31/01/2017

:00:00. > :00:00.minister now commit to a sector deals for the steel industry? I can

:00:00. > :00:00.say I have already been having discussions with the steel industry

:00:00. > :00:14.with precisely that purpose in mind. Order. We come now to the ten minute

:00:15. > :00:18.rule motion and the honourable lady will be pleased she has such

:00:19. > :00:27.uninterested, large and expectant audience. Ten minute rule motion.

:00:28. > :00:31.Thank you. I beg to move that leave be given to bring in a Bill to make

:00:32. > :00:36.provision to prohibit the term honour crimes in all official

:00:37. > :00:41.publications, to extend extra territory jurisdiction in certain

:00:42. > :00:44.circumstances crimes committed against UK citizens and to make

:00:45. > :00:51.provision for the recap try Ocean of the bodies of women to allow an

:00:52. > :00:58.investigation into suspicious deaths. Mr Speaker, language

:00:59. > :01:03.matters. The use of the term honour to describe a violent criminal act

:01:04. > :01:09.committed against a man but more often a woman can only be explained

:01:10. > :01:15.as a means of self justification for the perpetrator. It diminishes the

:01:16. > :01:23.victim and provides a convenient excuse for what in our society we

:01:24. > :01:31.should actually call simply murder. Rape. Abuse. Enslavement. I want us

:01:32. > :01:38.in this House to send a clear message that the excuses end here.

:01:39. > :01:44.Even more than that, the term seems that violence in particular against

:01:45. > :01:47.women is culturally sensitive. A sensitivity allowing the perpetrator

:01:48. > :01:57.to further coerce the victim from seeking help. And it intimidated the

:01:58. > :02:00.agencies of the state to pursue and prosecute these violent crimes. The

:02:01. > :02:05.principles of treating every victim equally and with dignity and our law

:02:06. > :02:08.enforcement agencies responding to every crime with equal vigour are

:02:09. > :02:13.threatened when a separate set of cultural norms and practices are

:02:14. > :02:20.accepted for some victims of domestic violence. We have one more

:02:21. > :02:22.in our country, one law, and it applies to everyone, regardless of

:02:23. > :02:32.their heritage and faith. This Bill builds on the progress

:02:33. > :02:37.that's already been made by ending violence against women, tackling

:02:38. > :02:41.FGM, forced marriage strategies, coercive control laws and the brave

:02:42. > :02:45.work done by our Prime Minister to introduce the modern slaving slavery

:02:46. > :02:48.act. I want to place on record my special thanks to the Minister for

:02:49. > :02:52.Vulnerable people and the Secretary of State at the Home Office as well

:02:53. > :02:57.as the Foreign Secretary and their teams for their continued support

:02:58. > :03:04.and time. Between 2010 and 2015, 11,000

:03:05. > :03:08.incidents of crime with the term "honour" being applied were recorded

:03:09. > :03:11.in the UK. Members of this House during their constituency duties

:03:12. > :03:15.will have encountered cases in which the police and other agencies,

:03:16. > :03:19.including the CPS, have been reluctant to tackle domestic

:03:20. > :03:25.violence in minority communities for fear of being accused of racism or

:03:26. > :03:30.of provoking community unrest. Indeed the CPS has acknowledged that

:03:31. > :03:38.it needs to improve its understanding response and support

:03:39. > :03:41.to victims. Victims such as Saabjit who was abused throughout her

:03:42. > :03:47.marriage. He was battered by her husband and treated as a domestic

:03:48. > :03:52.servant. She was terrorised going to bed not knowing if she would be

:03:53. > :03:56.alive the next day. She was told that the "honour" of her family was

:03:57. > :04:02.at stake if she complained and that police would treat her as a number.

:04:03. > :04:07.Saabjit told me she didn't feel alive but nor was she dead. When she

:04:08. > :04:12.did sum up the courage, she called Crimestoppers as well as the police.

:04:13. > :04:18.She risked her life in reaching out. But after statemented were taken,

:04:19. > :04:24.she was returned home to her abusers because it was just a "cultural

:04:25. > :04:30.misunderstanding". Shockingly the evidence of her abusers was believed

:04:31. > :04:33.over hers. Saabjit was reduced to going to a temple, falling to her

:04:34. > :04:36.knees and begging for help from community leaders. It was a

:04:37. > :04:43.desperate act from a desperate woman. She was sent home again and

:04:44. > :04:50.told to think of her family's "honour". She was trapped and once

:04:51. > :04:55.she'd been let down by the authorities, she had nowhere to

:04:56. > :05:06.turn. Her husband beat her and secured a second wife. Like many

:05:07. > :05:09.domestic violence victims, she said she was treated with indifference as

:05:10. > :05:16.it was dealt with as a community issue and honour crime. Not as she

:05:17. > :05:21.hoped as bigamy and assault. She wanted equal treatment, and support

:05:22. > :05:28.under our law, not cultural appropriate interventions. In what

:05:29. > :05:33.way does the term "honour" describe these crimes? Except, as the

:05:34. > :05:40.pathetic self-justification of the perpetrator, it is a term used by

:05:41. > :05:43.those that see women as the property of men whose decisions, lives and

:05:44. > :05:47.loves belong to the family, the community or religious institution.

:05:48. > :05:53.This Bill commits us to describing the crimes for what they really are

:05:54. > :06:01.and been clear to the police, the local authorities, the community

:06:02. > :06:04.leaders and CPS and victims that cultural sensitivities are not a

:06:05. > :06:08.barrier to justice. Mr Speaker, we have no record of how

:06:09. > :06:15.many British women are taken overseas by families to be abused or

:06:16. > :06:18.killed. However, we do know that when it happens, their assailants

:06:19. > :06:22.believe that their crimes are beyond the reach of British justice. This

:06:23. > :06:25.Bill will change that. It would extend the provisions of the modern

:06:26. > :06:29.slavery act so that if someone is take foreign the UK to anywhere in

:06:30. > :06:32.the world to be exploited, the offence can be investigated in the

:06:33. > :06:45.UK because the planning and part of the trafficking took place here.

:06:46. > :06:51.Seeta was subject to domestic violence throughout her marriage.

:06:52. > :06:58.She was told to give her older son to her childless brother-in-law in

:06:59. > :07:05.yaind. She'll be - Kerrsed into India and will be forced to return

:07:06. > :07:09.home to return to her son. Her husband and his family saw this as a

:07:10. > :07:12.question of honour. There is no official confirmation as to the

:07:13. > :07:17.cause of Seeta's death. Her husband said it was a heart attack, but her

:07:18. > :07:22.family bore witness to bruising around her neck and upper chest and

:07:23. > :07:27.intended to bring her body home. But before they could, in the dead of

:07:28. > :07:33.the night, Seeta was cremated by her husband. Whilst in shock and

:07:34. > :07:37.grieving, the family reported her death to the Indian police as

:07:38. > :07:44.suspicious. They saw this as a family matter and tried to reconcile

:07:45. > :07:47.the families, even offering the return of Seeta's children in return

:07:48. > :07:52.for dropping the allegation of murder. When that didn't work, the

:07:53. > :07:55.case was simply closed. This Bill extends extra territorial

:07:56. > :08:00.jurisdiction to domestic violence and I hope it will reemphasise our

:08:01. > :08:03.responsibility to investigate murder, aggravated by domestic

:08:04. > :08:08.violence. At present, these victims do not have the same level of

:08:09. > :08:12.protection, commitment to investigate, to prosecute or to

:08:13. > :08:19.provide desperately needed support to victims and families. Crucially,

:08:20. > :08:23.the Bill ends the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of domestic

:08:24. > :08:28.violence who often, with the complicity of foreign states, seek

:08:29. > :08:34.to escape justice by taking women abroad to continue committing their

:08:35. > :08:39.crimes. Mr Speaker, in this country we make no distinction based on

:08:40. > :08:43.faith, heritage or background. There can be no exceptions to

:08:44. > :08:48.equality of treatment before the law, there can be no exceptions to

:08:49. > :08:52.the pursuit of justice. The words we use and the actions we take must

:08:53. > :08:57.reflect the values that we hold dear.

:08:58. > :09:05.THE SPEAKER: The question is that the honourable member have leave to

:09:06. > :09:11.bring in the Bill. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I am afraid for

:09:12. > :09:26.reasons I will set out, I oppose this particular Bill as it is

:09:27. > :09:30.currently termed. For the benefit of the morons on Twitter, Mr Speaker,

:09:31. > :09:34.and for some in this House, I should make it clear from the start that

:09:35. > :09:37.obviously, I, along with everybody else opposes the women suffering

:09:38. > :09:43.from honour-based violence. But it seems that I'm the only one in this

:09:44. > :09:48.House at the moment who equally opposes honour-based violence

:09:49. > :09:52.against men too. I certainly commend my right honourable friend for

:09:53. > :09:55.Wealden for her wish to tackle the politically correct culture that

:09:56. > :10:00.sometimes surrounds certain cultures in this country and can be a very

:10:01. > :10:06.damaging thing for those caught up in it. I actually attended a meeting

:10:07. > :10:10.that Baroness Cox organised where three very brave women, Muslim

:10:11. > :10:13.women, explained how they'd been so badly treated by Shari'a courts.

:10:14. > :10:17.Unfortunately, despite all the people who claim here to be

:10:18. > :10:20.concerned about women, I was the only member of the House of Commons

:10:21. > :10:25.at that meeting so concerned people were about the violence that those

:10:26. > :10:30.women had faced from judgments from Shari'a courts. This motion deals

:10:31. > :10:33.quite rightly with dangerous political correctness, as it does

:10:34. > :10:37.not get any more serious than murder. I completely agree with my

:10:38. > :10:40.right honourable friend about the term honour killing, there is

:10:41. > :10:42.nothing honourable about murdering someone and I would encourage my

:10:43. > :10:45.right honourable friend to keep making this point, as even without

:10:46. > :10:49.legislation, she could make some progress.

:10:50. > :10:52.But I'm afraid that whilst tackling one element of political

:10:53. > :10:55.correctness, my right honourable friend's opened up another

:10:56. > :11:01.politically correct can of worms. The main reason I oppose this motion

:11:02. > :11:05.today is because it only relates to female victims and not all victims.

:11:06. > :11:10.I fear that we are going to have a rerun of the debate on the Istanbul

:11:11. > :11:15.convention that we had not so long ago in this House. We cannot let - I

:11:16. > :11:22.know people don't like any other opinions being expressed but this is

:11:23. > :11:36.a Parliament, this is a democracy. THE SPEAKER: I was keen to move on

:11:37. > :11:39.from Question Time. I don't want matters to get out of hand. The

:11:40. > :11:44.honourable gentleman must be heard. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. We

:11:45. > :11:47.cannot let this trend of having laws which are unjustifiably aimed at

:11:48. > :11:50.dealing with just one gender take hold and I'll continue to oppose all

:11:51. > :11:55.Bills and motions that continue to do the same. Why do we need to have

:11:56. > :11:59.just females mentioned in this particular Bill? Why can't it be for

:12:00. > :12:03.all victimles of these terrible crimes? We don't have an offence of

:12:04. > :12:07.female murder or male murder, we just have murder.

:12:08. > :12:13.Now, Mr Speaker, there are more male victims of murder in the UK than

:12:14. > :12:16.female victims. If I introduced a Bill which said we were only going

:12:17. > :12:21.to care about the families of the male victims because there are more

:12:22. > :12:24.of them, I suspect most of the people complain on the other side

:12:25. > :12:28.and will be up in arms about having just a Bill which only focussed on

:12:29. > :12:32.the male victims of murder because they are in the majority and the

:12:33. > :12:36.same should apply here. So yes of course, women are far more likely to

:12:37. > :12:40.be a victim of an honour-based crime than men, but they are not

:12:41. > :12:45.exclusively victims of honour-based crimes. As far as I'm concerned, all

:12:46. > :12:55.of these things are just as bad as each other. Now, I'm no expert, but

:12:56. > :13:06.I'm told that the term, which is the Pakistani term for so-called honour

:13:07. > :13:11.killing literally means adulterer and adulturess. They cover both

:13:12. > :13:16.sexes and are therefore not gender specific. The Home Affairs Select

:13:17. > :13:21.Committee in 2008 said men are also victims of honour based violence.

:13:22. > :13:25.The Henry Jackson Society published a report in January 2015 about

:13:26. > :13:30.honour killings where they said men are also victims of honour killings

:13:31. > :13:33.and, in the cases of male victims, the perpetrators usually include the

:13:34. > :13:38.families of a current or ex-partner. They also went on to confirm that in

:13:39. > :13:42.the UK, there were 22 female victims but seven male victims too.

:13:43. > :13:51.The Government's Forced Marriage Unit say in their report that in

:13:52. > :13:56.2015, 980 cases involved female victims and 240 cases involved male

:13:57. > :14:00.victims. This highlights that men can also be forced into marriage.

