26. > :00:32.compact and treacherous situation our country has faced for a

:00:33. > :00:34.generation. Transparency is not something the Government should

:00:35. > :00:39.fear, that something they should embrace because it is the only route

:00:40. > :00:43.to uniting our nation and all of us have a responsibility to seek to

:00:44. > :00:48.unify the country. So, in closing, I urge the Government not the choose a

:00:49. > :00:53.path of division and excluding the 48%, refusing to share intentions,

:00:54. > :00:57.vilifying it opponents, including on its own site. That is not equal to

:00:58. > :01:02.the moment that our country and world needs. We have irresponsible

:01:03. > :01:06.to write to this moment and battered body must do anyone's and years

:01:07. > :01:14.ahead. Listening to the honourable gentleman member for Doncaster

:01:15. > :01:18.North... Order. I think he has been notified but I should notify the

:01:19. > :01:21.house that, with immediate effect, the timeline backbench speeches have

:01:22. > :01:26.been reduced to five minutes. I think the honourable gentleman has

:01:27. > :01:29.already been notified. Thank you. Just has too referred to the last

:01:30. > :01:35.remarks of the honourable gentleman for Doncaster North, I think in the

:01:36. > :01:39.Samuel Johnson who said that according packages of the refuge of

:01:40. > :01:44.the scandal. I have to say that alone I listened with great care to

:01:45. > :01:48.what he said, I must say I think he dodged a number of issues and not

:01:49. > :01:51.least of which when he referred to the dictionary definition of a plan

:01:52. > :01:55.as being something that was thought out or a method of doing something,

:01:56. > :01:59.which he said the Government was not doing. In fact it is. It is very

:02:00. > :02:04.simple. It goes as simple as this. There was a vote. There is a vote

:02:05. > :02:08.authorised by the sovereign act of this Parliament which transferred

:02:09. > :02:12.the right to the British people to make a decision and they make it,

:02:13. > :02:16.and he acknowledges that and said he was the respect it but the reality

:02:17. > :02:21.is that the decision was whether to stay in or to leave the European

:02:22. > :02:26.Union and the bottom line is that the people of this country decided,

:02:27. > :02:31.by a substantial majority, to leave. He except that when he tells of, but

:02:32. > :02:40.then he sets up a folder. As does the law member for the central. --

:02:41. > :02:46.fog. A lot of offers details which are intended to make the situation

:02:47. > :02:50.far more conjugated than it is. I certainly give way to my honourable

:02:51. > :02:54.friend. I'm very grateful. Not the first time in this debate. He will

:02:55. > :02:59.recall he and I took part in a referendum in the 1970s when he was

:03:00. > :03:05.saddened to find that he was on the losing side. They seem to recall

:03:06. > :03:08.that we strongly talk of Constitution review that was purely

:03:09. > :03:13.advisory and did not change either his views or his political

:03:14. > :03:16.campaigning one iota afterwards. Just as Nigel Farage and many of his

:03:17. > :03:20.supporters made it perfectly clear when they expected there are going

:03:21. > :03:24.to lose this one that they were waiting for the next chance and

:03:25. > :03:27.there are going to get on. We have to have respect each other's

:03:28. > :03:37.opinions, not tell each other that we've been ordered by an opinion

:03:38. > :03:40.poll. I hate, I hate, hate, it's painfully to disappoint my

:03:41. > :03:50.honourable friend because I voted yes in the 1975 referendum. It was

:03:51. > :03:55.only... I'm so glad I accepted an apology. It is simply this. It was

:03:56. > :04:01.only as I came into this house and the whips made what I think was a

:04:02. > :04:05.total mistake to put me what was then the selectivity began to see

:04:06. > :04:09.the truth. I discovered that actually we were not in a position

:04:10. > :04:13.to be able to run our own affairs, as this whole process continued

:04:14. > :04:20.towards political union. That is what the rebellion was all about in

:04:21. > :04:24.Mitchell Johnson wrote a very interesting article today in the

:04:25. > :04:27.Daily Telegraph. The reality is that, because of this puzzle union,

:04:28. > :04:32.with which we are still numbers, because as yet we have not been able

:04:33. > :04:37.to leave the union and it is so essential we do so, I read a paper

:04:38. > :04:44.on the ground, question of repeal back in May and I entitled it,

:04:45. > :04:52.achieving borough by repealing. -- I wrote. Going back to 1972, as they

:04:53. > :04:57.accumulated, graded a situation in which we were going increasingly

:04:58. > :05:05.suborn to aid that exist in a majority voting which combined, was

:05:06. > :05:09.combined with the ever-increasing assertiveness of one country in

:05:10. > :05:12.particular and others in general concentrating on one another,

:05:13. > :05:15.beating as at an incredible disadvantage and the European

:05:16. > :05:20.Scrutiny Committee for which I am the chairman did an enquiry into the

:05:21. > :05:23.manner in which the Council of ministers operated as we came to the

:05:24. > :05:29.conclusion it was not transparent. We took evidence from Simon Hicks,

:05:30. > :05:32.the decisions that are taken under half of the British people which are

:05:33. > :05:37.imposed on us by virtue of section two of the European Community 's act

:05:38. > :05:44.are simply neither democratic, nor are they accountable. They are not

:05:45. > :05:50.transparent. That is why it is so essential that we repeal this

:05:51. > :05:53.legislation and indeed, while a Supreme Court is weaving in and out

:05:54. > :05:56.of political issues and trying to avoid Article nine in the Bill of

:05:57. > :05:59.Rights, which I don't want to go into now, the bottom line is that

:06:00. > :06:07.what facing is a political imperative towards a way to a degree

:06:08. > :06:12.of political union and I found that in a conference I went to last week

:06:13. > :06:16.in Brussels when Mario Monti, I will read out what he said. Europe needs

:06:17. > :06:23.political integration or there will be war. It is as simple as that.

:06:24. > :06:25.That is the manner in which the stomach decided is being

:06:26. > :06:29.constructive across the water and it's exactly the same as Chancellor

:06:30. > :06:35.Kohl said when he said that there will be war in Europe when, if we

:06:36. > :06:37.didn't agree to the Maastricht Treaty and the whole of the

:06:38. > :06:42.situation process. That is why we opposed it and my honourable

:06:43. > :06:47.friends, there aren't many of us left in the house yet, opposed the

:06:48. > :06:52.Maastricht Treaty because the thought it was European governments.

:06:53. > :06:57.That DDT, democracy above all else. Now, only question of the repeal

:06:58. > :07:01.bill, want to intervene on the member for Leeds Central. He would

:07:02. > :07:04.not give way, I suspect I know why, that there they are. All I can say

:07:05. > :07:08.is I wanted to ask the question which I will have the front bench as

:07:09. > :07:11.well. Will they oppose the second reading of the great repeal bill

:07:12. > :07:16.when it comes before this house, because that is going to be a

:07:17. > :07:19.crucial test? Leave aside all that is going on in relation to this

:07:20. > :07:24.article 50, which is about an similar question. Which is, are we

:07:25. > :07:29.in fact using our prerogative or not? In my opinion, it is a large

:07:30. > :07:33.storm in a very large teacup. The bottom line is we will agree to

:07:34. > :07:36.article 50. The real question is, will be leave the European Union? I

:07:37. > :07:41.say as follows, quite heavy, we should not be sub against any

:07:42. > :07:44.locations. We should say no to the single market, notably cousin union,

:07:45. > :07:50.no to the European Court, because they cannot be subject to that court

:07:51. > :07:55.under any circumstances. Yes, borders, yes to free trade, yes to

:07:56. > :08:04.regaining the democracy which this has had stood for for the past few

:08:05. > :08:09.hundred years. Thank you. I start this debate from two points.

:08:10. > :08:12.Firstly, as an SNP member from Scotland who voted to stay in the

:08:13. > :08:15.European Union. We were told this was a family of nations and, as

:08:16. > :08:20.such, we were expecting member of this family to be respected as the

:08:21. > :08:26.European Union respect its members. As a gentleman of the committee, the

:08:27. > :08:31.reform committee on International... Most of my marks, the primers that

:08:32. > :08:35.talks about Brexit in Brexit. Economists I have spoken to, and I

:08:36. > :08:44.am indebted to a number of them, Angus Armstrong, Patrick Minford,

:08:45. > :08:49.professional Ian Wood of Strathclyde, Jim Ronald, as well as

:08:50. > :08:53.legal experts from Cambridge, UCL and the LAC. Brexit actually means

:08:54. > :08:57.about seven options. It means do we stay in the European economic area?

:08:58. > :09:02.For the referendum, and we can see the video still of Nigel Farage same

:09:03. > :09:06.Brexit or leaving the EU meant they would be like Galway. The question

:09:07. > :09:13.was, should the UK remain a member of the European Union or leave?

:09:14. > :09:21.Do we remain in any of those the? We couldn't get an answer at PMQ 's or

:09:22. > :09:25.from the relevant minister either. Do we stay at WTO levels? What does

:09:26. > :09:30.that mean? We need schedules accepted at the WTO. New Centre for

:09:31. > :09:36.International trade was in Geneva last week. Without schedules agreed

:09:37. > :09:40.with the WTO, we have a WTO miners which is a possibility because of

:09:41. > :09:43.the difficulties with agriculture. 90% may well be agreed but the

:09:44. > :09:48.agriculture sector could be very scared. Of course, some would have

:09:49. > :09:53.voted for Brexit on the basis that they don't want to trade with

:09:54. > :09:59.Europe. They are probably the editors of the mail, the sun and be

:10:00. > :10:03.expressed. But we find ourselves with great uncertainty. Investors

:10:04. > :10:09.are uncertain. If we go to WTO what will that mean? What will that mean

:10:10. > :10:14.for people and employers? We have no idea where the Government is going.

:10:15. > :10:17.There is uncertainty for the Irish too. I met with Charles Flanagan

:10:18. > :10:22.this morning and he didn't know what to ask from the UK Government. This

:10:23. > :10:30.is our next-door neighbour who don't know where we want go. I thank him

:10:31. > :10:36.for giving way. Would he accept that the Government could show good faith

:10:37. > :10:41.by agreeing to reveal its goals and the lush Asian strategies with the

:10:42. > :10:45.devolved administrations under Privy Council rules? Which would put aside

:10:46. > :10:51.this whole question about you can't reveal the Government's negotiating

:10:52. > :10:54.an? I think he makes an excellent suggestion they and when the

:10:55. > :10:59.Government should look to explore further. What about our other

:11:00. > :11:04.neighbours, not just the Irish, what does it mean for the Isle of Man,

:11:05. > :11:10.for Jay-Z, for Guernsey? What does it mean for Gibraltar? We find

:11:11. > :11:14.ourselves in a difficult situation. This is actually in Parliament on

:11:15. > :11:18.the Government has created a problem on its own making. The naivete of

:11:19. > :11:21.the Prime Minister not taking the simple measure to parliament would

:11:22. > :11:25.have prevented this going to court in the first place. Now the devolved

:11:26. > :11:29.administrations are woken up to the effect that they are going to be

:11:30. > :11:33.involved and maybe, probably, the Supreme Court might rule that it

:11:34. > :11:38.requires the consent of the Scottish parliament. In that case Brexit is

:11:39. > :11:42.finished, over and blocked. We see that Europe is dictating the pace.