:14:01. > :14:07.The Crown Prosecution Service report on violence against women and girls

:14:08. > :14:12.actually said that "where gender were recorded females were about 76%

:14:13. > :14:15.and males about 24%". So this means nearly a quarter of all of the

:14:16. > :14:20.victims of these particular crimes are men that. Is not an

:14:21. > :14:25.insignificant number, Mr Speaker. It's not something that we should be

:14:26. > :14:30.ignoring. I understand that this is also particularly an issue for gay

:14:31. > :14:35.men and they would certainly not be included under the provisions of

:14:36. > :14:39.this particular Bill. Now, as we are talking about crimes taking place

:14:40. > :14:44.outside of this country, we ought to look at the victims of crime over

:14:45. > :14:48.there. The Pakistani Human Rights Commission, which monitors reports

:14:49. > :14:52.of these, they also came to the conclusion that in their country,

:14:53. > :14:56.around about a quarter of all victims were men.

:14:57. > :14:59.The Guardian have actually reported cases of male killings, so people

:15:00. > :15:05.might want to bear that in mind as well. They cited the case of Ahmed

:15:06. > :15:11.Bashir saying he died after he was attacked by a sword and mash ety in

:15:12. > :15:17.the garden of his West London home. It's sad that people don't care

:15:18. > :15:22.about him being killed by a machete. What kind of a Parliament have we

:15:23. > :15:37.become when they don't care about the fact that he's a man.

:15:38. > :15:48.About how male victims are included in honour -based crimes.

:15:49. > :15:52.So I think, Mr Speaker, there are other issues with this Bill that I

:15:53. > :16:02.don't have time to go into now. But I believe the discrimination of this

:16:03. > :16:06.Bill, we should bring forward gender neutral legislation that seeks to

:16:07. > :16:11.help all victims of crime, whether they be men or women, and to punish

:16:12. > :16:17.all offenders of these crimes, whether they be men or women. We are

:16:18. > :16:24.looking at the screen, Mr Speaker, it says crime, aggravated murder of

:16:25. > :16:28.and violets against women. It doesn't include men. -- violence. It

:16:29. > :16:36.is on the screen for members that cannot read.

:16:37. > :16:41.Some people will say, why not support something that might help

:16:42. > :16:45.somebody if not everybody? I say, why not help everybody from the

:16:46. > :16:49.start. What possible reason is therefore not including men and

:16:50. > :16:58.women in the terms of this particular Bill? So I end where I

:16:59. > :17:02.started. Of course, we all oppose women suffering from honour -based

:17:03. > :17:09.violence, but I for one equally opposed honour -based violence

:17:10. > :17:13.against men. Having a strategy to deal with one but not the other is,

:17:14. > :17:18.in my opinion, not acceptable and not justifiable.

:17:19. > :17:26.The question is that the honourable member have leave to bring in the

:17:27. > :17:31.Bill. I think the ayes have it. The ayes

:17:32. > :17:36.have it. Who will prepare and bring in the Bill?

:17:37. > :17:43.Mr Speaker, David Burrows, Michael Gove, Yvette Cooper, Tim Laut,

:17:44. > :17:48.Robert generate, John Mann, Naz Shah, Craig Whittaker, James Berry,

:17:49. > :18:04.Angus Brendan McMeel, Stuart C McDonald and me, Mr Speaker.

:18:05. > :18:34.Crime, aggravated murder of and violence against women Bill. Second

:18:35. > :18:46.reading, what they? Friday the 24th of March. Friday the 24th of March.

:18:47. > :18:53.Thank you. The observation of the honourable

:18:54. > :18:59.member for Shipley will be in here was, as I may say, superfluous. None

:19:00. > :19:04.of us doubted it for a moment. Order.

:19:05. > :19:10.We proceed to read the orders of the day. European Union notification of

:19:11. > :19:14.withdrawal Bill second reading. Order.

:19:15. > :19:23.I informed the House that I have selected the amendment in the name

:19:24. > :19:27.of Mr Angus Robertson. In a moment, I will call the Secretary of State

:19:28. > :19:33.for leaving the European Union to move the second reading of the Bill,

:19:34. > :19:41.however, before I do so, I should just inform the House that no fewer

:19:42. > :19:46.than 99 backbenchers are seeking to catch my eye today. That is to say,

:19:47. > :19:52.without regard to how many might seek to contribute tomorrow. There

:19:53. > :19:57.will have two be a tough time limit on backbenchers, and the severity of

:19:58. > :20:03.that time limit will depend upon the level of consideration shown by

:20:04. > :20:08.frontbenchers. So there is of course no pressure. The Secretary of State

:20:09. > :20:16.for Exiting the EU opinion in, secretary David Davies.

:20:17. > :20:20.Mr Speaker, I beg to move the Bill be read a second time. Given your

:20:21. > :20:26.admonishment just now, I will give the House warning now and take many

:20:27. > :20:30.interventions, some but not my normal two doesn't. This Bill

:20:31. > :20:33.responds directly to the Supreme Court judgment 24th January, and

:20:34. > :20:36.seeks to honour the commitment the government gave to respect the

:20:37. > :20:42.outcome of the referendum held on 23rd June last year. It is not a

:20:43. > :20:47.Bill about whether the UK should leave the European Union, or indeed,

:20:48. > :20:50.how it should do so. It is simply about parliament empowering the

:20:51. > :20:54.government to impairment a decision already made, a point of no return

:20:55. > :20:58.already passed. We ask the people of the UK if they

:20:59. > :21:03.wanted to leave the European Union, they decided they did. So at the

:21:04. > :21:11.core of this Bill lies a very simple question, do we trust the people or

:21:12. > :21:16.not? The democratic mandate is clear. The

:21:17. > :21:20.electorate voted for a government to give them a referendum. Parliament

:21:21. > :21:24.then voted to hold a referendum. The people voted in that referendum, and

:21:25. > :21:32.we are now honouring result of that referendum. As we said we would.

:21:33. > :21:37.This is the most straightforward possible Bill necessary to enact the

:21:38. > :21:41.referendum result and respect the Supreme Court's adjustment. The

:21:42. > :21:45.House of Commons has already overwhelmingly passed a motion to

:21:46. > :21:49.support the triggering of Article 50 by 30 first March. We respect the

:21:50. > :21:54.will of the people and implement their decision by 31st March.

:21:55. > :21:58.Subsection of clause one Saint become first on the Prime Minister

:21:59. > :22:03.the power to notify under Article 50 on the Treaty of the European Union,

:22:04. > :22:11.the United Kingdom's intention to withdraw from the European Union.

:22:12. > :22:14.Subsection two of clause one, the power to trigger the Article 50 may

:22:15. > :22:18.confer with the Prime Minister regardless of restrictions in other

:22:19. > :22:23.legislation, including the European Community's act, 1972.

:22:24. > :22:26.Together, these clear and distinct powers will allow the Prime Minister

:22:27. > :22:30.to begin the process of withdrawal from the European Union, respecting

:22:31. > :22:34.the decision of the Supreme Court. This is just the beginning. The

:22:35. > :22:40.beginning of a process to ensure the decision made by the people last

:22:41. > :22:48.June is honoured. Given that this is, the result of a

:22:49. > :22:51.referendum, triggering Article 50 is an inevitable consequence as a

:22:52. > :22:57.result of the referendum, does he agree, whilst it might be honourable

:22:58. > :23:03.to vote against triggering Article 50 would be entirely unacceptable

:23:04. > :23:06.for those MPs that voted to put this matter to a referendum to then

:23:07. > :23:12.renege on the result of that referendum.

:23:13. > :23:16.My honourable friend makes his point in his own inimitable way. As he

:23:17. > :23:19.knows, I always take the view that people's votes in this House are a

:23:20. > :23:24.matter for their own honour and beliefs. For give me for the moment,

:23:25. > :23:30.I will make some progress and give way.

:23:31. > :23:38.I would like to draw members to the Bill, which set up the application

:23:39. > :23:46.of the Bill. The Bill also gives the Prime Minister the power to stop the

:23:47. > :23:57.process to leave. The Bill also makes clear that

:23:58. > :24:05.invoking are to fulfil the -- Article 50, this is because of this

:24:06. > :24:13.being established, using the same institutions. Including the Court of

:24:14. > :24:19.Justice. That is why the 2008 EU Amendment act makes clear that in UK

:24:20. > :24:24.law, membership of the European Union includes Euratom, and that is

:24:25. > :24:30.why Article 50 applies to both the European Union... I will give way.

:24:31. > :24:33.I received an e-mail yesterday from Professor John wheat, the head of

:24:34. > :24:42.physics at Oxford University, who had the dubious job of being my

:24:43. > :24:50.tutor in the late 1970s. Is there anyway we could postpone

:24:51. > :24:58.leaving Euratom by a year or two? If that is not possible, what assurance

:24:59. > :25:04.could the Secretary of State give to the Professor and his colleagues?

:25:05. > :25:10.The first thing I would say to the honourable gentleman is that there

:25:11. > :25:14.is a two-year timetable, anyway. We are already two years out from that.

:25:15. > :25:19.But the Prime Minister has also said very, very clearly in her industrial

:25:20. > :25:24.strategy and in her speech on Brexit that we intend to support the

:25:25. > :25:29.scientific community and build as much support for that as we can, and

:25:30. > :25:34.we will negotiate when we engage in negotiations after much, with the

:25:35. > :25:41.European Union, with the aim of creating a mechanism that will allow

:25:42. > :25:45.it to go on. I give way. I didn't want to have to keep saying

:25:46. > :25:49.it, I know the Secretary of State is a most attentive minister, but can I

:25:50. > :25:53.appeal to him at the start not to keep turning round, looking at

:25:54. > :25:58.people behind him. It is incredibly frustrating for the House. I know

:25:59. > :26:02.the natural temptation. Sorry? I am sure that was a valid point, but it

:26:03. > :26:10.suffered from the disadvantage that I couldn't hear it.

:26:11. > :26:13.The consequence of this Bill goes much further than the Secretary of

:26:14. > :26:19.State was telling us. The reason the government finds itself in a

:26:20. > :26:23.position of such basement to President Trump is that they have

:26:24. > :26:28.decided to abandon the high ground of the single market place without

:26:29. > :26:31.so much as a negotiating word being spoken. That's why they are

:26:32. > :26:36.desperate to do a deal with anybody on any terms at any time. Why did

:26:37. > :26:41.the secretary lead this country into a position of such weakness?

:26:42. > :26:45.It's almost exactly the opposite of the case.

:26:46. > :26:52.Since he picked up on Euratom, let me make a point in more elaborate

:26:53. > :26:56.detail. Euratom passes through to its constituent countries. The

:26:57. > :27:01.regular visions, rules and supervision, that it inherits as it

:27:02. > :27:08.were from the International atomic in your 40, of which we a member.

:27:09. > :27:12.When we come to negotiate with the EU on this matter, if it is not

:27:13. > :27:16.possible to come to a conclusion with some sort of relationship with

:27:17. > :27:22.Euratom, then we will no doubt be able to do one with the most

:27:23. > :27:30.respected international body in the world.

:27:31. > :27:35.I am afraid he is wrong on that. Our aims are clear. We will maintain

:27:36. > :27:39.the closest possible nuclear cooperation with the European Union.

:27:40. > :27:43.That relationship will take a number of different forms and will be

:27:44. > :27:55.subject to negotiation, which will start after we are notified. I will

:27:56. > :28:01.give way. Brexit affords huge opportunities for international

:28:02. > :28:06.trade for global Britain, part of that global trade is with the single

:28:07. > :28:10.European market. Whilst there may be access to the full market, hybrid

:28:11. > :28:14.axis, could the Secretary of State confirmed that anything that

:28:15. > :28:18.introduces new taxes, tariffs or duties on British goods is not in

:28:19. > :28:24.our national economic interest. The answer to that is, yes, I will

:28:25. > :28:26.give way to the honourable gentleman there.

:28:27. > :28:32.Thank you for giving way. Can I urge him and the government to keep and

:28:33. > :28:37.open mind on your bat. There is a danger that there will be years of

:28:38. > :28:44.uncertainty that could put at risk the 21,000 new jobs which are slated

:28:45. > :28:52.to come as part of the Moorside development.

:28:53. > :28:57.I'd take that absolutely. He is right, there are a lot of jobs

:28:58. > :29:01.involved. Also our standing in the scientific committee, international

:29:02. > :29:05.reputation, all of those we seek to perturb. We will have the most open

:29:06. > :29:11.mind possible. The difficulty that we face, of course, is that the

:29:12. > :29:14.Euratom treaty is decided by unanimity. We have two win over the

:29:15. > :29:22.entire group. We will set out to do that. I give him my word on that

:29:23. > :29:27.matter. The primaries list has set out a

:29:28. > :29:30.bold membership vision for the UK. Outlining objectives as we move to

:29:31. > :29:34.establish a car brands of new partnership with the European Union.