:11:43. > :11:49.There was a declaration yesterday of 18 months to negotiate within the

:11:50. > :11:54.time of triggering article 50 shows they are dictating the pace. They

:11:55. > :12:00.the terms to. Because, Mr Deputy the terms to. Because, Mr Deputy

:12:01. > :12:05.Speaker, I fear there are more inswingers negotiators in the tiny

:12:06. > :12:09.Faroe Islands and there are in the United Kingdom. We will probably be

:12:10. > :12:13.scrapped very quickly. We need to know where the UK is planning to go.

:12:14. > :12:20.The question was shut the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?

:12:21. > :12:24.That was June. Nobody voted to leave the economic area. Nobody voted to

:12:25. > :12:30.leave the currency union. To make arguments after that that question

:12:31. > :12:33.gives a mandate for the subsequent point is absolute nonsense. There is

:12:34. > :12:40.no mandate to go to these next places. It could mean being led

:12:41. > :12:48.Norway, being like Iceland, as indeed many people have said, as

:12:49. > :12:52.Nigel Farage said. Changing their terms quite markedly after the

:12:53. > :12:57.referendum. We need answers. We need to know the destination. Lack of a

:12:58. > :13:01.strategy is not for people of the UK need for jobs, investment and

:13:02. > :13:07.industries, for employment, for communities. No answers is not, Mr

:13:08. > :13:13.Deputy Speaker, a blank Brexit or a white Brexit. It's not a red, white

:13:14. > :13:16.or blue Brexit. No answers is a yellow Brexit. A cowardly Brexit

:13:17. > :13:23.which shows this government has no idea where it's going, keeping

:13:24. > :13:26.together a of Brexiteers who want a different option. When they see

:13:27. > :13:31.whichever one the Government uses they will fight like cuts in a sack

:13:32. > :13:35.over this. That is the difficulty the UK Government has. They can't

:13:36. > :13:38.consult the devolved administrations. The can't consult

:13:39. > :13:42.Europe because they cannot consult properly and meaningfully around the

:13:43. > :13:45.Cabinet table because each support something different. There is going

:13:46. > :13:48.to be mighty trouble in the UK Government when they decide in

:13:49. > :13:59.March. Thank you, Mr Doug the Speaker. -- Mr Deputy Speaker. Can I

:14:00. > :14:04.say what a delight is to follow an extreme argument on succession from

:14:05. > :14:07.a Scottish Nationalists. Can I thank the members for Leeds Central and

:14:08. > :14:10.Doncaster North for the challenge they put this house. It is a

:14:11. > :14:13.challenge to which we should all attempt to rise. How can we ensure

:14:14. > :14:19.that we respect the result that 52% of people voted for as well as

:14:20. > :14:23.involving people who will did remain fully variety of reasons. For the

:14:24. > :14:27.most part this beach is with very constructive but I was disappointed

:14:28. > :14:31.in the front bench speech from the Minister for Holborn and Saint

:14:32. > :14:36.Pancras. He spoke for 40 minutes. And he spoke on what he referred to

:14:37. > :14:42.as the defining issue, the defining issue facing the UK. But he did not

:14:43. > :14:45.reveal, at any point, what Labour's position is on our future

:14:46. > :14:54.relationship with the European Union. He did not reveal, the 48%

:14:55. > :14:57.whom he professes to speak for whether or not he wants to stay in

:14:58. > :15:00.the single market or the customs union. We had 40 minutes of pious

:15:01. > :15:04.they bring, masquerading as an argument. One of the reasons why it

:15:05. > :15:09.is so imperfect dude is important that we live from 40% is that we

:15:10. > :15:13.know what the 52% voted for. There have been some will try to

:15:14. > :15:16.complicate, but it was perfectly clear and not just by the vote to

:15:17. > :15:20.leave campaign which I was privileged to play a role in, it was

:15:21. > :15:23.made clear by the then Prime Minister forward being made it

:15:24. > :15:29.perfectly clear the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was made clear by

:15:30. > :15:32.Lord Mandelson. It was made clear by every single one of the leading

:15:33. > :15:35.representatives of the leave campaign that voting to leave the

:15:36. > :15:40.European Union meant leaving the single market. They should be no

:15:41. > :15:44.ambiguity about that point. The public were fully informed and they

:15:45. > :15:48.took that decision in full knowledge. That's one of the reasons

:15:49. > :15:52.I'm glad that our Prime Minister and are Chancellor of the Exchequer

:15:53. > :15:56.both, it must be said, members of the 48% who voted remain are so

:15:57. > :16:02.clear that the result must be respected. That means ensuring that

:16:03. > :16:06.the votes of 17.4 million people and their determination to leave the

:16:07. > :16:12.single market and the European Union should be acknowledged. I will give

:16:13. > :16:16.way to the honourable member. Is he telling us about leaving the single

:16:17. > :16:20.market is the Government's position? That was the position taken by the

:16:21. > :16:24.British public, including more than 1 million people in Scotland,

:16:25. > :16:29.including many more people in his constituency than voted for the

:16:30. > :16:32.Scottish National party. We need to respect the result. We need to

:16:33. > :16:35.respect what the 52% wanted and acknowledged some of the concerns

:16:36. > :16:40.put forward by those who articulated a case for remain. There were

:16:41. > :16:45.powerful concerns that weight with me. The first was the prospect of an

:16:46. > :16:49.emergent economic shock should really. The governor of the Bank of

:16:50. > :16:52.England and the number of distinguished economist. While their

:16:53. > :16:59.concerns were expressed sincerely, they did not come to fruition... The

:17:00. > :17:04.point was made at the time, I'm grateful to the interruption for the

:17:05. > :17:08.member for not amused. But the point was made that they would be an

:17:09. > :17:12.immediate shock. That shocked did not materialise. Not quite yet.

:17:13. > :17:17.Since we voted to leave we have seen increased investment from this area

:17:18. > :17:22.from Amazon, from Facebook, from a number of traditional malefactors

:17:23. > :17:27.and new technology investors. Far from there being no economic shock,

:17:28. > :17:33.we are, as my friend points out, the fastest-growing economy in the G-7.

:17:34. > :17:37.There was also legitimate concern that by voting to leave the European

:17:38. > :17:41.Union we would do damage to the United Kingdom. The truth is, of

:17:42. > :17:46.course, that since we voted to leave the EU support for a second

:17:47. > :17:51.independence referendum has fallen. Support for Scottish independence

:17:52. > :17:54.has fallen. Support for the Scottish National party and its sermonising

:17:55. > :17:59.has fallen and the single most popular politician in Scotland is

:18:00. > :18:06.Ruth Davidson, the only leader of a party that wants to embrace the

:18:07. > :18:10.result. No, not giving way. So, two of the legitimate concerns expressed

:18:11. > :18:14.beforehand, our economy and the union would be damaged, the evidence

:18:15. > :18:19.is that our economy is stronger and the union is more popular. Of course

:18:20. > :18:22.there are other concerns that people who voted remain had and some of

:18:23. > :18:28.those concerns relate to the fate of EU citizens in this country. Some of

:18:29. > :18:33.them relate to academic and future cooperation. Some of those concerns

:18:34. > :18:37.relate, naturally, to defence and Security cooperation. One of the

:18:38. > :18:43.points I would make is that it's incumbent on all of us, not just the

:18:44. > :18:51.Government, but the 48% to put forward their propositions in this

:18:52. > :18:53.area. I've made it clear that I believe that citizens in this

:18:54. > :18:57.country should stay and they rose should not be a bargaining chip.

:18:58. > :19:03.Many who voted remain join me in that call. But where are those who

:19:04. > :19:08.have argued for remain now that power for the first time in my life

:19:09. > :19:12.is flowing back to this place? Where are those who argued for remain to

:19:13. > :19:17.explain how we can refine a regulation, change our laws, change

:19:18. > :19:20.our rules as we become a self-governing country, become

:19:21. > :19:26.freer, more liberal, more prosperous and more creative. Those voices are

:19:27. > :19:30.still with some honourable exceptions looking back in anger,

:19:31. > :19:34.remorse and regret instead of looking forward optimistically. This

:19:35. > :19:39.is a great country. We can achieve great things. This parliament has

:19:40. > :19:42.the opportunity to shape an economic policy and an immigration policy and

:19:43. > :19:47.a knowledge policy which can make us once again a world beater. If we do

:19:48. > :19:51.not take that opportunity, if instead we concentrate on seeking to

:19:52. > :19:55.download the result of the referendum then I'm afraid we will

:19:56. > :20:03.fail the people of this country at this historic moment. Thank you, Mr

:20:04. > :20:08.Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to follow on from the right honourable

:20:09. > :20:12.member for Surrey Heath. I'm pleased he called for unity but I'm not sure

:20:13. > :20:17.he achieved that during his speech. However, I think what the about dig

:20:18. > :20:23.up a debate has shown is why it is so important that Parliament is able

:20:24. > :20:27.to consider properly the plan for leaving the European Union. There is

:20:28. > :20:33.no doubt in my mind that we will do so. My constituents voted decisively

:20:34. > :20:37.to leave, and I absolutely agree with what my honourable friend, the

:20:38. > :20:40.Shadow was adjusted for Brexit and my right honourable friend the

:20:41. > :20:48.member for Leeds Central said about article 50. But as my right

:20:49. > :20:52.honourable friend the member for Doncaster North side, this is a time

:20:53. > :20:54.to bring the country together. It is essential that we work together to

:20:55. > :21:01.get the best deal for our constituents. It's such an important

:21:02. > :21:05.step that we are taking, and it's inconceivable that those members of

:21:06. > :21:10.parliament we should just sit back and say let the Government get on

:21:11. > :21:14.with it without telling us, even in broad terms, what discussions they

:21:15. > :21:18.are having. So I'm pleased the Government has accepted that it will

:21:19. > :21:23.share with Parliament be broad terms of negotiations that it will be

:21:24. > :21:27.taken forward. And companies in my constituency who are suffering

:21:28. > :21:35.because of uncertainty will want to know what analysis is being done of

:21:36. > :21:39.the effect of Brexit on them. And I said before that I think the

:21:40. > :21:46.analysis should not just be sector by sector, but should also be buying

:21:47. > :21:49.regions. Ministers have said that they'll be consulting Scotland,

:21:50. > :21:53.Wales, Northern Ireland is about breakfast negotiations. But what

:21:54. > :21:58.about Yorkshire and Humber? What about the other regions of the UK --

:21:59. > :22:04.Brexit negotiations. Can the ministers say what the process will

:22:05. > :22:07.be exactly as how regions will be consulted and how companies and

:22:08. > :22:13.others in my constituency can contribute to that process? Mr

:22:14. > :22:17.Speaker, companies will also want to know what the approach is going to

:22:18. > :22:21.beat the single market. And to be assured that if the Government

:22:22. > :22:25.intends to give up the level of access we currently have two the

:22:26. > :22:29.biggest marketplace in the world, it has a clear plan to make sure that

:22:30. > :22:35.businesses and jobs will be adversely affected. If the

:22:36. > :22:39.Government attempts to seek a transitional deal to make the

:22:40. > :22:43.transition smoother it should be open and upfront about this so that

:22:44. > :22:50.companies and workers can plan accordingly. The Secretary of State,

:22:51. > :22:54.when he opened his remarks, said that workers' rights would be

:22:55. > :22:58.protected. I welcome that, but I hope the minister can assure us that

:22:59. > :23:03.he is in consultation fully with the trade unions in looking at what

:23:04. > :23:07.employment rights will be protected and how future rights will be

:23:08. > :23:14.protected that may be coming from the European Union. And when we talk

:23:15. > :23:18.about employee rights, I think part of the discussions about our UK

:23:19. > :23:25.workforce will involve discussions about freedom of movement. How that

:23:26. > :23:30.will operate in a post-Brexit world. This was an issue in the referendum,

:23:31. > :23:34.it certainly was in my constituency and we know we have to get the

:23:35. > :23:38.balance right of addressing people's concerns about how freedom of

:23:39. > :23:42.movement has been operating without leaving our health service, food and

:23:43. > :23:44.cultural sector and many other industries unable to function

:23:45. > :23:54.because of major shortages. We have to address the issue of her

:23:55. > :24:00.proven and movement that freedom of movement has been undercutting UK

:24:01. > :24:05.worker's wages and conditions. -- workers'. Too often, agencies have

:24:06. > :24:10.operated in a way that is unacceptable. Recruiting from

:24:11. > :24:14.outside the UK whilst not even addressing, advertising in the UK.