:29:35. > :29:39.This will be in the best interests of the whole of the UK, and we will

:29:40. > :29:43.involve the iteration to make sure the voices of Scotland, Wales and

:29:44. > :29:46.Northern Ireland continue to be heard throughout the negotiation

:29:47. > :29:50.process. I will come back to more detail later. I will take

:29:51. > :29:54.interventions later. I made a statement to this House on

:29:55. > :29:59.17th January about the negotiations ahead of us. I do not propose to

:30:00. > :30:04.repeat it. Safe to say, we aim to take this opportunity for the UK to

:30:05. > :30:06.emerge from this period of change stronger, fairer, more united and

:30:07. > :30:13.more outward looking than ever before. I also set out our 12

:30:14. > :30:17.objectives for those negotiations. They are to deliver certainty and

:30:18. > :30:21.clarity where we can, to take control of our own laws, to protect

:30:22. > :30:25.and strengthen the union, to maintain the Common travel area with

:30:26. > :30:28.the Republic of Ireland. To control immigration, to protect the rights

:30:29. > :30:34.of EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. To protect

:30:35. > :30:37.workers' rights, to allow free trade with European markets, to forge new

:30:38. > :30:42.trade deals with other countries, to boost science and innovation, to

:30:43. > :30:47.protect and enhance cooperation of a crime, terrorism and security, and

:30:48. > :30:51.make the exits smooth and orderly. In due course, the government will

:30:52. > :30:53.publish our plan for exit in a White Paper in this House, and the other

:30:54. > :31:08.place. The normal noisy shouts from the

:31:09. > :31:14.Foreign Secretary # Rashad -- Shadow Foreign Secretary of when. On the

:31:15. > :31:19.17th of January the Prime Minister made it clear that this House and

:31:20. > :31:24.the Other Place will have a vote on the deal the government negotiates

:31:25. > :31:30.on the deal before it comes into force. The head of that parliament

:31:31. > :31:32.will have key role in scrutinising and shaping the decisions made

:31:33. > :31:40.through the work of both houses, through the Select Committees...

:31:41. > :31:46.Government ministers will continue to provide regular updates to

:31:47. > :31:52.Parliament. Since our proposal to shift the body of EU law into UK law

:31:53. > :32:02.at the point we leave the EU, it will be Parliament for two term and

:32:03. > :32:08.any changes to our domestic legislation in the national

:32:09. > :32:12.interest. -- it will be for Parliament to determine. We will lay

:32:13. > :32:18.out as much detail of the strategy as possible so long as it doesn't

:32:19. > :32:24.damage our negotiating position. This approach has been endorsed by

:32:25. > :32:28.this House a number of times. I thank him for being generous with

:32:29. > :32:34.his time. Would he not agree there is no such thing as hard or soft

:32:35. > :32:44.accent and we are going to make a success of it? -- hard or soft

:32:45. > :32:51.Brexit. He is exactly right. I said I think last week that I view the

:32:52. > :32:59.terms hard and soft Brexit as a propaganda terms. Would he agree

:33:00. > :33:04.with me that the people need to be best informed about the impact of

:33:05. > :33:08.our Brexit and at what point are the government going to publish the

:33:09. > :33:15.analysis they are doing on the impact on jobs of us leaving the

:33:16. > :33:18.single market? I would say to him first off, the assertions that

:33:19. > :33:23.people like him made in the run-up to the referendum have all turned

:33:24. > :33:33.out to be universally untrue so far so I don't think you should lecture

:33:34. > :33:40.us on this matter. I turn now to the amendment tabled for the Member for

:33:41. > :33:43.Moray. This bill simply seeks to determine the outcome of the

:33:44. > :33:49.referendum, a decision the people of the UK have made. They will view any

:33:50. > :33:54.attempt to halt its progress dimly. The Supreme Court judgment last week

:33:55. > :33:58.made clear that foreign affairs are reserved to the UK Government. The

:33:59. > :34:04.devolved legislative is do not have a veto on the UK decision to

:34:05. > :34:10.withdraw from the EU. That does not mean we have not paid a great deal

:34:11. > :34:13.of attention to them, we have consistently engaged with them

:34:14. > :34:21.through the Joint Committee on Europol in negotiation and the joint

:34:22. > :34:25.ministerial committee... The second of which met yesterday in Cardiff

:34:26. > :34:32.and was attended by the first ministers of all of the devolved

:34:33. > :34:37.administrations. Or so, there have been bilateral meetings between

:34:38. > :34:48.myself and those devolved administrations and 79 official

:34:49. > :34:52.level meetings to discuss this. Will he not accept that the people of

:34:53. > :34:56.Scotland voted to remain in the EU and that respect has to be shown to

:34:57. > :35:02.the Scottish people on the Scottish Government and the Scottish

:35:03. > :35:05.Parliament? Why will he not negotiate and allow Scotland to

:35:06. > :35:12.remain with access to the single market as we demand? I will remind

:35:13. > :35:18.him, there was another referendum a little while ago and it was about

:35:19. > :35:22.the people of Scotland deciding to stay within the UK and that is what

:35:23. > :35:28.they are doing and that is what we expect them to continue to do. The

:35:29. > :35:32.Prime Minister has committed to bring forward a white paper setting

:35:33. > :35:36.out the government plan and this will be published in the near

:35:37. > :35:42.future. Guaranteeing citizens' rights in the EU and EU citizens'

:35:43. > :35:46.rights in the UK is one of the objectives set out. We remain ready

:35:47. > :35:51.to reach such a deal now if other countries agree. Finally, there has

:35:52. > :35:58.been continual Parliamentary scrutiny of the government on this

:35:59. > :36:03.process. I have made statements in the House of Commons in more than

:36:04. > :36:14.ten debates and over 30 Select Committee enquiries. I will continue

:36:15. > :36:20.to support Parliament in its role. Does he accept that Northern Ireland

:36:21. > :36:27.voted to stay in the unique -- the EU? My constituency voted 70% on a

:36:28. > :36:30.70% turnout. Does he accept that we don't have a devolved administration

:36:31. > :36:36.there at the moment and does he have any plans to resolve the damage done

:36:37. > :36:41.to the Northern Ireland economy, particularly the agricultural

:36:42. > :36:48.economy, in all of this? The position of Northern Ireland, the

:36:49. > :36:53.piece process and all related issues, were all at the forefront of

:36:54. > :36:57.the Prime Minister's mind when he went there and are at the forefront

:36:58. > :37:04.of my mind and that is why we have guaranteed that we will retain the

:37:05. > :37:11.Common travel area. In terms of continuing representation, although

:37:12. > :37:17.there is no Executive, individual representatives remain in place. I

:37:18. > :37:21.wrote to the Executive to send a representative to each of the joint

:37:22. > :37:25.ministerial committee meetings. They have done so and they have made

:37:26. > :37:30.serious and significant contributions to those meetings. We

:37:31. > :37:34.take very seriously the analysis they provided of industries in

:37:35. > :37:39.Northern Ireland and very special issues like the single Irish energy

:37:40. > :37:43.market are the sort of issues we have front and centre in the list of

:37:44. > :37:51.negotiating points to deal with. He made take it as read that we take

:37:52. > :37:56.the issue of protecting Northern Ireland incredibly serious. -- he

:37:57. > :38:00.may take it. There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no

:38:01. > :38:07.attempt is to rejoin it through the back door no second referendum. Our

:38:08. > :38:11.country voted to leave the EU and it is the duty of the government to

:38:12. > :38:18.make sure we do just that. Finally we remain committed to the timetable

:38:19. > :38:22.the Prime Minister set out to trigger Article 50 by no later than

:38:23. > :38:28.the end of March. It is equally vital that members move swiftly to

:38:29. > :38:32.adopt this legislation in keeping with the Prime Minister's timetable

:38:33. > :38:41.for triggering Article 50 by the end of March. That provides certainty

:38:42. > :38:46.both at home and in the EU. I conclude by saying the eyes of the

:38:47. > :38:50.nation are on this chamber as we consider this bill. So many years

:38:51. > :38:53.there has been a creeping sense in this country and in other countries

:38:54. > :38:58.that politicians say one thing and do another. We voted to give the

:38:59. > :39:01.people to determine our future in the referendum and we must honour

:39:02. > :39:08.our side of the agreement to vote to deliver on the result. We consider

:39:09. > :39:12.that very simple question, do we trust the people or not? The

:39:13. > :39:15.generations my party has done so. Now that question is before every

:39:16. > :39:20.member of this House. This bill provides the power for the Prime

:39:21. > :39:26.Minister to begin that process and honour the decision made by the

:39:27. > :39:35.people of the UK in June last. I commend it to the House, trust the

:39:36. > :39:39.people. -- in June last year. The question now is that the bilby read

:39:40. > :39:48.a second time. Keir Starmer. -- the bill be read. We have before us is

:39:49. > :39:56.short and relatively simple bill. For the Labour Party it is a very

:39:57. > :40:03.difficult bill, however. LAUGHTER

:40:04. > :40:14.I would ask honourable members to be courteous as I try to set out the

:40:15. > :40:18.position of the Labour Party in what are very difficult circumstances. I

:40:19. > :40:25.will try to set that out clearly and I would expect people to be

:40:26. > :40:30.courteous. We are a fiercely internationalist party, we are a

:40:31. > :40:35.pro-European party, we believe that through our alliances we achieve

:40:36. > :40:40.more together than we do alone. We believe in international cooperation

:40:41. > :40:46.and collaboration. We believe in the international rule of law. These

:40:47. > :40:52.believes will never change. That is why we campaigned to stay in the EU.

:40:53. > :41:00.We recognised that the EU is our major trading partner and that the

:41:01. > :41:05.single market and Customs union have benefited UK businesses than many

:41:06. > :41:10.years. We recognise more widely the benefits of collaborative working

:41:11. > :41:16.across the EU in research, medicine, technology, education, arts and

:41:17. > :41:21.farming. We also recognise the role the EU plays and tackling common

:41:22. > :41:27.threats such as climate change and serious organised crime. We share

:41:28. > :41:37.values and identity with the EU. But we failed to persuade, we lost the

:41:38. > :41:40.referendum. Yes, the result was close. Yes, there were lies and

:41:41. > :41:50.half-truths, none worse than the false promise of ?350 million a week

:41:51. > :41:55.for the NHS. Yes, technically the referendum is not legally binding

:41:56. > :42:01.but the result was not technical, it was deeply political, and

:42:02. > :42:04.politically the notion that the referendum was merely a consultation

:42:05. > :42:10.exercise to inform Parliament holds no water. When I was imploring

:42:11. > :42:15.people up and down the country to vote in the referendum and vote to

:42:16. > :42:20.remain I told them their vote really mattered, that a decision was going

:42:21. > :42:26.to be made. I was not inviting them to express a view. Although we are

:42:27. > :42:38.fiercely internationalist and fiercely pro-European, we are in the

:42:39. > :42:45.Labour Party above all Democrats. Had the outcome been to remain we

:42:46. > :42:50.would have wanted the vote on it and that cuts both ways. The decision

:42:51. > :42:56.was made in June last year to leave the EU. Two thirds of labour MPs

:42:57. > :43:01.represent constituencies that voted to leave. One third represent

:43:02. > :43:05.constituencies that voted to remain. This is obviously a difficult

:43:06. > :43:08.decision. I wish the result had gone the other way. I campaigned

:43:09. > :43:22.passionately for that. What is Democrats our party has two except

:43:23. > :43:25.the result and it follows that the Prime Minister should not be blocked

:43:26. > :43:31.from starting the article 15 negotiations. -- but as democrats.

:43:32. > :43:36.That doesn't mean that she can do what she likes without constraint

:43:37. > :43:39.from this House. Quite the opposite. The prime ministers accountable to

:43:40. > :43:45.this House and that accountability is vital on the uncertain journey

:43:46. > :43:49.that lies ahead. The Prime Minister fought to prevent the House having a

:43:50. > :43:57.vote on this bill until she was forced to do so by the Supreme Court

:43:58. > :44:02.last week. The Prime Minister resisted Labour's calls for a plan

:44:03. > :44:06.and then a wider white paper until it became clear that she would lose

:44:07. > :44:10.any battle forcing her to do so. Before Christmas she was resisting

:44:11. > :44:16.giving this House a vote on the final deal. A position that she has

:44:17. > :44:22.had to adjust. That is why the amendments tabled by the Labour

:44:23. > :44:25.Party are so important. They are intended to establish an number of

:44:26. > :44:34.key principles the government must seek to negotiate, including

:44:35. > :44:37.security tariff free impediment free access to the single market,

:44:38. > :44:42.ensuring there is robust and regular Parliamentary scrutiny by requiring

:44:43. > :44:47.the Secretary of State to report to the House at least every two months

:44:48. > :44:50.on request being made throughout the process and to provide documents

:44:51. > :44:55.that are being provided to the European Parliament. It requires the

:44:56. > :44:58.government to consult regularly with the governments of Wales, not

:44:59. > :45:03.moderate and Scotland throughout the negotiations and I have recognised

:45:04. > :45:10.on numerous occasions the specific concerns of those living in those

:45:11. > :45:16.countries. -- Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. I support the

:45:17. > :45:19.idea that they should be absolutely supported. I will press on for a

:45:20. > :45:24.minute and then we will take interventions.

:45:25. > :45:35.This House has the first say, and not the last say, on the deal that

:45:36. > :45:41.is proposed at the end of the Article 50 negotiations.

:45:42. > :45:47.We are also supporting amendments, I will give way in a minute. We are

:45:48. > :45:50.also supporting amendments in relation to workplace rights and

:45:51. > :45:56.environmental rights. And will make the case that the legal state of EU

:45:57. > :45:59.nationals should be ensured before negotiations take place. I recognise

:46:00. > :46:03.the government's position in relation to EU nationals and the

:46:04. > :46:07.work that has gone on to have a reciprocal arrangement. That has not

:46:08. > :46:12.worked. Now the Prime Minister should act unilaterally to give

:46:13. > :46:18.assurance to those EU nationals living in this country.