:24:15. > :24:19.Workers from other European countries coming on short-term

:24:20. > :24:23.contracts, never knowing from week to week what book will be available.

:24:24. > :24:27.I know from discussions with colleagues from socialist and social

:24:28. > :24:30.democratic parties across Europe that other countries are aware of

:24:31. > :24:36.developing problems and we do need to have an honest debate about this.

:24:37. > :24:41.Surely we should be talking about EU citizens moving to the UK in order

:24:42. > :24:45.to take up secure employment and employers being made to take

:24:46. > :24:50.responsibility for how workers are treated. So that UK employees are

:24:51. > :24:55.not left at a disadvantage. With all the resentment that follows on from

:24:56. > :24:58.that. These are just a few of the issues that I think Holland should

:24:59. > :25:01.be discussing and I hope the minister will be able to give

:25:02. > :25:10.reassurance on the negotiations going forward and that he will be

:25:11. > :25:14.addressing the point in doing so. I want to make two main points. The

:25:15. > :25:17.first is that actually governed's position is much rarer than many on

:25:18. > :25:24.the other side are willing to believe. And narrows the range of

:25:25. > :25:28.outcomes. The second is that what matters as much, if not more, than

:25:29. > :25:31.the governed's position is the position of our partners in Europe.

:25:32. > :25:35.No one has mentioned that on the other side. With a sort of

:25:36. > :25:39.arrogance, as if we can just say we want this and we will get it. Or

:25:40. > :25:47.perhaps it is subservient that we say we will want this and give any

:25:48. > :25:51.of concession to obtain it. The governed's position has ruled out

:25:52. > :25:54.three options. We will not be part of the internal market of the

:25:55. > :25:58.European Union, and use the term in general market because that is what

:25:59. > :26:06.it says in European law. There is no such thing as the single market. To

:26:07. > :26:11.be an internal market, you have to be a member state, subject to all of

:26:12. > :26:15.you was. The Secretary of State said we will not be subject to the Court

:26:16. > :26:19.of Justice. We will not be members of the European economic area

:26:20. > :26:24.because all members have to accept free movement and the Government has

:26:25. > :26:26.ruled out accepting free movement. On top of which, you cannot

:26:27. > :26:31.negotiate service deal because you do not have control of law in

:26:32. > :26:34.regards to service industries. It was described during the campaign by

:26:35. > :26:38.the current Chancellor of the Exchequer as the worst of all

:26:39. > :26:43.possible worlds and many others on that site supported it. No, now,

:26:44. > :26:48.they suddenly want to be part of it. Thirdly, we cannot be subject to the

:26:49. > :26:51.common external tariff of the EU because they are champions of free

:26:52. > :26:56.trade, according to the Prime Minister. We set up a department of

:26:57. > :27:00.International trade which has to be able to negotiate tariffs and he

:27:01. > :27:04.wants to cut the tariffs on those products which we don't produce were

:27:05. > :27:09.very high tariffs are imposed by the EU on clothing, food and other

:27:10. > :27:12.things which are damaging the just about managing people in this

:27:13. > :27:20.country. Those three options are ruled out. That leads to realistic

:27:21. > :27:25.options. I will. Can I just say, one good example of that is very

:27:26. > :27:32.recently, orange importation where the customary union slapped an

:27:33. > :27:35.increase on tariff from 3% to 16% to protect storm producers in Spain but

:27:36. > :27:40.raising cost of buying this product here in the United Kingdom. So, food

:27:41. > :27:42.is now more expensive directly as a result of intervention is now more

:27:43. > :27:45.expensive directly as a result of interventions any custom union which

:27:46. > :27:51.they want to be a part of. -- the customs union. We should add that we

:27:52. > :27:55.do not manufacture oranges on this scale in this country. To realistic

:27:56. > :28:00.options. The first is that we continue with roughly the status

:28:01. > :28:06.quo. With tariff free trade and no new barriers to seven straight. And

:28:07. > :28:10.the EU already has free trade agreement with 50 countries do not

:28:11. > :28:16.require free movement, so that is a possibility. The second is that we

:28:17. > :28:20.trade with them on WTO terms and they try and make trade in our

:28:21. > :28:26.service and financial industry is a bit more difficult. Both of those

:28:27. > :28:35.options are actually very simple to negotiate. Going from zero tariffs,

:28:36. > :28:39.to be zero tariffs is much easier than trading between Canada and the

:28:40. > :28:46.European Union where each side had 5000 10,000 tariff lines and had to

:28:47. > :28:49.trade them off each other. We also have exactly the same rules on

:28:50. > :28:55.products and so on as our partners in Europe so the status quo will be

:28:56. > :29:00.simple to negotiate. The WTO option doesn't even require negotiation.

:29:01. > :29:04.It's what happens if there's those outcome to negotiate. It is very

:29:05. > :29:15.simple and can be done quickly. Also I believe both are acceptable to UK.

:29:16. > :29:19.Obviously, retaining the state is to Wood, in most people's view, if we

:29:20. > :29:25.can get it immediately, B visa period option. To be on WTO terms,

:29:26. > :29:30.the average tariff would be around 4%, much less than that on

:29:31. > :29:37.manufactured products on average but including the agricultural products.

:29:38. > :29:41.We've just experienced a 15% devaluation against the euro. Our

:29:42. > :29:45.exporters will come on balance, be much better off even with those

:29:46. > :29:51.tariffs whereas their exporters to us will have to face a 15% hurdle

:29:52. > :29:56.plus that average 4% tariff, so they will be much worse off than ours. It

:29:57. > :30:01.is very important that we emphasise to our negotiating partners that,

:30:02. > :30:08.though we might prefer to continue with the status quo, if they don't

:30:09. > :30:11.want it, we are willing to walk away and trade on WTO terms. Quite a lot

:30:12. > :30:15.of members on the other side have been trade unionists. They are used

:30:16. > :30:20.to negotiating but not many in the south are. I can tell you that you

:30:21. > :30:26.can't successfully negotiate unless you're prepared to walk away with no

:30:27. > :30:31.deal. Ultimately, it would be our partners in Europe who make that

:30:32. > :30:38.choice to continue with roughly the status quo or move to WTO and some

:30:39. > :30:40.obstacles. I'm sorry. They will choose and if obviously their

:30:41. > :30:43.primary concern is the economic well-being of their people, they

:30:44. > :30:48.will choose continuing free trade. If however their primary concern

:30:49. > :30:54.over riding that is political and they want to punish ours and be seen

:30:55. > :30:59.to punish ours, they will go to a WTO term. In practice, they will

:31:00. > :31:04.punish themselves far more and we should make that clear to them. We

:31:05. > :31:07.cannot negotiate our way into making them choose one option other than

:31:08. > :31:11.the other. We can perhaps try and persuade them and, above all, we can

:31:12. > :31:15.persuade their industries and electorates that they will be much

:31:16. > :31:23.better off if they continue trading with us on roughly the present basis

:31:24. > :31:27.than if they move to W PO terms because we are at their biggest

:31:28. > :31:32.single market. One fifth of all German cars come here. What a French

:31:33. > :31:40.wine comes here. Etc. Let's go to them and say there's a simple

:31:41. > :31:44.choice, make the order. The notion before I was moved by my honourable

:31:45. > :31:52.friend, the Shadow Secretary of State, calls for a plan before

:31:53. > :31:58.article 50 is invoked. Since June the 23rd, the resistance to such

:31:59. > :31:59.calls in the name of note running commentary or not giving LA

:32:00. > :32:06.negotiating positions... LOSS OF SOUND

:32:07. > :32:12.Very unwisely referred to as enemies. I believe all of these

:32:13. > :32:17.attempts to... I will. Using a metaphor and then saying there is so

:32:18. > :32:25.outrage coming with it is not worthy of him. So I will just invite him to

:32:26. > :32:28.desist from using it. We are all responsible for what they say and I

:32:29. > :32:33.don't believe our European partners are... I believe the hide all of

:32:34. > :32:39.this lies one emotion which is not the confidence of those who one the

:32:40. > :32:44.referendum campaign but is instead fear. Fear about the contradictory

:32:45. > :32:51.statements made during the referendum. Fear about the divisions

:32:52. > :32:57.within Government being exposed and fear about the enormity of some of

:32:58. > :33:02.the decisions that are going to have two be taken. On one level, I

:33:03. > :33:06.sympathise with Government ministers because the dawning realisation of

:33:07. > :33:13.what they are facing and what has to be decided is, in some ways,

:33:14. > :33:18.something that I can understand being responded to by fear. It does

:33:19. > :33:24.not serve democratic debate well. It won't serve our negotiating position

:33:25. > :33:29.well. I want to pick up on a point made by my honourable friend, the

:33:30. > :33:33.Minister Doncaster North, the assumption has been made that if we

:33:34. > :33:38.say what we want, that weakens ours. I don't believe that is necessarily

:33:39. > :33:42.the case. If we say what we want, that constraints on our hand and it

:33:43. > :33:47.is precisely for that reason that the Secretary of State called for a

:33:48. > :33:52.White Paper in the article that he wrote back in July. I think it's

:33:53. > :33:57.very important for Government ministers to understand that and

:33:58. > :34:03.junior 23rd was not just a decision by the people on the other not we

:34:04. > :34:09.stay in the European Union, although it was obviously that, it was also

:34:10. > :34:12.the passing of political responsibility for the consequences

:34:13. > :34:18.of that decision to those who led the league campaign and many of

:34:19. > :34:23.those who now occupy senior positions in Government. -- Leave.

:34:24. > :34:27.Despite their fear, there is no place to hide. There is a duty to

:34:28. > :34:34.both voters who voted leave and remain to set out the principal

:34:35. > :34:40.negotiating objectives. And there is also a responsibility to accept the

:34:41. > :34:46.consequences of the decisions posed referendum. Yes, I will give way.