:46:19. > :46:23.All honourable members, I am sure, will have had in their surgeries EU

:46:24. > :46:29.nationals in tears about the uncertainty of their situation. I've

:46:30. > :46:32.had it at every public meeting I have had on the topic and at every

:46:33. > :46:38.surgery. I do understand the constraints, but

:46:39. > :46:42.we must now act unilaterally to secure their position. Taken

:46:43. > :46:45.together, these amendments will put real accountability into the

:46:46. > :46:54.process, and the government should welcome them, not reject them out of

:46:55. > :47:01.hand. I will make some progress and then I will give way. I'm mindful of

:47:02. > :47:06.the fact that 99 backbenchers want to get into this debate. It is

:47:07. > :47:13.important on an issue such as this that I set out our position. It is

:47:14. > :47:18.important to remember what this Bill does, and what it does not do. It

:47:19. > :47:26.empowers the Prime Minister to trigger Article 50, no more and no

:47:27. > :47:30.less. It is the start of the negotiating process, not the end. It

:47:31. > :47:36.does not give the Prime Minister a blank cheque. Here I want to make a

:47:37. > :47:43.point, a wider point, that's not been made clear enough so far in any

:47:44. > :47:48.of the debate we had. No promise under Article 50 any other position,

:47:49. > :47:55.can change domestic law through international negotiations. That can

:47:56. > :47:58.only be done in this Parliament. If the Prime Minister seeks to

:47:59. > :48:03.change our immigration laws, she will have to do so in this

:48:04. > :48:07.Parliament, in primary legislation. If the Prime Minister seeks to

:48:08. > :48:14.change our tax laws, she will have to do so in this Parliament in

:48:15. > :48:16.primary legislation. If the Prime Minister seeks to change our

:48:17. > :48:22.employment laws, our consumer protection laws or environmental

:48:23. > :48:25.laws, she will have to do though in this Parliament in primary

:48:26. > :48:35.legislation. And if the Prime Minister seeks to change our current

:48:36. > :48:40.arrangements in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, she will have to

:48:41. > :48:46.do so in Parliament in primary legislation. I will give way.

:48:47. > :48:51.I thank the right honourable gentleman for giving way, but does

:48:52. > :48:54.he not realise that the very point of us leaving the European Union is

:48:55. > :49:07.so that this place can make decisions on those very points.

:49:08. > :49:11.Yes. When the Secretary of State last week said that there would be

:49:12. > :49:16.many votes on many pieces of legislation in the next few years,

:49:17. > :49:23.he was not wrong. And in each of those votes, at every twist and

:49:24. > :49:28.turn, Labour will argue that living standards must come first. We will

:49:29. > :49:34.argue that all rights derived from EU law should be fully protected, no

:49:35. > :49:38.qualifications, no limitations in... I thank my honourable friend for

:49:39. > :49:43.giving way. He rightly points to the very necessary consultation that

:49:44. > :49:46.must take place with the devolved administrations, but on 17th

:49:47. > :49:49.January, I ask the Secretary of State what specific discussions he

:49:50. > :49:54.had had with the north-east about the impact of leaving the single

:49:55. > :49:59.market, giving 58% of our exports to the EU, does right honourable friend

:50:00. > :50:03.agree that we do not have an answer for that question, whether he has

:50:04. > :50:09.had the discussions, as well as many other questions?

:50:10. > :50:13.I agree, and I urge on the Prime Minister and Secretary of State the

:50:14. > :50:16.greatest consultation in relation to Wales, Northern Ireland and

:50:17. > :50:27.Scotland. Each have specific areas and concerns that are well-known to

:50:28. > :50:29.this House. The right honourable gentleman,

:50:30. > :50:33.thank you for giving way. Does he share my concern is that at the end

:50:34. > :50:38.of this process, if there is no deal that has been struck, all options

:50:39. > :50:42.must remain open, and it will be for this place, and not for the

:50:43. > :50:49.government, to decide what happens next? I am grateful for that

:50:50. > :50:54.intervention. It is to ensure that this place has a meaningful role

:50:55. > :50:58.that Labour has tabled the amendment it has in relation to the final

:50:59. > :51:03.vote, to make sure that the issue comes here first rather than later.

:51:04. > :51:08.I will give way. In that spirit, does he agree with

:51:09. > :51:12.me that it is astonishing that the government have not told us when

:51:13. > :51:15.they will be publishing a White Paper, and does he agree with me

:51:16. > :51:20.that that White Paper should be published ahead of the committee

:51:21. > :51:25.stage of this Bill, which is scheduled to be next week Rose I'm

:51:26. > :51:28.grateful for that intervention, my view is clear, the White Paper ought

:51:29. > :51:37.to be published before the committee stage is concluded.

:51:38. > :51:42.I hope it will be. I am going to make some progress given the number

:51:43. > :51:49.of honourable members who want to come in on this debate.

:51:50. > :51:54.More broadly, Mr Speaker, Labour will argue for a strong future

:51:55. > :51:58.relationship with the EU. In her Lancaster House speech, the Prime

:51:59. > :52:03.Minister said she does not seek to hold onto bits of membership as we

:52:04. > :52:14.leave. That is short-sighted. We are now finding that in relation to

:52:15. > :52:19.Europe Tom -- Euratom. Why would we want to be outside the

:52:20. > :52:23.European medicines agency, which ensures all medicines in the EU are

:52:24. > :52:31.safe. Why would we want to be outside Europe and Euro just, which

:52:32. > :52:35.I know our agencies that work closely together in the prevention

:52:36. > :52:42.and detection of serious crime and terrorism? The same goes for the

:52:43. > :52:46.European Environmental Agency Centres By. We Do Ask That

:52:47. > :52:53.Consideration Be Given To Finding Ways To Ensure Of Staying Where We

:52:54. > :52:56.Can Within These Agencies For The Very Obvious Benefit Is That They

:52:57. > :53:02.Bring. . We will absolutely challenge any suggestion that the

:53:03. > :53:05.Prime Minister has any authority whatsoever to rip up our economic

:53:06. > :53:14.and social model and turn the UK into a tax haven economy.

:53:15. > :53:22.So Mr Speaker, I come back to the vote on this Bill. It is a limited

:53:23. > :53:27.vote. A vote to allow the Prime Minister to start the Article 50

:53:28. > :53:34.process. It is not a vote on the outcome, nor it is a vote on the

:53:35. > :53:39.wider issues which will be voted on separately, but it is a vote to

:53:40. > :53:43.start the process. Mr Speaker, I know there are some colleagues on

:53:44. > :53:50.the benches behind me who do not feel able to support this Bill. I

:53:51. > :53:54.respect their views. Just as I respect the views of constituents

:53:55. > :53:58.who feel the same way. I also understand and recognise the anxiety

:53:59. > :54:06.of so many in the 48% who voted to remain about their future, their

:54:07. > :54:10.values, and their identity. They did not vote themselves out of

:54:11. > :54:16.their own future, and their views matter as much now as they did on

:54:17. > :54:21.23rd June last year. I hope the respectful approach that

:54:22. > :54:28.I have tried to adopt to colleagues and to the anxiety among the 48% is

:54:29. > :54:31.reflected across the House, and that we will see a good deal less of

:54:32. > :54:39.gloating from those who campaigned to leave than we have seen in the

:54:40. > :54:43.past. It is our duty to accept and respect the outcome of the

:54:44. > :54:50.referendum, but we remain a European country with a shared history, and

:54:51. > :54:55.shared values. It is also our duty to fight for a new relationship with

:54:56. > :54:57.our EU partners that reflects our values, our commitment to

:54:58. > :55:03.internationalism, and our commitment to an open and honest society. Above

:55:04. > :55:09.all, it is our duty to ensure an outcome that is not just for the

:55:10. > :55:14.52%, or the 48%, but for the 100%. That we will do.

:55:15. > :55:24.Order, the original question was that the Bill now be read a second

:55:25. > :55:30.time in its is sorry? An amendment... order. An amendment

:55:31. > :55:35.has been proposed on the order paper. The next Speaker is Mr

:55:36. > :55:40.Kenneth Clarke. Mr Speaker, you will not be

:55:41. > :55:44.surprised to know that it is my intention to vote against a second

:55:45. > :55:46.reading of this hill if a vote is called, and I will support the

:55:47. > :55:51.reasoned amendment which I think will be moved very shortly by the

:55:52. > :55:56.Scottish Nationalists. Because of the rather measured

:55:57. > :55:59.position, which the right honourable and learn it gentleman had to

:56:00. > :56:02.present on the part of the official Labour Party, it falls to me to be

:56:03. > :56:09.the first member of this House to set out the case why I believe, and

:56:10. > :56:12.I hope I won't be the last Speaker, why I believe that it is in the

:56:13. > :56:18.national interest for the United Kingdom to be a member of the

:56:19. > :56:24.European Union. Why I believe we have benefited from that position

:56:25. > :56:27.from the last 45 years, and why I believe future generations will

:56:28. > :56:31.benefit if we actually succeed in remaining a member of the European

:56:32. > :56:39.Union. It's a case that hardly received any

:56:40. > :56:41.publicity during the extraordinary referendum campaign, but it does

:56:42. > :56:46.actually go to the heart of the historic decision that the House is

:56:47. > :56:53.being asked to make now. It so happens that my political

:56:54. > :56:56.career entirely coincides with British involvement with the

:56:57. > :57:01.European Union. I started over 50 years ago is aborting Harold

:57:02. > :57:09.Macmillan's application to join, I helped get the majority cross-party

:57:10. > :57:14.vote before we did join in 1973, and it looks like my last Parliament is

:57:15. > :57:17.the parliament in which we leave. But I do not look back with any

:57:18. > :57:22.regret. We made some very wise decisions. I believe that membership

:57:23. > :57:28.of the European Union was a way that we got out of the appalling state we

:57:29. > :57:32.were in when we discovered that we had no role in the world we were

:57:33. > :57:38.clear about once we lost our empire, and that our economy was becoming a

:57:39. > :57:43.laughing stock because we were falling behind the countries on the

:57:44. > :57:46.continent that had been devastated in the war, but appeared to have a

:57:47. > :57:52.better way of proceeding than we did.

:57:53. > :57:55.And I believe that our membership of the European Union restored to us

:57:56. > :58:02.our national self-confidence, gave us politically a role in the world

:58:03. > :58:09.as a leading member of the union, which made us more valuable to our

:58:10. > :58:17.allies, like the United States, and made our rivals like the Russians

:58:18. > :58:20.take us more sinister, because of our role in leadership of the

:58:21. > :58:26.European Union, and it helped to reinforce our own values as well.

:58:27. > :58:33.Our economy benefited enormously and continued to benefit even more as

:58:34. > :58:38.the market developed from our close and successful involvement in

:58:39. > :58:42.developing trading relationships with the inhabitants of the

:58:43. > :58:46.continent. I am fortunate to be called this early, I apologise to my

:58:47. > :58:50.right honourable friend, but there are 93 other members still waiting

:58:51. > :59:00.to be called. If you forgive me, I won't. In fact, the Conservative

:59:01. > :59:03.governments in which I served made very positive contributions to the

:59:04. > :59:09.development of the European Union. There were two areas in which we

:59:10. > :59:14.were the leading contender and made a big difference. The first was when

:59:15. > :59:19.the Thatcher government led away in the creation of the single market.

:59:20. > :59:23.The customs union so-called Common market had served its purpose, but

:59:24. > :59:27.regulatory barriers matter more than tariffs in the modern world. But for

:59:28. > :59:32.the Thatcher government, the others would not have been induced to

:59:33. > :59:39.remove those barriers, and I think the British benefited more from the

:59:40. > :59:46.single market than any other member state. It has contributed to our

:59:47. > :59:48.comparative economic success today. We are also always the leading

:59:49. > :59:54.government after the fall of the Soviet Union in the process of

:59:55. > :00:00.enlargement to Eastern Europe, taking in the former Soviet states.

:00:01. > :00:06.And that was an extremely important political contribution.

:00:07. > :00:10.After the surprising collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern and Central

:00:11. > :00:16.Europe could have collapsed into its traditional anarchy, nationalist

:00:17. > :00:21.rivals, military regimes, which have proceeded the Second World War. We

:00:22. > :00:25.actually pressed the urgency of bringing these new independent

:00:26. > :00:32.nations, giving them the goal of European Union, which meant liberal

:00:33. > :00:36.democracy, free market trade and so on, and we made Europe a much more

:00:37. > :00:44.stable place. That has been our role in the European Union. And I do

:00:45. > :00:50.believe that it is a very, very bad move, particularly for our children

:00:51. > :00:55.and grandchildren that we are all sitting here now saying that we are

:00:56. > :01:01.embarking on a new unknown future, which I shall touch on in a moment,

:01:02. > :01:04.but which I think is simply baffling. Every friend of the

:01:05. > :01:09.British and the United Kingdom throughout the world. That is why I

:01:10. > :01:10.shall vote against. Let me deal with the arguments that I should not

:01:11. > :01:27.vote. That I am being undemocratic. This is quite wrong, the idea that I

:01:28. > :01:36.am required to vote contrary to the views I have just given. We are told

:01:37. > :01:39.this is because we had a referendum. My opposition to referendums as an

:01:40. > :01:48.instrument of government is quite well-known has been frequently

:01:49. > :01:53.repeated throughout my career. This referendum in particular, with such

:01:54. > :01:59.an enormous question being asked for a simple yes-no answer on a single

:02:00. > :02:04.day, with hundreds of complex issues wrapped up in it, was a most

:02:05. > :02:16.suitable, particularly unsuitable? Reply beside of that kind --

:02:17. > :02:24.particularly unsuitable example for a plebiscite of that kind. We did

:02:25. > :02:29.not say that a referendum bound the House and that is why we should not

:02:30. > :02:34.have a vote, because the referendum had always been described as

:02:35. > :02:39.advisory. There is no constitutional standing to referendums in this

:02:40. > :02:46.country, no sensible country has referendums, the US and Germany do

:02:47. > :02:51.not. They went to the Supreme Court arguing the archaic institutional

:02:52. > :02:58.principle of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy. That the executive somehow

:02:59. > :03:03.had absolute power when it came to dealing with treaties, and

:03:04. > :03:11.unsurprisingly they lost. -- principle of the Royal prerogative.

:03:12. > :03:17.Leave won the referendum campaign. I won't comment on the nature of the

:03:18. > :03:22.campaign, those arguments which got publicity in the national media on

:03:23. > :03:30.both sides, both sides were on the whole fairly pathetic. I have agreed

:03:31. > :03:39.in conversation with the Secretary of State for Brexit that neither of

:03:40. > :03:49.us used the dafter arguments being used by people we were aligned with.

:03:50. > :03:53.I don't recall ?350 million a week for the health service coming from

:03:54. > :03:57.the Secretary of State for Brexit. I didn't say we would have a budget to

:03:58. > :04:08.put up income tax. All quite pathetic. Let me give an analogy, a

:04:09. > :04:11.loose one but I think not totally loose, in explaining the position of

:04:12. > :04:19.Members of Parliament after this referendum. I have fought Lord knows

:04:20. > :04:25.how many elections over the past 50 years and I have always advocated

:04:26. > :04:32.voting Conservative. The British public in their wisdom have

:04:33. > :04:36.occasionally failed to take my advice and they have actually buy a

:04:37. > :04:41.majority voted Labour and I have found myself here facing a Labour

:04:42. > :04:47.government will stop I do not recall an occasion when I have been told it

:04:48. > :04:50.was now my democratic duty to support Labour policies and the

:04:51. > :04:57.Labour government on the other side of the House and I think that the

:04:58. > :05:01.opposition put to the honourable member for Bolsover when he is in

:05:02. > :05:10.opposition would have been treated with ridicule and scorn. I am now

:05:11. > :05:15.being told that despite having voted as I did in the referendum I am

:05:16. > :05:19.somehow an enemy of the people, ignoring my instructions to stick to

:05:20. > :05:23.the opinions that I was expressing at least in my meetings rather

:05:24. > :05:29.strongly, urging them to vote the other way, and I have no intention

:05:30. > :05:33.of changing my opinion on the ground, indeed I personally am

:05:34. > :05:39.convinced that the hard-core Eurosceptics in my party, with whom

:05:40. > :05:44.I have enjoyed debating this the decades now, would not have felt

:05:45. > :05:55.bound in the slightest by the outcome of the referendum to abandon

:05:56. > :06:00.their arguments. I don't say that as criticism, I am on good terms with

:06:01. > :06:04.them because I respect their sincerity and the passionate nature

:06:05. > :06:09.of their beliefs, but if I ever need to see the honourable member for

:06:10. > :06:24.stone to turn up here and vote in favour of Britain remaining in the

:06:25. > :06:30.EU, well, I will retract what I say. Hot tongs would not make him vote

:06:31. > :06:36.for remain. I am told that I should vote with my party, it is a three

:06:37. > :06:41.line whip. I am a Conservative, decently Loi a pull over the years,

:06:42. > :06:46.the last time I kicked over the traces was on the Lisbon Treaty,

:06:47. > :06:53.where the party somehow got on the wrong side of the argument. --

:06:54. > :06:57.decently loyal over the years. I am told that somehow I am being

:06:58. > :07:03.disloyal by not voting in favour of this bill. I am merely propounding

:07:04. > :07:15.the official policy of the Conservative Party for 50 years

:07:16. > :07:19.until the 23rd of June 2015. I admire my colleagues who can

:07:20. > :07:25.suddenly become enthusiastic Brexiteers, having seen a light on

:07:26. > :07:32.the road to Damascus, on the day the vote was cast on the 23rd of June I

:07:33. > :07:42.am afraid that light has been denied me. I feel the spirit of the former

:07:43. > :07:46.colleague who I rather respected apart from one or two have his

:07:47. > :07:50.extreme views, my former colleague Enoch Powell, the best speaker of

:07:51. > :07:56.the Eurosceptic cause I probably ever heard in the House of Commons.

:07:57. > :08:01.If he was here who probably would find it amazing to believe that his

:08:02. > :08:10.party had become Eurosceptic and rather mildly anti-immigrant in a

:08:11. > :08:14.very strange way in 2016. I am afraid on that I haven't followed

:08:15. > :08:18.them and I don't intend to do so. There were very serious issues that

:08:19. > :08:23.were not addressed by the referendum, the single market and

:08:24. > :08:27.the customs union. That must be properly debated. It is absurd to

:08:28. > :08:31.say that every elector actually knew what the difference was between the

:08:32. > :08:37.customs union and the single market and had taken a careful and studied

:08:38. > :08:43.view on the basis of our future trade relations with Europe. The

:08:44. > :08:46.fact is, I admire the Prime Minister and her colleagues for their

:08:47. > :08:52.constant propounding of the principles of free trade. We are

:08:53. > :08:56.believers that free trade is a win-win situation, we are leading

:08:57. > :09:00.advocates of liberal economic policies among the European powers,

:09:01. > :09:09.so we are for free trade. It seems to me on arguable -- on arguable --

:09:10. > :09:15.non-arguable that if you put between us and the biggest economic power in

:09:16. > :09:21.the world new tariffs, new regulatory barriers, new customs

:09:22. > :09:32.procedures, certificates of origin and so on, you are bound to be

:09:33. > :09:36.weakening your economic position. That is why it is important that

:09:37. > :09:42.that issue is particularly addressed. What I am told is

:09:43. > :09:48.pessimistic, we are combining withdrawal from the single market

:09:49. > :09:52.and customs union with this globalised future that offers

:09:53. > :09:57.tremendous opportunities the us. Apparently you follow the rabbit

:09:58. > :10:03.down the hole and you emerge in a wonderland where suddenly countries

:10:04. > :10:07.the world are queueing up to give us trading advantages and access to

:10:08. > :10:13.their markets, where previously we had never been able to achieve them

:10:14. > :10:21.as part of the EU. A nice man like President Trump, President Erdogan,

:10:22. > :10:27.they are in patient to abandon protectionism and give us Access.

:10:28. > :10:34.Don't let me be too cynical, I hope it is right. I want the best outcome

:10:35. > :10:41.for the United Kingdom from this process. No doubt somewhere there is

:10:42. > :10:49.a Hatter holding a tea party with a dormouse... We need success in the

:10:50. > :10:58.use trading negotiations to recoup at least some of the losses which we

:10:59. > :11:04.will incur from leaving the single market. -- in these trading. If all

:11:05. > :11:11.is lost on the main principle, that is the big principle, we must get

:11:12. > :11:15.this addressed properly in debates from now on. I hope I have

:11:16. > :11:18.adequately explained that my views have not been shaken very much on

:11:19. > :11:28.this issue over the decades and actually somewhat strengthened. Most

:11:29. > :11:39.people here are familiar with Burke 's address and I think every MP

:11:40. > :11:45.should vote according to their view of the best national interest. I

:11:46. > :11:50.never quote Burke but two Para craze him -- to paraphrase him, he said to

:11:51. > :11:54.his constituents, if I don't give you the benefit of my judgment but

:11:55. > :12:01.just simply followed your orders I am not serving you but trailing you.

:12:02. > :12:13.I will be voting with my conscience on this vote and as we see what

:12:14. > :12:15.happens as we leave the EU I hope that the consciences of other

:12:16. > :12:28.Members of Parliament will be equally content. The amendment is

:12:29. > :12:34.tabled in his name but I think that Mr Gethin 's is going to make his

:12:35. > :12:40.oration. I moved to make the amendment in my name and the Member

:12:41. > :12:43.for Moray and other colleagues including representatives of the

:12:44. > :12:49.different constituent parts of the UK and I thank colleagues for

:12:50. > :12:57.backing the amendment. Can I also say what a privilege it is to follow

:12:58. > :13:01.the right honourable member for Rushcliffe, who has spoken huge

:13:02. > :13:05.amount of sense to the House today and a great deal more than we hear

:13:06. > :13:10.from these benches in recent times. He made some exceptional points, I

:13:11. > :13:14.thank him for the points he has made and it is a privilege that he will

:13:15. > :13:18.be voting with us tomorrow evening. In particular he made some good

:13:19. > :13:22.points about the benefits of the EU and it is important that we reflect

:13:23. > :13:29.even briefly on those. The EU has had an impact on all of us, from the

:13:30. > :13:35.progress we have made on protecting rights, workers' rights, parents'

:13:36. > :13:38.rights, the environment, to helping secure security, peace and

:13:39. > :13:45.respiratory over 70 years, something that was never guaranteed. -- peace

:13:46. > :13:53.and prosperity. I know that a number of my colleagues will be touching on

:13:54. > :13:59.that over today and tomorrow. One of the big ones and main ones has to be

:14:00. > :14:03.the question around scrutiny, for what is the purpose in having a

:14:04. > :14:08.parliament, what is the purpose in us being here if not to scrutinise

:14:09. > :14:11.the work of the government? I have to say that this government's

:14:12. > :14:18.unwillingness to put this decision under any kind of rubber scrutiny

:14:19. > :14:22.reflects a lack of confidence in their own position about the process

:14:23. > :14:27.once this has been done. -- proper scrutiny. It is good to see that

:14:28. > :14:31.despite the government's best efforts we will get a say in the

:14:32. > :14:35.triggering of Article 50 but we had to drag them kicking and screaming

:14:36. > :14:39.at great expense into this situation. I also think it is

:14:40. > :14:42.imperative on all members in this House to reflect on the debt of

:14:43. > :14:47.gratitude that we owe to Gina Miller, who has made this debate

:14:48. > :14:54.today possible, and we should reflect on that. Primarily what we

:14:55. > :15:01.want is scrutiny. In the white paper that is yet to be published, and it

:15:02. > :15:04.is interesting that you are not publishing a white paper by the time

:15:05. > :15:10.we have a debate and you want to have a white paper after we have had

:15:11. > :15:13.a debate and after the bill has been passed, that must surely be

:15:14. > :15:18.unprecedented. Secondly I will talk about the lack of respect for the

:15:19. > :15:21.devolution settlement and the consequences of leaving the EU

:15:22. > :15:28.without certainty and the kind of vision being created for the UK. One

:15:29. > :15:32.enormous step the government could have made, which was touched on by

:15:33. > :15:36.the Member for Rushcliffe and another member, is the position of

:15:37. > :15:44.European National 's who contribute so much to our country. That would

:15:45. > :15:50.have been quite... What they should do is give those EU nationals the

:15:51. > :15:55.certainty we need. Let me reflect on why we are here with so much

:15:56. > :16:01.uncertainty. The Leave campaign campaigned on a blank piece of

:16:02. > :16:04.paper. That was gross responsibility and an act of negligence which has

:16:05. > :16:09.been carried over by this government over the past nine months. That goes

:16:10. > :16:18.to the heart of why we need a white paper and I have to say that Leave

:16:19. > :16:21.ministers, those currently in government and previously in

:16:22. > :16:22.government, have particular culpability around the uncertainty

:16:23. > :16:31.in which we find ourselves. Will we get the white Paper before

:16:32. > :16:35.the committee stage? Will they go through the normal process that we

:16:36. > :16:39.see a white paper before a Bill is passed? It has certainly been the

:16:40. > :16:45.practice in the past when this place has been given a say. The Member for

:16:46. > :16:50.Rushcliffe was reflecting on European debates gone by. Maybe as a

:16:51. > :16:53.reminder, I can tell members that before the Amsterdam Treaty

:16:54. > :16:57.negotiations in 1996, John Major published a White Paper before he

:16:58. > :17:03.went into those negotiations. Gordon Brown, the Foreign Secretary is not

:17:04. > :17:06.in his place any more, it was Gordon Brown in charge of the Lisbon Treaty

:17:07. > :17:12.when it went through, and he published a White Paper. What are

:17:13. > :17:16.they afraid of? My right honourable friend, the Member for Gordon is in

:17:17. > :17:20.his place right now, he has experience of referendums and of

:17:21. > :17:31.scrutiny. This is what a proper White Paper looks like. 670 pages of

:17:32. > :17:37.detail on what the country looks like published a year before the

:17:38. > :17:42.referendum, instead of scrabbling about for the odd detail almost a

:17:43. > :17:47.year after the referendum. That's a disgrace, and they should be

:17:48. > :17:51.ashamed. I think the honourable gentleman for giving way. Could the

:17:52. > :17:55.honourable gentleman tell this House what that White Paper told the

:17:56. > :18:04.people of Scotland, what currency would they be using?