:34:47. > :34:50.Frankie. I campaigned to remain, as he did. I think we'll have a

:34:51. > :34:54.response ability now to try and get the best deal. It seems the most

:34:55. > :34:59.basic business lesson not only this point about not playing your hand,

:35:00. > :35:04.but not narrowing your options. We want to keep all our options as wide

:35:05. > :35:06.as possible, not narrow them down in which, to me, with the thrust of

:35:07. > :35:09.what the Labour front bench was getting at. Trying to get us down a

:35:10. > :35:15.narrow lane and we want to keep it as wide as possible to get the best

:35:16. > :35:20.deal. I'm afraid I don't agree with the thrust of his question. I

:35:21. > :35:27.believe that responsibility can't be evaded and that the Government has a

:35:28. > :35:30.duty to do more than define success as whatever it is they manage to

:35:31. > :35:39.agree at the end of the day. The public needs more than that. So, I

:35:40. > :35:42.asked, what is it reasonable for such a plan to cover? I don't have

:35:43. > :35:45.an exhaustive list. Some other members have referred to some of the

:35:46. > :35:49.evening but these are some of the points which I think it is

:35:50. > :35:53.completely reasonable for such a plan to include. First of all, of

:35:54. > :35:58.course, will you will be not stay any single market? Some honourable

:35:59. > :36:03.members said that question is decided. I don't believe it has been

:36:04. > :36:09.decided. If it is the Government's position that we withdraw from the

:36:10. > :36:13.single market, is it up to them to ensure the equivalent access we have

:36:14. > :36:19.now, not only for good but for services in the future? What is the

:36:20. > :36:23.position on the customs union? The Government has said it will not

:36:24. > :36:28.accept free movement as it currently stands and I think many of us want

:36:29. > :36:32.reforms in the way that free movement has worked. But what

:36:33. > :36:37.reforms do they want? They have rejected the points-based system so

:36:38. > :36:40.what can we expect any future? Is it, for example, the same Visa

:36:41. > :36:45.system that applies non-EU immigration? Which is perhaps worth

:36:46. > :36:49.reminding ourselves has resulted in higher levels of immigration from

:36:50. > :36:57.outside the EU in recent years than from within the EU. If no agreement

:36:58. > :37:02.is reached, within the two-year time period, after triggering article 15,

:37:03. > :37:11.are we happy to fall back on WTO rules with all that and what it

:37:12. > :37:14.means? Should we try and achieve a transitional agreement? It perfectly

:37:15. > :37:20.reasonable question for us to ask and for the public to ask. Will you

:37:21. > :37:25.be able to avoid customs and people controls on the border in Northern

:37:26. > :37:30.Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? Another reasonable question. What

:37:31. > :37:36.are the proposals beyond the single market for cross-border co-operation

:37:37. > :37:43.on issues like terrorism, crime and environmental protection? If we do

:37:44. > :37:49.pay in, for future access to trade, the Secretary of State said he was

:37:50. > :37:54.open to last week, how will and guarantee the spending promises made

:37:55. > :38:03.to universities, farmers, regional spending and of course the ?350

:38:04. > :38:08.million a week extra promised during the campaign to the National Health

:38:09. > :38:13.Service? Will workers' rights, many of them underpinned by European

:38:14. > :38:17.directives be guaranteed in the future and in what way? As I have

:38:18. > :38:21.said, this is not an exhaustive list, and there will be other

:38:22. > :38:26.questions, but I have dreamt you illustrate that a plan has to be

:38:27. > :38:28.more than a statement, more than a press release, it has to become

:38:29. > :38:39.Princess and it has to have substance. There cannot be an excuse

:38:40. > :38:43.for steam-rollering few -- through anything that the Government defined

:38:44. > :38:49.as excess. It is no excuse for asking, anyone asking questions are

:38:50. > :38:53.trying to deny the referendum results, or even worse, not being

:38:54. > :38:57.behind team UK as an accusation, being an hate your sick as

:38:58. > :39:01.accusation. The truth is, asking question like this is in the

:39:02. > :39:05.interest of the country and it is in the interest of voters who both

:39:06. > :39:11.voted leave and remain and it is our political duty as representatives of

:39:12. > :39:13.our constituents to ask these questions and to insist on a proper

:39:14. > :39:25.plan for the country's future. Thank you, the honourable member for

:39:26. > :39:30.Wolverhampton South East has made out that the essence of the debate

:39:31. > :39:33.we are having today is about the question of whether the Government

:39:34. > :39:36.publishes a plan and how it is scrutinised. I think the Shadow

:39:37. > :39:42.Secretary of State echoed that thought. I don't believe that is the

:39:43. > :39:46.debate were having today. The debate will actually having today, and I

:39:47. > :39:50.thought the response from the right honourable member from Doncaster

:39:51. > :39:54.North, the former Leader of the Opposition, was perfectly clear it's

:39:55. > :39:57.a congruent with the discussion going on in the Supreme Court over

:39:58. > :40:03.the road. It's a great constitutional issue, and the issue

:40:04. > :40:09.is the old Leninist question, who, who? The question is whether the

:40:10. > :40:13.Government of the United Kingdom should be able to conduct

:40:14. > :40:16.negotiations in the style, man and intended decides on behalf of the

:40:17. > :40:21.people of the UK or whether Parliament should seek to constrain

:40:22. > :40:25.the negotiation, ultimately by passing a law constraining the

:40:26. > :40:29.activities of government in that negotiation. That is the issue we

:40:30. > :40:35.are facing. I want to argue today, very briefly in the time allotted,

:40:36. > :40:39.it is is very clearly think about it carefully. It is impossible to

:40:40. > :40:45.conduct a bad negotiation carefully on the basis of a legal mandate

:40:46. > :40:49.given to Parliament. Once a law is passed that determines negotiations,

:40:50. > :40:54.the negotiation as a whole, and in every particular at every moment is

:40:55. > :40:59.just as well. We will end with the Supreme Court and lower courts being

:41:00. > :41:04.called upon to decide from moment to moment in judicial review after

:41:05. > :41:07.judicial review, whether the Government and its negotiation has

:41:08. > :41:11.sufficiently transparently made clear every detail of negotiation to

:41:12. > :41:15.satisfy the court that the mandate of Parliament in the law is being

:41:16. > :41:19.observed, and has fulfilled the terms of the mandate once everything

:41:20. > :41:22.is transparent. If there is any member of this house who believes

:41:23. > :41:27.this country will have an advantage in the outcome from such a process,

:41:28. > :41:39.I think they are very severely misguided. I voted to remain.

:41:40. > :41:43.I would have been the right decision for this country. I believe we be

:41:44. > :41:46.badgered inside the customs union man out. I believe we would be

:41:47. > :41:48.better inside the single market by night. I wanted to be free of the

:41:49. > :41:52.EU's jurisprudence, but not of the things we need to achieve that. The

:41:53. > :41:57.referendum has occurred. We are leaving. We've got to negotiate an

:41:58. > :42:01.expert. The horror and tragedy of the discussion we are having now is

:42:02. > :42:06.that if it does lead to Parliament imposing those kinds of constraints

:42:07. > :42:10.on government, it will not be possible for government to do a

:42:11. > :42:14.trade deal with the remaining EU when we've left, left the market,

:42:15. > :42:20.last customs union as we are bound to do by logic, will not be

:42:21. > :42:23.possible. It would not be possible to negotiate a trade deal to the

:42:24. > :42:28.advantage of our country because it won't be within the mandate. That

:42:29. > :42:35.could leave us in the worst of all possible positions. I urge members

:42:36. > :42:40.opted to remove the cloak, cease to pretend this is about plans, admit

:42:41. > :42:43.this is a constitutional argument and give up the attempt to control

:42:44. > :42:50.the negotiations line by line. I give way. I'm grateful to the right

:42:51. > :42:56.honourable gentleman for giving way, but surely when he looks at the way

:42:57. > :43:01.other European countries conduct their negotiations within the EU at

:43:02. > :43:06.the moment he will acknowledge that for example, the Chancellor of

:43:07. > :43:10.Germany goes to her Parliament, receives a negotiating mandate and

:43:11. > :43:16.then goes to Brussels. It's that process we are looking for on this

:43:17. > :43:19.side of the house. The honourable lady is an old friend of mine but

:43:20. > :43:24.she's totally misguided if she thinks this is an ideal situation.

:43:25. > :43:29.This is the first time in history that a country has sought to remove

:43:30. > :43:32.itself from the EU. We are engaged in a most complicated game of

:43:33. > :43:38.multidimensional chess that any country has ever engaging to. To

:43:39. > :43:46.imagine that can receive a legally binding, negotiating mandate from

:43:47. > :43:51.Parliament is pure fantasy. Why is it then that the European

:43:52. > :43:54.Parliaments can be involved in this process, but this sovereign

:43:55. > :43:59.parliament because of the problems the Government has created for

:44:00. > :44:08.itself is not to have any say? That is a democratic outrage. The

:44:09. > :44:12.European Parliament is one of the counterparties of negotiation. The

:44:13. > :44:16.counterparty in cases the Government of the United Kingdom. We had a

:44:17. > :44:20.referendum. The Government has to carry through that referendum. Each

:44:21. > :44:23.eyes through phases where to constrain the Government or not to

:44:24. > :44:26.constrain the Government. If we constrain the Government we end with

:44:27. > :44:35.a worst result from the point of view like me who were part of a 40%.

:44:36. > :44:42.In November 1991 John Major came to the house to seek approval for his

:44:43. > :44:45.negotiating mandate, his plan, for the mastery negotiations. I can't

:44:46. > :44:49.see how the right honourable gentleman can say this is a terrible

:44:50. > :44:55.breach of practices when Sir John Major did precisely this. And when

:44:56. > :44:58.he did the outcome was catastrophic. I rode 100 articles against the

:44:59. > :45:02.Maastricht Treaty. Had we never signed up to it we would not be in

:45:03. > :45:08.that position. The honourable gentleman is not citing a president

:45:09. > :45:11.which orders well for the things to come.

:45:12. > :45:14.Isn't it the case that during negotiations John Major said do not

:45:15. > :45:22.buy mine hands when I negotiate with the European Union? -- bind my

:45:23. > :45:28.hands. He did not succeed in not binding

:45:29. > :45:31.his hands and was a catastrophe. The Maastricht Treaty and internal

:45:32. > :45:35.negotiations with regards to being in the EU are wholly different from

:45:36. > :45:40.leaving the EU. The strategy of that, you are remaining in the EU

:45:41. > :45:43.and all the rest is detail about debate. Here we are debating

:45:44. > :45:47.something strategically quite different which is the departure

:45:48. > :45:53.from the European Union, from the European Court of justice through

:45:54. > :45:56.other roads also too much did it would delay the process making it

:45:57. > :46:05.impossible to reach an agreement is talking about. I agree with my right

:46:06. > :46:09.honourable friend. It was never agreed even during the Maastricht

:46:10. > :46:13.Treaty debates that they should be a mandate. It has never been the case

:46:14. > :46:17.in the course of our island's history that the pejorative power of

:46:18. > :46:28.making treaties was constrained by a judicial mandate. I thank him for

:46:29. > :46:34.giving way and pay tribute to the thoughtful marketing makes. What

:46:35. > :46:38.people like me, I believe, are asking for is that why we are out of

:46:39. > :46:43.the customs union, we are not going to be part of a customs union, is

:46:44. > :46:49.that right? Is it not read we should be having a debate? My answer to my

:46:50. > :46:51.right honourable friend is no. It is not right that we should decide

:46:52. > :46:56.those things because they can only be decided as part of a negotiation.

:46:57. > :47:01.I think the Government is compelled by the logic of the situation to

:47:02. > :47:04.take us out of the customs union, but where it does or doesn't must be

:47:05. > :47:13.left hands of ministers to negotiate as part of this complex negotiation.

:47:14. > :47:18.Angela Smith. Thank you, Mr Speaker. This debate, let me be absolutely

:47:19. > :47:23.clear, is not about whether we Brexit. It's about how we Brexit.

:47:24. > :47:28.And that is of prime importance. There could be a huge potential

:47:29. > :47:32.impact on our economy and on the prosperity of the people of this

:47:33. > :47:37.country as a result of the decisions taken during the withdrawal process.

:47:38. > :47:42.I don't accept the comments made by the member for West Dorset.

:47:43. > :47:49.Actually, the future of this country is a prime significance to the

:47:50. > :47:52.members of this chamber and we have a right to discuss it, debate it and

:47:53. > :47:57.take a vote on it. The people, and we can't say this often enough, the

:47:58. > :48:03.people may have voted for Brexit, but they did not vote to be poorer.

:48:04. > :48:08.I want to echo the comments made by my honourable friend small central

:48:09. > :48:12.and Doncaster North at the time for the digs and the comments, negative

:48:13. > :48:18.comments about those of us who want the best possible deal for the UK

:48:19. > :48:22.are over. It's time to move on. Trying to be responsible and mature

:48:23. > :48:25.in terms of what we are looking for. It is the responsibility of

:48:26. > :48:34.Parliament to explore what Brexit means, both as far as individual

:48:35. > :48:38.constituents are concerned, and also as follows businesses in our

:48:39. > :48:45.constituencies are concerned. One key sector and our economy is food

:48:46. > :48:51.and farming. Which is the biggest manufacturing sector in the UK

:48:52. > :48:57.economy. With a value of over ?108 billion and it provides over 3.9

:48:58. > :49:05.million jobs. 75% of Arab culture lacks was into the European Union, I

:49:06. > :49:09.thank my honourable friend for giving way. We are both members of

:49:10. > :49:15.the select committee, and yesterday I had a meeting with one of the

:49:16. > :49:20.ministers in the department. And I fear there is a problem in relation

:49:21. > :49:25.to that department about the conflation of two issues. One to do

:49:26. > :49:29.with free trade, and the other is access to the single market. Has she

:49:30. > :49:33.any particular comment on that issue?

:49:34. > :49:38.I go back to my view on the option that I think we should... As many

:49:39. > :49:43.members in this chamber having the data today we have feelings and

:49:44. > :49:49.where we should be going. That the illustrated today. There are three

:49:50. > :49:52.scenarios in terms of the NFU. Renegotiations, WTO overall and

:49:53. > :50:00.trade liberalisation. The potential costs to farming of the nontariff

:50:01. > :50:06.barriers to access to the European Union and worldwide trade goes from

:50:07. > :50:11.anything to 5% as a result of regulatory divergences through to

:50:12. > :50:17.8%. If direct farm payments are reduced, or taken away completely

:50:18. > :50:24.from farmers under each of these scenarios you get a hugely negative

:50:25. > :50:27.impact on farming raising from ?24,000 per annum reduction in

:50:28. > :50:36.income and the best deal, the free trade deal, there were over ?30,000

:50:37. > :50:42.per annum on individual farming. Under the trade liberalisation

:50:43. > :50:48.scenarios. The European Union spends ?3.2 billion a year on support to

:50:49. > :50:55.farmers. That's just under 25% of what we pay into the EU to be a

:50:56. > :50:58.member of that union. So the key question for the Commons, surely, is

:50:59. > :51:05.do we continue with direct payments to farmers, do we continue without

:51:06. > :51:11.at the 100% level we've got now? Do we reduce that? Do we look at the

:51:12. > :51:15.impact on farm trade and individual farmers? We have to have answers to

:51:16. > :51:20.those questions before I think we can sign off on any government

:51:21. > :51:28.position in terms of where we go to in Brussels next. The second point

:51:29. > :51:34.is labour. Farm industry employs over 80,000 seasonal workers a year.

:51:35. > :51:38.80,000. And the NFU has already called for a seasonal agricultural

:51:39. > :51:42.worker's permit scheme. As of yet the Government is refusing to

:51:43. > :51:47.comment or commit to such a scheme. Yet, without batting but, they will

:51:48. > :51:50.be very, very little hope for the horticultural sector in this

:51:51. > :51:59.country. Furthermore, the food and drink manufacturing sector already

:52:00. > :52:06.has a skills gap. By 2024 that will stand at 130,000. 130,000. On top of

:52:07. > :52:08.that, one in 12 employees in that sector is already reporting an

:52:09. > :52:14.intention on the part of their employees to go back home. The Road

:52:15. > :52:20.haulage industry which is a critical service aspect of the food and

:52:21. > :52:25.farming sector already has a 45,000 skills shortage. And 60,000 drivers

:52:26. > :52:34.in the UK are foreign. Mostly from the EU. With that sector, another

:52:35. > :52:38.vital service to the food and farming sector battered with the

:52:39. > :52:43.veterinary sector. Over 50% of the vets registered every year in the UK

:52:44. > :52:51.are from abroad. Most of them from the European Union. My honourable

:52:52. > :52:54.friend is making an excellent speech about the importance of the farming

:52:55. > :53:02.sector, and I'm sure she will have noticed that we've had...

:53:03. > :53:11.Representation from the National Trust and the RSPB with millions of

:53:12. > :53:15.members and all of them are... And all of them are concerned about the

:53:16. > :53:21.biodiversity which is also what the farmers provide to this country.

:53:22. > :53:28.Farmers will not be able to provide the environmental goods if their

:53:29. > :53:33.incomes make them uneconomic. I didn't get the extra minute on the

:53:34. > :53:37.time for the second intervention. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I just

:53:38. > :53:41.say to the honourable lady it is right that all of us should be held

:53:42. > :53:46.to account, including the chair. Angela Smith.

:53:47. > :53:53.The labour shortages that will result from Brexit need to be taken

:53:54. > :54:00.seriously by the Government. We need to be, no award the resources will

:54:01. > :54:04.be we need to know immigration policy in terms of terms of freedom

:54:05. > :54:08.of movement and on the development of the domestic workforce. It is

:54:09. > :54:10.reasonable that this chamber has an understanding of where the

:54:11. > :54:15.Government is going on this key issue before it excess, except the

:54:16. > :54:20.negotiating position on Brexit. The other point is that when the

:54:21. > :54:27.Government... These concerns need addressing when the Government

:54:28. > :54:30.outlined its plans. I think we definitely should retain membership

:54:31. > :54:36.of the single market but I do think we need a proper timetable, a

:54:37. > :54:42.sufficient timetable in time for parliament to scrutinise and an end

:54:43. > :54:46.if necessary. I will vote against the amendment on the table because

:54:47. > :54:50.there are no guarantees before us today, nothing that I have heard

:54:51. > :54:55.today gives me any sense or any confidence that the Government will

:54:56. > :55:01.not try to wriggle out of the treatments before this house. This

:55:02. > :55:06.is not a vote today against Brexit but rather against a motion that

:55:07. > :55:13.would curtail potentially the right of Parliament acting in the national

:55:14. > :55:22.interest as it should do and in so doing, acting interest of our

:55:23. > :55:26.constituents. Thank you to much. Let me make clear at the start of this

:55:27. > :55:31.debate, for the benefit of members but also for the benefit of the

:55:32. > :55:34.bench that I intend to support both the motion but also amendment a

:55:35. > :55:39.which has been called for debate this evening. I'm very pleased that

:55:40. > :55:42.the Government has accepted the notion and I will come on to talk

:55:43. > :55:46.about that in a moment. I think today's motion is the first time the

:55:47. > :55:52.Government has accepted the role of Parliament in having a say on the

:55:53. > :55:55.triggers and of article 50 and one the scrutiny of Government's plans

:55:56. > :56:00.ever Brexit. We live in a resented of democracy. It's right that

:56:01. > :56:05.members on all sides of the house, many of whom have spoken today, act

:56:06. > :56:12.locally 52% but also as they said for the 48%. I want the ability to

:56:13. > :56:15.speak up for the students in my constituency, for the university

:56:16. > :56:20.academics, for the farmers, the businesses, the NHS workers and

:56:21. > :56:29.everybody else who lives there. I do agree with my honourable friend, the

:56:30. > :56:31.member for Surrey Heath. We need clarity and confirmation for EU

:56:32. > :56:39.citizens living here that they are able to stay. It would have the

:56:40. > :56:42.moral hand on negotiations starting if we had that clarity. What today's

:56:43. > :56:47.debate has shown is that we should have started this debate a number of

:56:48. > :56:50.months ago. Though I might disagree with what my honourable friend, the

:56:51. > :56:54.member for West Dorset has said, I think it's important that he has

:56:55. > :56:59.said and we can debate these issues. I want there to be a proper

:57:00. > :57:02.commitments to have the planet we have seen and also a bit on the

:57:03. > :57:08.timetable. It is not good enough that these things are dragged out of

:57:09. > :57:11.the Government by opposition Day motions. I'm pleased it has happened

:57:12. > :57:16.but I wish the covenant was thinking more of the initiative. I do think

:57:17. > :57:20.that the Government planet can set out the high level overall

:57:21. > :57:23.objectives. Again, I might disagree with what my honourable friend, the

:57:24. > :57:28.Democrat hedging in Barking and has said, but I think I have to say that

:57:29. > :57:32.he has said it in the most clear fashion that I have heard it said by

:57:33. > :57:37.somebody with his beliefs. I would like the Minister to say whether he

:57:38. > :57:41.agrees with what the member said whether he doesn't agree? Because

:57:42. > :57:43.the Secretary of State was absolutely right when he said, and I

:57:44. > :57:49.quote from his opening speech, it is important that we do not close of

:57:50. > :57:54.options before we had to do so. I quite understand and, as the Labour

:57:55. > :57:58.motion said, there should be no disclosure material which could be

:57:59. > :58:02.judged to damage the UK in any locations to depart from you EU at a

:58:03. > :58:05.Article 50 has been triggered. The trouble with having no running

:58:06. > :58:11.commentary from the Government is that he is being replaced by running

:58:12. > :58:18.commentary of nodes seen in Downing Street. That is it. And Nissan

:58:19. > :58:20.executives' conversations with those in Downing Street. It is the

:58:21. > :58:23.important we have a timetable because I had been very clear

:58:24. > :58:27.previously that I want the Government to get on with the

:58:28. > :58:31.triggering of article 50. I see that as part of the way to heal the rift

:58:32. > :58:36.between Parliament and people which we have seen call from the 23rd of

:58:37. > :58:39.June. I don't have a problem in voting for the amendment but I

:58:40. > :58:44.understand and respect those memos that do tonight. I don't think this

:58:45. > :58:47.is the same as having an act of Parliament at the High Court ruled

:58:48. > :58:54.and I hope the Minister will be very clear in that the move means is --

:58:55. > :58:58.approving the amendment, it will not have the same legislation of the

:58:59. > :59:04.High Court ruled. We are going to have a wholly new relationship with

:59:05. > :59:09.the EU on before March 2019. We are going to have a wholly new place in

:59:10. > :59:15.the world. I want this country to be outward looking and forward facing.