:18:05. > :18:08.The honourable member raises a good point. Do you know what the White

:18:09. > :18:11.Paper talked about, it talks about the currency, and he's right.

:18:12. > :18:18.Actually, more than the White Paper, there was a fiscal commission. My

:18:19. > :18:22.word, there was so much work put into it, so much more, and actually,

:18:23. > :18:25.on the point of modernity and the progress for this country, I will

:18:26. > :18:28.give way to the honourable gentleman.

:18:29. > :18:35.I am grateful to the honourable gentleman, but I seem to remember

:18:36. > :18:37.that the Scottish people blew a rather large was react that White

:18:38. > :18:39.Paper. The Scottish people had the

:18:40. > :18:42.opportunity to discuss it and debated, and I will say to the

:18:43. > :18:47.honourable member, it is a great pity that he doesn't trust the

:18:48. > :18:53.people enough to give them some details. Words on a blank page at

:18:54. > :19:02.that. Can I gently remind the House this is a big deal. You are not

:19:03. > :19:10.divvying up the box set, this has an impact on each and every one of us.

:19:11. > :19:14.We publish the details, we reflect on that, you don't have the courage

:19:15. > :19:19.of your convictions. And what about...

:19:20. > :19:23.I know the honourable gentleman is in a state of great animation and

:19:24. > :19:28.excitement, and I don't want to spoil that for him, but I have

:19:29. > :19:32.always had the courage of my convictions, therefore his breach of

:19:33. > :19:35.Parliament to protocol in this case is mildly offensive. Let me remind

:19:36. > :19:45.him, the debate goes through the chair, the word, you, is not only

:19:46. > :19:52.not require, it should be deleted. You of course have the courage of

:19:53. > :19:55.his convictions every time. Well said, Mr Speaker. I am sure that you

:19:56. > :19:59.will also agree that scrutiny is a good thing. It strengthens

:20:00. > :20:03.governance and has a major role to play. Let me talk about the

:20:04. > :20:08.devolution settlement. I am going to talk about what has been having. The

:20:09. > :20:13.Minister earlier talked about listening. He said a great deal

:20:14. > :20:16.about listening, but I have not seen anything that has changed so far

:20:17. > :20:20.from all this listening that is going on. I have not seen any

:20:21. > :20:26.changes. They were listening in Cardiff all day yesterday. We have

:20:27. > :20:31.seen nothing. The core decision made the point that it is a political

:20:32. > :20:34.decision, the devolved administrations should be a

:20:35. > :20:39.political one. Scotland has also said that the Bill will put the

:20:40. > :20:46.Sewell Convention on to a statutory footing. That was the case, and he

:20:47. > :20:51.is true to his work, then we would not be in the situation we are in

:20:52. > :20:56.right now. Only two plans have, forward. One from the Scottish

:20:57. > :21:00.Government about Scotland's place in Europe, and I am going to pay credit

:21:01. > :21:04.to Mike Plaid Cymru and labour colleagues that managed to pull

:21:05. > :21:17.together a plan for the worse, does well. -- plan for Wales.

:21:18. > :21:22.To maintain our place in the single market, to give new powers to the

:21:23. > :21:26.Scottish Parliament, as suggested by the Member for Sutton Heath, and to

:21:27. > :21:35.ensure that EU nationals can continue to stay.

:21:36. > :21:39.Mr Speaker, I am somewhat confused. It has taken a long time for the

:21:40. > :21:44.honourable gentleman to take my intervention, but I am somewhat

:21:45. > :21:56.confused how he expects to get a 600 page White Paper on a two clause

:21:57. > :22:01.Bill. The honourable lady says she is confused, I will make this point.

:22:02. > :22:06.If the ministers comes forward with a White Paper that is not quite 670

:22:07. > :22:09.pages, we will be OK with that on these benches. Any sort of White

:22:10. > :22:13.Paper would be some progress. But she is a little bit confused, can I

:22:14. > :22:18.remind her on a point of democracy on the Conservative benches, that

:22:19. > :22:22.they got the worst general election result in Scotland since 1865. They

:22:23. > :22:28.could do with a little bit of listening. They have been pulled by

:22:29. > :22:34.the nose by Ukip who have never paid their Parliament to deposit. The

:22:35. > :22:37.government 15% of the vote, and claim a victory on one in five

:22:38. > :22:43.voters, and they want to bring power was back to this place and hand them

:22:44. > :22:47.to the House of Lords. Mr Speaker, the consequences of leaving the EU

:22:48. > :22:53.would be significant. I won't give way any more. On universities and

:22:54. > :22:58.opportunities that I had and people should continue to have, our

:22:59. > :23:04.environment and low carbon industries, this Bill is not

:23:05. > :23:09.expected to have financial implications, Mr Speaker, that is a

:23:10. > :23:18.courageous indeed. Finally on vision, this is a debate... the

:23:19. > :23:24.honourable gentleman has made it clear that he is not giving way. Can

:23:25. > :23:31.I gently say, there is an enormous amount of heckling taking place,

:23:32. > :23:35.sometimes from the honourable gentleman's own benches. They are

:23:36. > :23:38.echoing more loudly than I shout when I watch Britain in the Davis

:23:39. > :23:45.Cup. And I don't do that when play is in progress.

:23:46. > :23:51.Let me remind colleagues about this, in terms of winning any kind of vote

:23:52. > :23:57.in Scotland, we are at a crossroads. And this House is at a crossroads

:23:58. > :24:00.today. Are we to continue progress and prosperity, whereby maintaining

:24:01. > :24:04.close relationships with partners in Europe, as set out by the Scottish

:24:05. > :24:07.Government in its plans, one that was a compromise when we failed to

:24:08. > :24:10.see any kind of copper mines from the other side. Political opponents

:24:11. > :24:17.in Wales have been able to come most. The Scottish Government, in

:24:18. > :24:20.spite of two thirds of constituents wanting to stay in Europe, have been

:24:21. > :24:29.able to set out a comprise. Alternatively, the alternate to that

:24:30. > :24:34.is a part of isolationism, grumbling around for friends. The Prime

:24:35. > :24:40.Minister will note that the reaction to her visit to Washington on street

:24:41. > :24:44.is the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Going back in

:24:45. > :24:48.history, Scotland has done well as an EU member state. I want to see us

:24:49. > :24:53.continue with research, trade, political alliances going back

:24:54. > :24:56.centuries, and we are sharing sovereignty, and that is a good

:24:57. > :24:59.thing. Another lesson to the honourable gentleman, and I hope he

:25:00. > :25:05.will listen this time, that sharing sovereignty, but isn't sharing

:25:06. > :25:09.sovereignty is to force through a Trident missile submarine that the

:25:10. > :25:13.Scottish people are against, and that 98.5% of Scottish MPs have

:25:14. > :25:17.moved against. What isn't sovereign is being taken out of the European

:25:18. > :25:20.Union against your will, and what isn't sovereign is having a Tory

:25:21. > :25:28.government that has got one MP in charge of your state of affairs.

:25:29. > :25:35.Mr Speaker, Europe is where our future lies. It is one where we

:25:36. > :25:39.tackle inequality, climate change, refugees get help, areas that don't

:25:40. > :25:43.get much hearing in Whitehall these days, pulling our sovereignty and

:25:44. > :25:48.working together is a good thing. Passing this Bill and turning your

:25:49. > :25:52.back on our amendment, that would turn its back on the progress made

:25:53. > :26:00.and Ashley Beck the devilish this respect.

:26:01. > :26:09.It is an act of constitutional and economic sabotage.

:26:10. > :26:13.Order, the original question was that the Bill will now be read a

:26:14. > :26:17.second time, since when an amendment has been proposed, the question is

:26:18. > :26:21.that the amendment be made. I referenced earlier the very, very

:26:22. > :26:24.large number of colleagues wishing to contribute, which does

:26:25. > :26:28.necessitate the imposition with immediate effect on backbenchers of

:26:29. > :26:38.a six minute time limit. Sir William Cash. This, Mr Speaker, has been for

:26:39. > :26:43.me and many of us a very long journey. In my own case, 30 years

:26:44. > :26:47.when I put down on the single European act and amendment to retain

:26:48. > :26:53.the sovereignty of the United Kingdom Parliament. I have to say,

:26:54. > :26:57.it was denied me. The amendment was not selected, but I had to say that

:26:58. > :27:02.I look with interest at clause one of this Bill, which says, this

:27:03. > :27:05.section has effect despite any provision made or under the European

:27:06. > :27:10.Communities Act 1972 any other enactment. I believe that that

:27:11. > :27:15.satisfies the requirement of sovereignty in respect of this Bill.

:27:16. > :27:22.But Mr Speaker, I want to pay tribute to the honourable member for

:27:23. > :27:26.Rushcliffe. I respect him. I respect the way which we have battled over

:27:27. > :27:31.these matters overall these years, the same period of time, he a little

:27:32. > :27:35.earlier than, I must admit, but we have been on different roads, and

:27:36. > :27:42.now we have arrived at different destinations. For me, this

:27:43. > :27:48.referendum was a massive peaceful resolution by consent of historic

:27:49. > :27:54.proportions. This Bill that last endorses that revolution.

:27:55. > :28:01.From the 17th-century, right the way through our history, through

:28:02. > :28:06.Cornwalls, through the Parliamentary format, giving the vote to the

:28:07. > :28:12.working class, the suffragettes, who got the vote in 1928, and then again

:28:13. > :28:16.in the period of appeasement, these have all been great benchmarks of

:28:17. > :28:20.British history. And they have all ultimately been determined by the

:28:21. > :28:25.decisions that have been taken in this House, and if I may be

:28:26. > :28:31.permitted to say so, by backbenchers. That is where the

:28:32. > :28:38.decisions have so often been taken. The fact is, the fundamental

:28:39. > :28:43.question on which we have fought, not only this referendum, but all

:28:44. > :28:53.the battles back into the 1980s, have been who governs this country.

:28:54. > :28:57.This Bill answers that question. I would like to simply say with

:28:58. > :29:03.respect to the Bill itself that if one was to look at the Supreme Court

:29:04. > :29:07.position, and I don't want to spend time on this, but just to make the

:29:08. > :29:14.point, that it is quite clear from the manner in which that Supreme

:29:15. > :29:20.Court ruling was given, and I think the Shadow Minister for Brexit made

:29:21. > :29:24.the same point, this is not about timing, it is not about method. It

:29:25. > :29:30.is not about our relationship with the European Union, it is not about

:29:31. > :29:34.the terms of withdrawal, that is all set out in paragraphs two and three

:29:35. > :29:41.of the judgment itself. It goes on to say in para 132, the power to

:29:42. > :29:44.make these decisions lies exclusively with Parliament, and

:29:45. > :29:48.that is where we are now embarking on yet another journey.

:29:49. > :29:55.I have to say with respect to the referendum that back in 1990, I

:29:56. > :29:58.formed a view come and it was this: looking at the House of Commons as a

:29:59. > :30:05.whole, looking at the front bench Party and the front bench of the

:30:06. > :30:08.Conservative Party, I came to the conclusion that nothing was going to

:30:09. > :30:12.break the collusion between those two frontbenchers on the European

:30:13. > :30:15.issue, or the question of sovereignty. There had to be a

:30:16. > :30:22.strategic decision, so I set up the Maastricht referendum campaign.