:59:16. > :59:20.Brexit is going to affect our economy, foreign trade, foreign

:59:21. > :59:24.policies, trade policies, immigration policy. How we conduct

:59:25. > :59:29.as a Government the next two years says much about our Constitution and

:59:30. > :59:34.our values as a country. I think he Parliament has to rise to the

:59:35. > :59:39.occasion. I have to say, I don't think either front bench speech

:59:40. > :59:42.quite got there today. I think contributions from other members of

:59:43. > :59:46.house have got closer to appreciating the magnitude of what

:59:47. > :59:51.we are doing. If we're going to silly about the process, I think we

:59:52. > :59:56.are letting our constituents down. It's the substance of the final deal

:59:57. > :00:00.that we agree with the EU and the final trade agreements that we have

:00:01. > :00:07.with the rest of the world that will shape Britain's place in the world.

:00:08. > :00:11.We need ministers from the Prime Minister downwards to inspire as

:00:12. > :00:15.well as engage on these issues and to be clear what 2019 and beyond

:00:16. > :00:23.looks like for this country. I look forward to further such debates.

:00:24. > :00:27.This opposition motion is absolutely right about one thing. Leaving the

:00:28. > :00:35.EU is indeed the defining issue for this country. As such, I urge the

:00:36. > :00:38.Government to get on with it. As for parliamentary scrutiny, of course

:00:39. > :00:43.Parliament ought to have the ability to hold the executive to account. As

:00:44. > :00:46.someone who enjoys banging on about Europe, there are endless

:00:47. > :00:53.opportunities group, to scrutinise the Government. I appreciate the

:00:54. > :00:57.southern surge in interest scrutiny is in fact about seeking to

:00:58. > :01:03.frustrate the referendum result. The Labour front have been happy for the

:01:04. > :01:10.past 20 years to use Crown product of two had powers to Parliament, and

:01:11. > :01:13.all of a sudden, we see the issue of parliamentary oversight being used

:01:14. > :01:20.in effect as a break, a break against taking back control, a break

:01:21. > :01:23.against bringing a democracy home. That our democracy. Once again, the

:01:24. > :01:28.front bench of Labour side with the supernatural elites. They want to

:01:29. > :01:33.overturn the way people voted in June. Parliament is entry is

:01:34. > :01:37.shorthand for the sovereignty of the people. The verdict of the people on

:01:38. > :01:42.the 23rd of June and was absolutely clear. It will be perverse to invoke

:01:43. > :01:47.voluntary oversight and sovereignty as a pretext for dithering and

:01:48. > :01:50.delaying. I am right that the Government has tabled the amendment

:01:51. > :01:57.and it is an honour to add my name to the notion. The notion I think

:01:58. > :02:10.called the bluff of those who wanted to use sophistry to delay the

:02:11. > :02:14.amendment before. Finally, some politicians' approach to Brexit

:02:15. > :02:18.beast as he once has been to regard it almost as though people, made a

:02:19. > :02:23.mistake on the Genie 23rd. They seem to hold out the hope that we might

:02:24. > :02:31.perhaps have a second referendum and, who knows? Perhaps assemble a

:02:32. > :02:34.new people. Perhaps these efforts may persist and we may find it

:02:35. > :02:43.easier to assemble even a new parliament. Thank you. I think the

:02:44. > :02:47.conundrum we are discussing is that this is the first time in our

:02:48. > :02:52.history we have come across the problem of the establishment and the

:02:53. > :03:02.Government of the day giving a decision to a referendum and getting

:03:03. > :03:06.a result it disagrees with. We have the 1975 Labour Party referendum,

:03:07. > :03:09.Scottish, Welsh and Irish referendums all delivering a

:03:10. > :03:13.satisfactory result for the establishment and majority in this

:03:14. > :03:19.house. Today, we face the opposite. I was at an AGM of my local NFU two

:03:20. > :03:24.weeks ago and a lady said to me, what is it about London? What don't

:03:25. > :03:31.they get? What is it about them? We voted to leave. Leave means leave.

:03:32. > :03:34.As a founder member of the vote leave, I think we were critically

:03:35. > :03:37.right through the campaign and I think the Government has been pretty

:03:38. > :03:43.clear that it's going to deliver on what we said we wanted. We wanted to

:03:44. > :03:51.take back control. We wanted to take back control of our money. First day

:03:52. > :03:56.in their fry, my secondary action was the hand back ?642 million of

:03:57. > :04:00.real money because the condition and the ECJ dislike the manner in which

:04:01. > :04:08.the honourable lady from Derby South at implemented the reform. -- Defra.

:04:09. > :04:18.Nothing I could do about it. This house began on the principle of

:04:19. > :04:20.deciding what the taxes were, who is responsible for them. Controlling

:04:21. > :04:25.the monarch at the time and this house still has the fundamental role

:04:26. > :04:28.and the role of the people, and they will get an full-back to get out

:04:29. > :04:34.politicians who raise taxes and spend them badly. We do not have

:04:35. > :04:40.that power at the moment. We voted to take back control of our laws. I

:04:41. > :04:45.know that in spades from Defra. 90% of Defra is the invitation of

:04:46. > :04:48.European law. I tried manfully negotiating to work with good allies

:04:49. > :04:53.for the Weaver outvoted. We were at voted on many occasions and our

:04:54. > :05:02.farmers are struggling with the latest CAD reform. We have very

:05:03. > :05:06.strong competition. The EU's governance of fishing wins. A lot of

:05:07. > :05:09.competing areas of activity but fishing has been a catastrophe.

:05:10. > :05:16.Getting back our powers took on to our fishing will restore our marine

:05:17. > :05:19.environment, restore our stalks and bring disparity and wealth back to

:05:20. > :05:27.our most remote mirroring DVDs. Happy to give way. Thank you

:05:28. > :05:34.forgiving way. What he is saying about Cap is right. Will you give

:05:35. > :05:38.support to farmers at the current levels that they are receiving post

:05:39. > :05:44.Brexit, post-2019, posed 2020? Will that money still go to farmers not?

:05:45. > :05:47.Yes. Actually listen to my speeches during the campaign, I would have

:05:48. > :05:52.said, if appropriate, more. What they can do is array technology.

:05:53. > :05:55.Extraordinary hostility in the EU which is becoming the Museum of

:05:56. > :06:00.world farming because it is so hostile to technology and that

:06:01. > :06:03.applies to fish. The honourable lady, she also mentioned

:06:04. > :06:06.immigration. Quite likely. The most angry people I met at the back

:06:07. > :06:12.Willie put farmers in Essex, Kent and Hereford who been deprived by

:06:13. > :06:17.what is now the Prime Minister, the then Home Secretary, who stopped a

:06:18. > :06:20.scheme bringing in 21,250 highly skilled Romanians and Aryans before

:06:21. > :06:25.they became full members. I worked hard with my honourable friend and

:06:26. > :06:30.the Home Secretary then to see how we could work our way around this.

:06:31. > :06:35.She is right. We need to have a supply of skilled labour to work in

:06:36. > :06:44.our horticulture, vegetable industry and on our food processing. I know

:06:45. > :06:47.and I is surgeon whose family left India, she gave the most

:06:48. > :06:51.extraordinary lecture, unprovoked, clean hand, she started it.

:06:52. > :06:56.Attacking current immigration policy where she has to take less

:06:57. > :06:59.qualified, less skilled, less safe and less experienced eye surgeons

:07:00. > :07:03.because they have European passports and she cannot choose a more skilled

:07:04. > :07:09.and save the ones from Bangladesh, Hong Kong or San Diego. What I would

:07:10. > :07:13.like to see is of having the choice of the world, whether through

:07:14. > :07:17.because I surgeons, on a wider scheme. I welcome the comments from

:07:18. > :07:21.Surrey Heath. I think they send out a tremendous signal staging here and

:07:22. > :07:25.now there are very large numbers of EU citizens working on our economy

:07:26. > :07:30.who make Emma Morris convolution and they give those up to a certain date

:07:31. > :07:35.right of abode and, from then on, we moved a permit system. We said we

:07:36. > :07:40.would take back control of our ability to trade around the world.

:07:41. > :07:44.The SNP make a huge loss of the single market and Customs union Ian.

:07:45. > :07:47.We have to leave the single market if we are to come from under the

:07:48. > :07:53.course of the European Court of Justice and it doesn't exist anyway.

:07:54. > :07:56.My noble friend Lord Bamford gave an interesting speech in another place

:07:57. > :08:00.recently saying there are ten standards for brake lights on

:08:01. > :08:05.tractors. That is within the current so-called single market. It is not a

:08:06. > :08:12.problem. The punching me information included on the production line. I'm

:08:13. > :08:14.very interested in what he just said. Can you tell me why the

:08:15. > :08:17.Conservative Party manifesto on which they fought the last election

:08:18. > :08:24.said we say yes to the single market? The vote leave campaign,

:08:25. > :08:28.which very clearly would not be under the ECJ, we would be able to

:08:29. > :08:33.make our trade treaties around the world and also, and this is

:08:34. > :08:36.massively popular during the campaign, by leaving the customs

:08:37. > :08:42.union, getting outside Fortress Europe, prices of everyday goods,

:08:43. > :08:47.food and clothing will come down. A massive benefit to our consumers and

:08:48. > :08:52.back again is an example of this being the establishment against the

:08:53. > :08:56.people. Where we see this in Europe, we saw the results in Italy last

:08:57. > :09:03.week. We have got elections in Holland and France, and Germany.

:09:04. > :09:08.Members opposite should wake up to the phenomenon that we have realised

:09:09. > :09:14.in those countries who want what they want to call an open Brexit.

:09:15. > :09:15.They want to trade with us, we should trade with them. We offer

:09:16. > :09:32.Lindsay role and tariffs. She said of the Federal counterparts

:09:33. > :09:40.don't mess up Brexit. We don't want procession in Bavaria. We want to

:09:41. > :09:44.continue selling our products. So we have the 17.4 million people here

:09:45. > :09:51.who voted for Brexit and we have significant interests in Europe on

:09:52. > :09:58.our side. We bandying around quotes, I would leave onto notes. Napoleon

:09:59. > :10:04.said I never had a plan of operations. The seal on great

:10:05. > :10:13.decisive game with force and determination. Good luck to the

:10:14. > :10:17.government. We have to face up to the fact that a growing proportion

:10:18. > :10:20.of population has lost faith in this place and our collective ability to

:10:21. > :10:24.address their concerns and offer them hope for a better future.

:10:25. > :10:29.Brexit was a wake-up call from too who feel mainstream politics is

:10:30. > :10:33.broken and doesn't work for them. Of course some voted against the notion

:10:34. > :10:39.of sovereignty and the fear of a federal superstate but any others

:10:40. > :10:41.registered their protest at the state of their everyday lives.

:10:42. > :10:46.Stagnant wages, the loss of traditional jobs and destruction of

:10:47. > :10:54.communities and the impact of migration. As well as horrendous

:10:55. > :10:58.continuing inequality. Something the UK party has no answers to. In any

:10:59. > :11:03.of us believe we had too much to lead -- lose by leaving the EU but

:11:04. > :11:05.many of our fellow citizens felt they had nothing to lose. I'm not

:11:06. > :11:13.the first member to make these points but it's astonishing that in

:11:14. > :11:18.the aftermath of the Brexit vote the far right parties across Europe and

:11:19. > :11:21.elsewhere, mainstream parties in this House, appear to have learned

:11:22. > :11:27.nothing. The government until this motion was tabled thought it

:11:28. > :11:31.acceptable to keep its Brexit plans secret from members of this House

:11:32. > :11:34.and the people of this country. The Lib suggest the referendum result

:11:35. > :11:39.should be overturned by a second referendum and some senior Labour

:11:40. > :11:41.frontbenchers demonstrate contempt for those who have legitimate

:11:42. > :11:46.concerns about the pace and impact of immigration. If we are to begin

:11:47. > :11:51.the reconnection with those who have left behind it's vital we

:11:52. > :11:55.demonstrate we get it. We must have an honest dialogue with people on

:11:56. > :12:00.the unavoidable change which will continue to take place and the

:12:01. > :12:14.difficult choices that we face. I will give way. Would you support the

:12:15. > :12:21.trigger of Article 50? Ukip are about dividing our communities,

:12:22. > :12:24.causing mayhem in terms of community cohesion and they have nothing to

:12:25. > :12:33.say on the levels of inequality we face in our society. We must have an

:12:34. > :12:39.honest dialogue with the people but the language of hard soft and red,

:12:40. > :12:44.white and blue Brexit is meaningless to many of our constituents. The

:12:45. > :12:47.government's secretive approach to our negotiating position is cutting

:12:48. > :12:52.them out some of the most crucial decisions facing the future of our

:12:53. > :12:56.country. This weekend we saw the farce of the Prime Minister's

:12:57. > :13:04.crackdown on Brexit leaks, it self being leaked. An episode worthy of

:13:05. > :13:07.the thicket. We continue to alienate large sections of the electorate and

:13:08. > :13:14.play into the hands of the far right. I despair when I hear Labour

:13:15. > :13:16.spokespeople responding to questions about immigration with meaningless

:13:17. > :13:23.platitudes such as we need to talk about immigration. This into

:13:24. > :13:27.frontbenchers who dismiss or deny voters legitimate concerns. We need

:13:28. > :13:31.a policy agenda which does not compromise our values but recognises

:13:32. > :13:37.if you don't believe in open borders you have to show how you would

:13:38. > :13:40.control and manage immigration. It's entirely consistent to have zero

:13:41. > :13:44.tolerance for the demonisation of immigrants while believing in the

:13:45. > :13:49.control and management of migration. To a certain integration is an

:13:50. > :13:57.expectation of citizenship. To crystal clear it is this country's

:13:58. > :13:59.duty to be a safe haven for refugees fleeing violence and repression.

:14:00. > :14:06.None of these are incompatible with Labour values or indeed

:14:07. > :14:11.contradictory. Finally, we have to tackle the grotesque inequality

:14:12. > :14:15.which scars our society. I commend the governor of the Bank of England

:14:16. > :14:21.for his challenging speech about the need for real change. The combined

:14:22. > :14:26.impact of globalisation and technology will continue to threaten

:14:27. > :14:32.jobs in our country. Income inequality and social mobility is a

:14:33. > :14:38.lethal cocktail. Those are issues this government is making worse not

:14:39. > :14:41.better. I remain convinced that the UK being at the heart of the

:14:42. > :14:45.European Union is in our national interest that the people have spoken

:14:46. > :14:50.and we have to respect their decision. Brexit is a wake up call

:14:51. > :14:56.which are magnifies the division in our society. We must tackle levels

:14:57. > :15:01.of inequality but we must also do politics differently in the way that

:15:02. > :15:07.we engage with people about the big changes which will continue to

:15:08. > :15:13.affect their lives. The we know best year of government has passed. The

:15:14. > :15:18.stakes have never been higher for the future of our country and our

:15:19. > :15:23.politics. It's a great pleasure to follow the member for Barrow

:15:24. > :15:29.southland he makes an important point about re-establishing with the

:15:30. > :15:33.electorate. I agree with him. For too many years governments have

:15:34. > :15:37.known best and ignored the people and have not been willing to engage

:15:38. > :15:43.on the issue of immigration. He is right to say you can't control

:15:44. > :15:51.immigration without demonising immigrants. The fact you're giving

:15:52. > :15:57.so much attention to this debate shows what an important debate it is

:15:58. > :16:04.today. Can I turn to an aspect of this debate that we have not touched

:16:05. > :16:09.on. This debate has suddenly started to be about Parliamentary

:16:10. > :16:11.sovereignty and somebody who has always defended the right of

:16:12. > :16:15.Parliament and been concerned with the power of the executive you would

:16:16. > :16:21.expect me to bang on and say we should have a vote in this House on

:16:22. > :16:24.article 50. In fact that is something I have always thought we

:16:25. > :16:32.should do. But the reason the government was right to say it could

:16:33. > :16:36.use royal prerogative to trigger Article 50 was because of the unique

:16:37. > :16:42.circumstances of the referendum. This House in an act of Parliament

:16:43. > :16:49.gave the British people the right to decide that question. That is why I

:16:50. > :16:53.absolutely defend the right of the government to perceive the way it

:16:54. > :17:00.thought fit. Having said that, the role of Parliament is to deal with

:17:01. > :17:03.all the issues that come up after we triggered the fact we wanted to

:17:04. > :17:09.leave the European Union. To the government's credit they are putting

:17:10. > :17:14.on a series of debates in regard to the European Union and Brexit with

:17:15. > :17:18.people can make their views known so that when the government goes to

:17:19. > :17:23.negotiate it knows the views of Parliament. But it would be totally

:17:24. > :17:28.absurd for the government to lay down its negotiating hand in

:17:29. > :17:32.advance. It would be daft and when I was in business I wouldn't go to a

:17:33. > :17:36.negotiation until the opposition what I want to advance just as the

:17:37. > :17:41.European Union has only said this week the person who is the chief

:17:42. > :17:49.spokesman for the EU, that he would not lay down what the European Union

:17:50. > :17:59.wants. The most important part of this is that tonight we will be

:18:00. > :18:03.passing a motion I hope telling the government by the 31st of March two

:18:04. > :18:10.trigger article 50. The Supreme Court is saying that is not enough.

:18:11. > :18:20.But there has to be an act of Parliament. That is what the High

:18:21. > :18:23.Court has said. It is possible the Supreme Court will agree with the

:18:24. > :18:28.High Court and we will have to have an act of Parliament. If the Supreme

:18:29. > :18:34.Court disagrees with the High Court the government continued the way it

:18:35. > :18:40.wants. That is why I have introduced the withdrawal from the EU Article

:18:41. > :18:45.50 bill. It is to clauses long and auditors is tells the government

:18:46. > :18:52.that by the 31st of March it has to trigger Article 50. If that will

:18:53. > :18:58.goes through we will be satisfied -- satisfying the High Court. That bill

:18:59. > :19:01.gets its second reading on the 16th of December it will then go into

:19:02. > :19:07.committee and it can come back from report and by the time it comes back

:19:08. > :19:15.to this House for the third reading the Supreme Court will have given

:19:16. > :19:23.its decision. The honourable gentleman is taken up with the

:19:24. > :19:26.Article 50 but it's where is the government going after the

:19:27. > :19:30.triggering of article 50. Is it the Norway option? What is the

:19:31. > :19:42.destination beyond the trigger point? The point I'm dealing with is

:19:43. > :19:47.the triggering of Article 50 which I say has been authorised by the

:19:48. > :19:53.British people. If the High Court disagrees with have to have an act

:19:54. > :19:55.of Parliament. There are so many things to be negotiated and dealt

:19:56. > :20:00.with afterwards and they have to become before this House. It has

:20:01. > :20:04.been quite a surprise to me that some of the members who have

:20:05. > :20:09.suddenly found great support for parliamentary sovereignty are

:20:10. > :20:14.ex-ministers who used to have no time for this place when they were

:20:15. > :20:33.in government. A sinner repented is wonderful. The honourable lady for

:20:34. > :20:39.Brock so. It's great that now people believe in this place and that we

:20:40. > :20:46.should absolutely scrutinise the government as it goes through the

:20:47. > :20:52.Brexit process. Can I save for the record, as the person who was Chief

:20:53. > :20:56.Whip when I had number of dealings with my honourable friend, can I say

:20:57. > :21:03.she was always vigorously resistant to whipping and the position of

:21:04. > :21:15.Parliament and she remains a feisty and independent voice. I am always

:21:16. > :21:21.glad to be corrected by a Chief Whip. It is undoubtedly the case.

:21:22. > :21:26.The important part here is a simple thing. Tonight we will pass a motion

:21:27. > :21:37.I hope that authorises the government to invoke Article 50.

:21:38. > :21:41.There is debate about that. So given that it is debate about that the

:21:42. > :21:47.only certainty is to have an act of Parliament so that's why I'm looking

:21:48. > :21:50.forward to the honourable member being there on the 16th of December

:21:51. > :21:55.to support the bill and if anyone wants them I've got a few copies

:21:56. > :22:00.they because that will satisfy all the courts requirements. The great

:22:01. > :22:06.thing about what's been happening today is its Parliament that is

:22:07. > :22:11.dealing with this. It is not a government motion, it's not the

:22:12. > :22:15.government bill going through, it's a private members Bill. So it is

:22:16. > :22:19.clearly Parliament speaking. I hope what will happen tonight is that the

:22:20. > :22:25.amendment and the motion will pass and we can move forward and in ten

:22:26. > :22:33.days' time we will have a second reading to trigger article 50. It's

:22:34. > :22:40.a pleasure to follow the honourable member. I would make the point that

:22:41. > :22:47.as a result of the negotiations the government is involved in and they

:22:48. > :22:54.are more complicated than any business negotiation. It doesn't do

:22:55. > :22:57.justice to the scale of the problem. I have two points to make. The first

:22:58. > :23:04.concerns the process of negotiation itself and the second is with regard

:23:05. > :23:10.to the coherence of the government's position. Before I address those two

:23:11. > :23:15.points I should say that although I campaigned to remain in the European

:23:16. > :23:23.Union I do accept that the public has spoken and they view has to be

:23:24. > :23:30.respected. My own constituency voted almost the same way as the national

:23:31. > :23:34.result of the referendum. Narrowly in favour of leaving. Close as it

:23:35. > :23:38.was, I cannot see any democratic way of setting that result aside.

:23:39. > :23:49.Parliament should respect it regardless of any court decision.