:30:23. > :30:26.We have now, after many, many years, I believe largely on account of the

:30:27. > :30:32.efforts made, and I want to pay tribute to all my honourable friend

:30:33. > :30:36.'s on the side of the House, and I use the same aggression with respect

:30:37. > :30:37.to those on the other side of the House who have fought the same

:30:38. > :30:55.battle in the same way. And the member for Vauxhall. Bob

:30:56. > :31:01.Cryer, the member for Luton North and so on. This has been a huge

:31:02. > :31:04.battle. I don't disrespect the government for the decisions they

:31:05. > :31:08.have taken in this period of time. On either side of the House because

:31:09. > :31:12.they have been forming judgments which although they fell short of

:31:13. > :31:19.what we needed in this country, what I do say is that we have in this

:31:20. > :31:24.democratic cockpit to fight our battles. To stand up for our own

:31:25. > :31:31.constituents. To stand up for what we believe in. Conscience,

:31:32. > :31:40.decisions. Principals, conviction. That is what has to drive our

:31:41. > :31:45.decision-making. With respect to the honourable gentleman, I will give

:31:46. > :31:51.way in a moment. For those who vote against this bill, such as they are,

:31:52. > :31:56.simply do not get the scale of what this revolution involves. I would

:31:57. > :32:04.simply say that they say they respect it and accept it but they do

:32:05. > :32:09.not. I will give way. Will he accept that there has been a vote to leave

:32:10. > :32:13.the EU but there hasn't been a vote on the terms of withdrawal from the

:32:14. > :32:19.EU Anderson is Article 50 is triggered, those terms of withdrawal

:32:20. > :32:23.will be decided by the EU 27, not in here, what sort of the Marcus Louis

:32:24. > :32:30.is that? One of my major objections from the beginning is that so much

:32:31. > :32:32.has been taken by the European scrutiny committee, he knows I have

:32:33. > :32:40.complained vigorously for ever about the fact that decisions are taken

:32:41. > :32:44.behind closed doors in the EU. It is our sovereignty, their sovereignty

:32:45. > :32:48.has been imposed on us, that is why I have objected to it and why we are

:32:49. > :32:57.standing here today. I want to conclude by saying this, we fought

:32:58. > :33:02.for a referendum on Maastricht. I wanted to say before my honourable

:33:03. > :33:05.friend gave way that Eurosceptics in this House O a great debt of

:33:06. > :33:09.gratitude to the honourable gentleman for Stone who has been our

:33:10. > :33:19.leader in this issue over so many decades. I am very touched by that

:33:20. > :33:23.if I may say so. I would say this, we fought for a referendum on

:33:24. > :33:26.Maastricht and arguments. And for unsettling the United Kingdom from

:33:27. > :33:34.an increasingly undemocratic European governance. Those who vote

:33:35. > :33:40.in practice against this bill are voting against the outcome of that

:33:41. > :33:44.referendum. And my right honourable friend is absolutely right, we must

:33:45. > :33:51.trust the people. What they will be doing is voting against the people

:33:52. > :33:58.and their views expressed in the referendum. If the House of Lords

:33:59. > :34:02.was to do the same, they would be committing political suicide if they

:34:03. > :34:10.stand in the way of the will of the British people. This Westminster

:34:11. > :34:13.parliament is now the focus where it instructions of the British people

:34:14. > :34:18.have to be carried out. That is what we will do. And if I may say, once

:34:19. > :34:24.again, those famous words of William Pitt in the Guildhall speech in

:34:25. > :34:32.1805, "England has saved herself by her exertions and will I trust, save

:34:33. > :34:41.Europe and the United Kingdom by her example." Before I called the member

:34:42. > :34:46.for Leeds Central, can I appeal to members, please not to keep coming

:34:47. > :34:52.up to the chair and asking where they are on the list. Not doing so

:34:53. > :34:59.explicitly and not doing so by the back door, asking if it is all right

:35:00. > :35:03.if they can have a cup of tea. I'm going to do my best to accommodate

:35:04. > :35:08.everybody in the substantial time available but I appeal to colleagues

:35:09. > :35:11.to show a little bit of patience and some regard for the chair to

:35:12. > :35:16.concentrate on the debate. I will get you in if I possibly can and so

:35:17. > :35:22.will other occupants of the chair. Thank you Mr Speaker. Our

:35:23. > :35:27.relationship with Europe has run like a contentious thread through

:35:28. > :35:31.our politics for more than 60 years. The referendum revealed a nation

:35:32. > :35:37.that remains divided. It pains me to say it, for the reasons I have to

:35:38. > :35:38.say, ably set out by the Right Honourable gentleman for Rushcliffe

:35:39. > :35:55.in his speech, though it pains me to say, we are

:35:56. > :35:59.leaving the European Union. Our task is to now try and bring people

:36:00. > :36:05.together. That means that whether we voted leave or remain, we have a

:36:06. > :36:10.responsibility to hold in our minds the views and the concerns and the

:36:11. > :36:15.hopes of everyone in this country, whether they voted leave or remain.

:36:16. > :36:20.Mr Speaker, the Supreme Court, rightly in my view, that a decision

:36:21. > :36:24.of this magnitude should be taken by Parliament and not the executive.

:36:25. > :36:27.With that power comes a responsibility to respect the

:36:28. > :36:34.outcome of the referendum. However much some of us may disagree with

:36:35. > :36:38.it. This is about democracy. It is about faith in our politics. Not

:36:39. > :36:42.just in the United Kingdom but across the western world. Where, if

:36:43. > :36:46.we are honest with each other, it is not in very good shape. If this

:36:47. > :36:50.Parliament were to say to the people you didn't know what you are doing,

:36:51. > :36:54.and it was only advisory and there were lots of lies, whether anyone

:36:55. > :36:58.agrees or disagrees with those assertions, we really would have a

:36:59. > :37:03.crisis of confidence in our politics. For the reasons so

:37:04. > :37:06.eloquently set out by my right honourable friend for Hogan and

:37:07. > :37:12.Saint pancreas, that is why the democratic thing to do is vote for

:37:13. > :37:19.this bill, which I will do so. But, the referendum decided only one

:37:20. > :37:23.thing, the fact that we are leaving the institutions of the European

:37:24. > :37:27.Union. It did not discuss the terms on which we leave and it did not

:37:28. > :37:32.decide the new relationship we will have with the other 27 member

:37:33. > :37:36.states. That is why we have to get our objective is right and the

:37:37. > :37:42.process right as we start this great negotiation. And I have to say, the

:37:43. > :37:43.government handling of this thus far has not shown sufficient respect for

:37:44. > :37:51.Parliament. The number of Secretary of State has come to the

:37:52. > :37:55.dispatch box, ministers seemed to believe saying that we would not get

:37:56. > :37:58.a running commentary and if you ask for greater clarity, in the words of

:37:59. > :38:04.the number ten spokesman "You are not backing the UK team." Was the

:38:05. > :38:07.right way to approach it. It wasn't. At every single state, the

:38:08. > :38:11.commitments that have eventually been given to set out objectives and

:38:12. > :38:16.seek transitional arrangements and publish a white paper. To confirm

:38:17. > :38:22.parliament will have a vote, all things the select committee that I

:38:23. > :38:27.chair called for. Rather than being freely made, were reluctantly

:38:28. > :38:33.conceded, usually a day or two after the Secretary of State had resisted

:38:34. > :38:37.them from the dispatch box. He refers to the fact that the

:38:38. > :38:40.government will say there will be a deal, I am missing in what the

:38:41. > :38:44.government meant means that under the provisions of the 2010

:38:45. > :38:49.Constitutional reform act that there will be a single vote on and another

:38:50. > :38:56.normal -- an amendable bill. I think if the European Parliament and

:38:57. > :39:01.European parliaments will have the right to consider a treaty line by

:39:02. > :39:07.line, this House should have the right to consider it line by line. I

:39:08. > :39:10.agree that the House must have a proper and in the words are my front

:39:11. > :39:15.bench colleague, a meaningful opportunity to scrutinise the

:39:16. > :39:21.agreement in draft and not to be presented with a fait accompli at

:39:22. > :39:24.the end of the process. This is one example of how the government has

:39:25. > :39:29.had to be pushed and cajoled into giving Parliament a proper role. I

:39:30. > :39:34.say to the secretary of the state, it may not be his fault, but it is

:39:35. > :39:41.extraordinary that we meet here today, being asked to vote for this

:39:42. > :39:45.bill when not a single government document has been published setting

:39:46. > :39:53.out the consequences. Not a single economic assessment. No analysis of

:39:54. > :39:56.the options. No White Paper. Seven months after the British people

:39:57. > :40:02.reached their decision. This is not the way to do things and it is an

:40:03. > :40:07.attitude that has to change. The government needs to give more

:40:08. > :40:10.recognition to Parliament's place. Not to be a bystander but a

:40:11. > :40:15.participant in this the most convex and significant negotiation this

:40:16. > :40:20.country has probably ever faced. We have to unwind and recast 43 years

:40:21. > :40:24.of relationships with our neighbours. Every area of our

:40:25. > :40:29.national life, every part of the country. Every community, every

:40:30. > :40:33.business, the incomes on which they depend. Therefore it is essential we

:40:34. > :40:38.have unity of purpose in trying to get the best deal for Britain

:40:39. > :40:44.despite the inevitable uncertainty of the outcome. We come to the

:40:45. > :40:48.issues of substance, what does this special access to the single market

:40:49. > :40:53.mean? How exactly does seeking to remain in the customs union and

:40:54. > :40:58.leave the customs union at one and the same time going to work? I say

:40:59. > :41:03.to ministers, if it is their priority to ensure barrier free

:41:04. > :41:06.trade, if they come back and say can't have your cake and eat it, you

:41:07. > :41:10.have to choose, I trust the government will choose in the end to

:41:11. > :41:16.remain in the customs union. How are we going to continue to operate with

:41:17. > :41:19.our neighbours when the world is more uncertain than at any time in

:41:20. > :41:24.the last two years on foreign policy? The fight against terrorism?

:41:25. > :41:30.The final point I wanted to make is this, this referendum result reveal

:41:31. > :41:35.something else, there are two great little forces in the Western world

:41:36. > :41:40.that are reflected in our politics. On one hand, the desire that people

:41:41. > :41:43.have for greater devolution and great control in a world that seems

:41:44. > :41:50.to many people that we barely have any control at all because of the

:41:51. > :41:54.pace of change. In our world and in our lives. On the other hand, the

:41:55. > :41:58.understanding that every single member of this has, whether we voted

:41:59. > :42:01.leave or remain, that in the modern world, we have to incorporate with

:42:02. > :42:06.our neighbours to deal with the challenges we face in the years and

:42:07. > :42:10.centuries ahead. Leaving the European Union may change the

:42:11. > :42:15.balance tween the two. But it is not going to change the necessity to

:42:16. > :42:24.embrace both as we look to the future. Iain Duncan Smith. Mr

:42:25. > :42:29.Speaker, I rise to follow the right honourable gentleman for the

:42:30. > :42:33.central. Not that I will agree with much of what he said, but I have to

:42:34. > :42:42.say I fully respect his ability and his strength of purpose in line to

:42:43. > :42:46.stand by his convictions. Today is also a privilege for me as it is for

:42:47. > :42:51.many colleagues, to speak in this bill. I rise without any doubt to

:42:52. > :42:57.support the government and support the passage of this bill. I commend

:42:58. > :43:01.the right honourable gentleman, the spokesman for the opposition. I

:43:02. > :43:08.thought he made a particular measured speech with regards to what

:43:09. > :43:11.this bill was about and what it was not about. I thought the right

:43:12. > :43:16.honourable gentleman, in his words, was very clear. I commend him for it

:43:17. > :43:20.because I agree with them. That it is about giving the government the

:43:21. > :43:27.right to invoke article 50, not about anything more. He talked in

:43:28. > :43:32.his interesting speech that no place but here can have the right to

:43:33. > :43:40.change the domestic laws. I agree with him on that. That is the vital

:43:41. > :43:45.point. I want to ensure that we repeal one at at the time, that was

:43:46. > :43:50.not necessary under article 50 but domestically it is the right thing

:43:51. > :43:57.to do. It answers those who say "What will we do about all of these

:43:58. > :44:02.issues?" The 72 act, our membership of the European Union is in that act

:44:03. > :44:10.and I am sure the House will debate this till long after the hours close

:44:11. > :44:14.and we have a decision on that. Also, my right honourable and

:44:15. > :44:17.learned friend for Rushcliffe, a huge amount of respect for them, we

:44:18. > :44:21.have served in the same government and debated this issue for a long

:44:22. > :44:25.time. There is nobody I respect more in this House than my right

:44:26. > :44:28.honourable friend. He is as constant as a compass. There is no way he

:44:29. > :44:32.would have any doubt as to where he was going to be on any of these

:44:33. > :44:39.positions even specifically on this but many others. When we were in

:44:40. > :44:43.coalition as I look onto my right honourable friend at that time, he

:44:44. > :44:55.would agree that in Cabinet, you knew where my right honourable and

:44:56. > :45:00.learned friend would be. I give way. Not only is he respected for his

:45:01. > :45:05.views but he has been entirely consistent and courteous. One of the

:45:06. > :45:10.most remarkable chancellors of the Exchequer the country has seen.

:45:11. > :45:19.So successful was he that he managed to tie up the following government

:45:20. > :45:23.as they managed to follow his policies without any drive or

:45:24. > :45:27.intelligence to do it. My purpose today is to explain that I oppose

:45:28. > :45:30.the Maastricht Treaty, and I felt for some time that I did not

:45:31. > :45:37.actually want to leave the EU. And I actually originally voted to join

:45:38. > :45:41.the EU, or as it was, the common market. In Maastricht I decided

:45:42. > :45:46.there was something fundamentally wrong with the direction of travel.