:23:50. > :23:57.And I have to say that is not lip service. That is a serious statement

:23:58. > :24:02.by almost every member of this House as to where we stand. My first point

:24:03. > :24:08.is it is important that the government negotiations lead to the

:24:09. > :24:11.best possible outcome in terms of jobs, economic prosperity, security

:24:12. > :24:17.cooperation and continuing engagement with Europe from outside

:24:18. > :24:22.the EU. I find it strange the government so far has been unable to

:24:23. > :24:33.give a clear account of the principles which will frame those

:24:34. > :24:37.negotiations. I recently relinquished my membership of the

:24:38. > :24:42.intelligence and Security committee after serving for 11 years. So I

:24:43. > :24:48.understand there are circumstances where the state has got to have

:24:49. > :24:53.secrets, for example how intelligence and security agencies

:24:54. > :24:58.work. But the principles and objectives which govern the Brexit

:24:59. > :25:03.negotiations are the most urgent matter that we have confronted for

:25:04. > :25:06.decades and it is an urgent matter of public policy that should be

:25:07. > :25:12.debated at every point along the way by this House. Surely it follows

:25:13. > :25:17.that on behalf of the people that we represent, we should have an

:25:18. > :25:23.influence on those principles and objectives before anyone goes

:25:24. > :25:29.seriously into including any negotiations. And that brings me to

:25:30. > :25:32.my second point. I do not know if the government has committed to a

:25:33. > :25:39.so-called hard or soft Brexit or indeed we now have a great Brexit

:25:40. > :25:45.and read of white and blue Brexit. What I hope is that the new

:25:46. > :25:51.objectives should be the least damaging Brexit. I accept that the

:25:52. > :25:58.terms of trade and economic impact of leaving, we need to get the best

:25:59. > :26:05.possible terms. In reality a soft Brexit means continuing access to

:26:06. > :26:09.the single market or at the least to the customs union. However it is

:26:10. > :26:17.becoming increasingly incoherent as to how that can happen and strangely

:26:18. > :26:24.some ministers are even talking about paying for access. I'm sure

:26:25. > :26:34.that would understandably caused outrage even amongst those like me

:26:35. > :26:38.who voted to remain. I think it is politically naive to believe that

:26:39. > :26:43.continued access to the single market or the customs union without

:26:44. > :26:49.also having some corresponding concessions on free movement of

:26:50. > :26:53.labour could be possible. I ask honourable members to put themselves

:26:54. > :26:56.in the shoes of Angela Merkel or whoever becomes the next president

:26:57. > :27:01.of France, and going back and saying we have given the UK all these

:27:02. > :27:06.economic concessions and have let them off the hook as regards free

:27:07. > :27:12.movement of labour. It just is not likely. I accept that we have to

:27:13. > :27:20.have a road map for negotiations and I accept it is not straightforward.

:27:21. > :27:22.It cannot be the case however that is a democratically elected

:27:23. > :27:28.Parliament we can be expected to have no say whatsoever in the

:27:29. > :27:31.determination of the principles and objectives of that negotiation. I

:27:32. > :27:39.will support the amendment tonight to the opposition motion but only as

:27:40. > :27:43.a first instalment along that road. And what a pleasure it is to follow

:27:44. > :27:52.the gentleman who represents Knowsley. I want to endorse his

:27:53. > :27:56.opening remarks. And like him we are getting somewhat tired of this

:27:57. > :28:04.constant level of abuse, this constant criticism that somehow we

:28:05. > :28:08.are wanting to thwart the will of the people and do not accept the

:28:09. > :28:19.result. We absolutely do. I do not like the result, but I said that we

:28:20. > :28:24.would accept the result and we would honour it. And we said that

:28:25. > :28:29.publicly, we said to people if you could leave that is what you will

:28:30. > :28:34.get. So please can we finally, would everyone understand that, and accept

:28:35. > :28:38.that. Probably then move on and looking at the most important thing,

:28:39. > :28:47.which is how we now get the very best deal for the country. I would

:28:48. > :28:53.say to the Secretary of State that far from almost deriding the one I

:28:54. > :29:07.worked with people who may sit over their on other benches and even with

:29:08. > :29:10.the Lib Dems. The point is this, the Secretary of State should not be

:29:11. > :29:15.criticising me in some way for working with others on this most

:29:16. > :29:20.important of all matters. I would say in a generation and more.

:29:21. > :29:24.Because of course when he sat on these benches he was very happy and

:29:25. > :29:30.willing to work with honourable members of the set on the things

:29:31. > :29:35.that were important to him and rightly so. This transcends party

:29:36. > :29:39.politics. It transcends tribalism. And most importantly now is the time

:29:40. > :29:44.for the country to come together, make no mistake, families and

:29:45. > :29:54.friends are still divided in my county. The rise in hate crimes, 18%

:29:55. > :30:02.higher than this time last year. In the way that we begin to build and

:30:03. > :30:08.build those bridges and restore our communities and friendships is to

:30:09. > :30:16.make sure that we now include that 40% of those that voted to remain.

:30:17. > :30:21.And let's be honest, many of them understandably, and I include

:30:22. > :30:25.myself, have felt sidelined, ignored, have felt the weight of

:30:26. > :30:30.abuse beard online or in other places. And sick and tired of it. We

:30:31. > :30:34.are entitled to our opinion and we are entitled to be heard. We are

:30:35. > :30:39.entitled to express our opinion. And we reach out and say that we now

:30:40. > :30:45.want to work together frankly with anybody in order to get the best

:30:46. > :30:54.deal. It is not just about my generation, as I enter my seventh

:30:55. > :30:58.decade, it is not about... Today is the day, moving swiftly on! I almost

:30:59. > :31:03.said everyone would be invited to the party, that is another matter.

:31:04. > :31:11.It is not about my generation, it is the decisions that we now make will

:31:12. > :31:15.resonate for decades to come and for generations in the future. It is

:31:16. > :31:22.important to get right and important that we remember young people. Many

:31:23. > :31:27.of whom, in fact we know the majority voted to remain and the

:31:28. > :31:33.truth of it is that many of them feel an older generation has stolen

:31:34. > :31:37.their future. We've got to wake up and recognise that. I would say to

:31:38. > :31:44.all honourable members to remember those 16 and 17-year-olds in a few

:31:45. > :31:51.years' time, they will be your voters in 2020. I just want to say

:31:52. > :31:57.in response to the wise words of my right honourable friend the member

:31:58. > :32:02.for Dorset, I struggle with the concept that we cannot debate is

:32:03. > :32:09.really important matters. With great respect, we are leaving the customs

:32:10. > :32:12.union, are we? Businesses in my constituency and trade organisations

:32:13. > :32:16.want this certainty, they want to have a say. They want to have the

:32:17. > :32:31.right to shape what is best for business. I will give way.

:32:32. > :32:39.What is best for jobs and business and organisations and individuals in

:32:40. > :32:44.our constituencies is what many of us are arguing about and what we

:32:45. > :32:49.want the answers on. Those are the questions are constituents are

:32:50. > :32:53.asking. It is businesses in my constituency and trade organisations

:32:54. > :32:58.that want certainty. They want transitional arrangements. It is the

:32:59. > :33:01.universities and all those people who are migrant workers, they are

:33:02. > :33:04.asking what the new immigration policy is going to be and how we

:33:05. > :33:09.make sure we have the workers we need. It is not politically correct

:33:10. > :33:12.to say this, but it is in the interests of British business and

:33:13. > :33:17.British workers that we have migrant workers. They are the people that

:33:18. > :33:28.make British business so good, that make is that strong economy. It

:33:29. > :33:33.would be a great birthday present if the House came together tonight and

:33:34. > :33:36.supported the Labour motion and our government amendment and show the

:33:37. > :33:45.country that we can come together on something so important. I'm grateful

:33:46. > :33:50.for that comment. I want also gently to say this to the government, the

:33:51. > :33:55.reason that I will vote for this, but I'm nervous and concerned,

:33:56. > :33:58.because on October 12, at This Place without division agreed that we

:33:59. > :34:03.would have a series of debates and we would scrutinise the government

:34:04. > :34:07.plans. Thus far we have had to debates. The first on workers'

:34:08. > :34:10.rights and I know there are important but frankly it is a red

:34:11. > :34:18.herring because actually the government has made it clear that

:34:19. > :34:22.workers' rights will remain entrenched in British law. Truly it

:34:23. > :34:28.is not a great issue. The second debate was on that weighty matter,

:34:29. > :34:32.transport and Brexit. I am sorry but it is not good enough. The debates

:34:33. > :34:36.we now need to be having our about the value of the single market.

:34:37. > :34:41.Let's thrash it out and hear why some say we should not be in it.

:34:42. > :34:46.Let's talk about the customs union, about tariffs and immigration. The

:34:47. > :34:49.positive benefits of immigration and some of the downsides. But let's

:34:50. > :34:54.have this debates and let us take part in this Parliament, we speak to

:34:55. > :35:04.our constituents, we speak for the people. And I would say finally let

:35:05. > :35:09.nobody use any of the words or the motion tonight or any vote in the

:35:10. > :35:14.Supreme Court, I want a white paper, I want legislation, I want to go

:35:15. > :35:19.through the lobbies and make a difference about our relationship

:35:20. > :35:19.with the EU to secure a strong future for everyone and for

:35:20. > :35:36.generations to come. I'm sure that the whole house will

:35:37. > :35:41.want to wish her a happy birthday. I will try to focus my remarks on the

:35:42. > :35:47.motion before us on the government amendment. I fully support the

:35:48. > :35:54.Labour motion but for the same reasons as my honourable friend, I

:35:55. > :35:57.cannot support the government amendment because it is in effect

:35:58. > :36:03.gives a blank cheque for us to invoke article 50 by March without

:36:04. > :36:06.any of us being any the wiser of the government's intentions today. They

:36:07. > :36:13.promised to publish a plan but it has been cleared to me from

:36:14. > :36:18.government statements that that plan will not be the white paper that the

:36:19. > :36:22.Brexit cemetery once promised, it will not answer the big questions

:36:23. > :36:25.about our vital access to the single market, the rights of UK citizens

:36:26. > :36:33.abroad and EU citizens here or issues such as tariffs. All of the

:36:34. > :36:36.signals from the Prime Minister's speech has been the majority of the

:36:37. > :36:40.government wants and is heading for a hard Brexit. In my view that would

:36:41. > :36:45.be disastrous for jobs and prosperity. In the Labour Party

:36:46. > :36:49.conference a couple of months ago we agreed as a party that unless the

:36:50. > :36:52.final settlement proves to be acceptable than the option of

:36:53. > :36:56.retaining EU membership should be retained. The final settlement

:36:57. > :36:59.should therefore be subject to approval through Parliament and

:37:00. > :37:04.potentially through a general election or referendum. I accept

:37:05. > :37:08.that does not mention Article 50 specifically but surely it is

:37:09. > :37:13.explicit in that that unless we start to argue now that Article 50

:37:14. > :37:18.is reversible, that we should not support the invocation of Article 50

:37:19. > :37:20.without having any confidence that the government was met Brexit would

:37:21. > :37:27.be acceptable and I have no such confidence. I also believe that the

:37:28. > :37:33.government timescale which it has imposed on itself is unnecessary,

:37:34. > :37:36.unrealistic and unwise. The EU chief negotiator said yesterday it would

:37:37. > :37:39.be completed in 18 months but the French and German elections mean

:37:40. > :37:43.that no meaningful talks will happen until the autumn of next year. And

:37:44. > :37:47.that means under the current plan the talks will have to be completed

:37:48. > :37:52.within 12 months. The most complicated negotiations that this

:37:53. > :37:59.country has ever faced in just 12 months. In my view it would be far

:38:00. > :38:10.better... I give way. Given those French and German elections, and

:38:11. > :38:18.that we need to negotiate before Article 50, we should delay Article

:38:19. > :38:23.50. I do think it would make sense for the government to delay the

:38:24. > :38:28.invocation of Article 50 until after the general election is to give them

:38:29. > :38:33.more time to get a good deal. The government has paraded the motion

:38:34. > :38:37.agreed by this House without a division on October the 12th and the

:38:38. > :38:40.Secretary of State for Brexit referred to this in his speech as

:38:41. > :38:45.well without making it clear that that motion said nothing about a

:38:46. > :38:48.deadline of March. It is worth putting on the record, it said this

:38:49. > :38:53.House recognises leaving the EU is the defining issue facing the UK and