:45:47. > :45:51.I will raise a name of an individual that not many people in this House

:45:52. > :45:55.ever debate. He was the architect of the single European act and the

:45:56. > :45:59.Maastricht Treaty. The reality was that his purpose was quite clear. He

:46:00. > :46:03.believed, and I want to quote him, the whole purpose of the European

:46:04. > :46:07.project was very much about the eradication of the nature of the

:46:08. > :46:11.nation state. And he said, if post-war order was established in

:46:12. > :46:15.which each state retains its national sovereignty, the basis for

:46:16. > :46:21.a third world war would still exist. I don't agree with him and I never

:46:22. > :46:24.did. My sense about this was the reason why we fell into that

:46:25. > :46:30.categories of the Second World War following the great depression --

:46:31. > :46:34.that cataclysm. It would be absence of democracy and robust democratic

:46:35. > :46:40.institutions. It has always been my view that where we have democracy

:46:41. > :46:43.and strong democratic institutions with opening trade where people

:46:44. > :46:48.trade with each other, war will never happen. It is because those

:46:49. > :46:52.democracies will simply not do that. And therefore I sense that the

:46:53. > :46:55.direction of travel of the EU from the moment of Maastricht was bound

:46:56. > :46:58.on a course that was going to lead to the UK ultimately deciding that

:46:59. > :47:03.it could no longer stay within it. And therefore I agree with much of

:47:04. > :47:07.what my right honourable friend said. Yes, I come to a different

:47:08. > :47:12.conclusion. But I want to say from the start, I fully respect any of

:47:13. > :47:16.those who decide today to vote against the triggering of Article

:47:17. > :47:23.50. They were sent here to use their judgment. And no matter what else,

:47:24. > :47:27.yes, I believe the British people have made that decision. But

:47:28. > :47:31.nonetheless, as MPs, I have to say, our job is to use our judgment on

:47:32. > :47:36.these matters. If somebody chooses to oppose it, I respect that. I

:47:37. > :47:39.disagree with them, but I think they deserve a hearing and we should in

:47:40. > :47:43.no way attempt to shout them down whatsoever. Can I just they got my

:47:44. > :47:47.Gasmi I will give weight. I thank the honourable member for giving

:47:48. > :47:51.way. And his thoughts on democracy. Would he accept that in this House,

:47:52. > :47:55.members of Parliament have less information on this crucial decision

:47:56. > :48:04.than the average local ward councillor on their budgets, their

:48:05. > :48:11.annual budget was --? I don't actually be Greek, -- agree. If

:48:12. > :48:14.anybody does not have to make a decision about this, I wonder where

:48:15. > :48:18.they have been in the last 40 years all the years that they have spent

:48:19. > :48:21.here. Of course we have enough information. The question she is

:48:22. > :48:24.referring to is the publication of the white paper, and the Government

:48:25. > :48:28.have said they will publish it. I stand by that, it is good idea,

:48:29. > :48:31.although my right honourable friend the Prime Minister made a pretty

:48:32. > :48:38.good fist of it in her recent speech in which she sat up 12 points that

:48:39. > :48:41.would guide her negotiation. I hope the Government reprints that with a

:48:42. > :48:43.couple of diagrams and a Nice picture and that will make an

:48:44. > :48:50.excellent white paper! The important point about this is that I don't

:48:51. > :48:53.agree with my honourable friend, is that my party is anti-immigrant,

:48:54. > :48:58.absolutely not. That is the one area I would say not. When I was in

:48:59. > :49:01.government with him, in collision and subsequently, this Government

:49:02. > :49:05.has done more to help those were dispossessed as a result of the war

:49:06. > :49:09.in Syria and Libya and Afghanistan than any other country I can

:49:10. > :49:14.imagine. And I think there are four as a Government and as a country we

:49:15. > :49:17.should be proud of our support -- therefore. Whatever other countries

:49:18. > :49:22.choose to do, we put ourselves on the side of those who flee terror. I

:49:23. > :49:25.thank him for giving way and for that clarification. We are not

:49:26. > :49:30.anti-immigrant, I don't think anybody is he voted to leave the

:49:31. > :49:32.European Union. There is a big difference between being

:49:33. > :49:36.anti-immigrant and co uncontrolled immigration. And it was that that

:49:37. > :49:41.the British Government plan to. They wanted control. And many of

:49:42. > :49:46.different grounds voted to leave the European Union. That is the point,

:49:47. > :49:49.they wanted to take back control. They are not anti-immigration, they

:49:50. > :49:52.simply wanted to make sure it is controlled migration at a level that

:49:53. > :49:56.the country can absorb without any other difficulties. And that's where

:49:57. > :50:00.we should be on this, that's where my party should be and where we

:50:01. > :50:03.stand and I intend to pursue that is controlled migration. I'm not going

:50:04. > :50:08.to give way, I have literally a matter of seconds. The only thing

:50:09. > :50:14.that I disagree is that we are not the House's tea party. The Hatters

:50:15. > :50:19.tea party is sitting in the opposition at the moment. And I want

:50:20. > :50:24.to conclude by simply saying that having listened throughout all of

:50:25. > :50:30.these debates, I tonight will be voting to trigger to go 50 tomorrow.

:50:31. > :50:35.I will be voting to trigger article 50s Imbula because I believe that

:50:36. > :50:39.all the mistakes of the past, somehow you can place your trust in

:50:40. > :50:44.a larger body and they will do a lot of your protections for you. You

:50:45. > :50:48.cannot. As a nation state, we can be in Europe but not run by the

:50:49. > :50:55.European Union, and that is why I'm voting to trigger article 50s. Since

:50:56. > :51:00.this is the formal beginning of a process which will most likely lead

:51:01. > :51:04.to the end of Britain's leading role in the heart of Europe and the

:51:05. > :51:09.European Union, of course I have a and defended all my political life

:51:10. > :51:12.both in opposition and in government, I have to confess of

:51:13. > :51:16.course I feel sad that we've come to this point in time, much as I was

:51:17. > :51:21.surprised and saddened, as many people were, by the outcome of the

:51:22. > :51:25.referendum last summer. But I have to say, that sadness is increasingly

:51:26. > :51:32.mixed with a growing sense of anger by what I consider to be the

:51:33. > :51:35.Goverment's deliver -- deliberate distortion of the mandate it

:51:36. > :51:40.received from the British people in a way in which I think is divisive,

:51:41. > :51:45.damaging and self-serving. Let me be clear, the British people gave the

:51:46. > :51:49.Government the mandate to pull the UK out of the European Union. The

:51:50. > :51:54.British people did not give this Government the mandate to threaten

:51:55. > :51:59.to turn our country into some tawdry, low regulation, low tax

:52:00. > :52:03.cowboy economy. The British people did not vote to make themselves

:52:04. > :52:07.poorer by pulling ourselves out of the greatest free trading Single

:52:08. > :52:10.Market the world has ever seen. Incidentally, that is one of the

:52:11. > :52:13.many reasons why the Liberal Democrats believe the British people

:52:14. > :52:17.should be given a stay at the end of the process much as they were given

:52:18. > :52:21.at the beginning. And the British people most certainly did not give a

:52:22. > :52:25.mandate to the Government to indulge in this ludicrous sycophantic farce

:52:26. > :52:30.we have seen in recent days in which this Government, having burnt every

:52:31. > :52:34.bridge left with our friends in Europe, Russia is across the

:52:35. > :52:41.Atlantic disciple next to a US president who they don't seem to be

:52:42. > :52:45.aware whose nativism, isolationism and protectionism is diametrically

:52:46. > :52:49.opposed to the long-term strategic interests of the United Kingdom. I

:52:50. > :52:55.will give way. I'm very grateful to the honourable gentleman for giving

:52:56. > :53:02.way. Can he explain to me why my constituents, the majority who voted

:53:03. > :53:07.to leave, reject now the call of his party to hold a second referendum?

:53:08. > :53:13.Isn't it... I really believe, I really believe that it's an insult

:53:14. > :53:18.to the integrity of my constituents to promote that? The insult was that

:53:19. > :53:23.the Brexit campaigners deliberately withheld from the British people

:53:24. > :53:27.what they meant by Brexit. It was a deliberate, it was an effective but

:53:28. > :53:32.highly cynical tactic. We never received the manifesto with the

:53:33. > :53:35.views of Nigel Farage, the Foreign Secretary, the former Education

:53:36. > :53:40.Secretary, as one explaining what Brexit men. And therefore when we

:53:41. > :53:43.finally know what Brexit really means in substance, rather than in

:53:44. > :53:46.utopian promise, of course the British people should have their

:53:47. > :53:56.say. And that is the reason... I wish to make some progress. That is

:53:57. > :53:59.the reason why I believe this House does not have a choice, but has a

:54:00. > :54:01.duty to withhold from the Government the right to proceed with Brexit in

:54:02. > :54:04.the way that they have planned. That would not stop Brexit, it would

:54:05. > :54:07.simply urge them to go back to the drawing board and come back to this

:54:08. > :54:11.House with a more sensible and moderate approach to Brexit. Some

:54:12. > :54:16.people I hear... I will wish to make some progress, I only have four

:54:17. > :54:18.minutes. Some people say there is no alternative, we must leave the

:54:19. > :54:22.Single Market, there is no remote chance that we could find an

:54:23. > :54:26.accommodation with our European partners. Nonsense. I will for

:54:27. > :54:31.instance confirm to the House that I have recently heard on very good

:54:32. > :54:34.authority that senior German decision makers are, shortly after

:54:35. > :54:38.the Prime Minister, no doubt her surprise, finding herself as Prime

:54:39. > :54:43.Minister without a shot or indeed a vote being fired, working to explore

:54:44. > :54:48.ways to deliver an emergency brake to the new UK Prime Minister, in

:54:49. > :54:52.return what they hoped for was in an disruptive economic Brexit. But what

:54:53. > :54:59.did this Government choose to do? What did this Government do? It

:55:00. > :55:04.decided to spurn all friendship links with Europe. It decided to

:55:05. > :55:07.disregard the needs of Scotland, of Northern Ireland, and indeed of our

:55:08. > :55:11.great capital here, Munden. It decided to placate parts of the

:55:12. > :55:14.Conservative Party rather than serve the long-term strategic interests of

:55:15. > :55:20.this country. It decided to pander to the eye-popping vitriol and by

:55:21. > :55:25.all we see every day for people like Mr Dacre, the editor of the Daily

:55:26. > :55:27.Mail, and the other members of the moneyed elite that run the Brexit

:55:28. > :55:36.right-wing institutions of this country. And this Government is, has

:55:37. > :55:41.become too slavishly preoccupied with their opinions. But above all,

:55:42. > :55:47.this Government has decided to disregard the hopes, dreams and the

:55:48. > :55:50.aspirations of 16.1 million of our fellow citizens. That is more than

:55:51. > :55:55.have ever voted for a winning party in a general election. 242

:55:56. > :56:03.Westminster gadgets to its is represented here voted for Remain.

:56:04. > :56:09.-- Westminster constituencies. No, I have only got two minutes... All

:56:10. > :56:12.right! My apologies. I have a very simple questions was while he gets

:56:13. > :56:15.the rest of his minute, does he recalled that during the course of

:56:16. > :56:21.the referendum campaign, the then Prime Minister and many others on

:56:22. > :56:24.Remain side said that if the British people voted to leave the European

:56:25. > :56:28.Union, that would absolutely mean that they would leave the Single

:56:29. > :56:32.Market? Did he agree with that at the time? This is a novel concept

:56:33. > :56:35.that the winning side in a competition in folk the arguments

:56:36. > :56:39.from the losing side to make a case that they didn't make themselves.

:56:40. > :56:42.This is ludicrous. The Brexit campaign deliberately didn't spell

:56:43. > :56:46.out to the British people what it meant, and that it's why it is right

:56:47. > :56:50.when we finally do note that the British people have another say. Mr

:56:51. > :56:57.Speaker, the final point is this. The British Government has taken the

:56:58. > :57:02.mandate of the 23rd of June last year, not only to disregard the 16.1

:57:03. > :57:04.million people, the 252 constituencies who voted Remain

:57:05. > :57:12.here, they very deliberately decided to ignore the pleas, the dreams, the

:57:13. > :57:17.aspirations, the plans of the people who actually should count most that

:57:18. > :57:22.our children, our grandchildren, the use of Britain. Because they, nobody

:57:23. > :57:26.here, no matter front bench, they are the ones that will have to leave

:57:27. > :57:30.that consequences, which I believe our fateful consequences, more than

:57:31. > :57:34.anybody in this House. And guess what? Conventional wisdom says that

:57:35. > :57:41.the youth of today are politically indifferent, that they don't

:57:42. > :57:48.participate. 64% of 18-24 -year-old voters voted, in huge numbers, they

:57:49. > :57:53.mobilised in unprecedented numbers, and 73% of them voted for a

:57:54. > :57:57.different future. Now, I know that the vote of a 19-year-old does not

:57:58. > :58:02.weigh any differently in the ballot box to the vote of a 90-year-old.

:58:03. > :58:07.But actually when we search our consciences, as we have just been

:58:08. > :58:09.asked to do, I believe we should search our consciences most

:58:10. > :58:13.especially about what country we think we are handing onto the next

:58:14. > :58:21.generation. Call me old-fashioned, but when a country decides to go on

:58:22. > :58:26.a radical uncompromising departure to a new as yet entirely unpredicted

:58:27. > :58:29.future, and does so against the explicit stated wishes of those

:58:30. > :58:34.people who have two inhabit that future, that is a country embarking

:58:35. > :58:41.on a parallel path, and I hope our consciences will not pay with it in

:58:42. > :58:47.the future. In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I do have a great sense of

:58:48. > :58:50.foreboding. I feel the negotiations notwithstanding the personal

:58:51. > :58:55.admiration I have for the Secretary of State for Brexit, he will try to

:58:56. > :59:00.drink doctors negotiations in good humour -- he will try to conduct his

:59:01. > :59:03.negotiations in good humour. It will get nasty. Just think what will

:59:04. > :59:08.happen in the tabloid press when they start arguing about money. The

:59:09. > :59:12.Goverment's position is asking for the impossible, the unbelievable. It

:59:13. > :59:15.is not possible to say that you will not abide by the rulings of the

:59:16. > :59:18.marketplace and then somehow claim that you will get unfettered access

:59:19. > :59:24.to that marketplace. It is not going to happen. And European leaders,

:59:25. > :59:30.many of whom I have spoken to, looked at us in increasing dismay

:59:31. > :59:34.and disbelief at the incoherence and the confrontational manner in which

:59:35. > :59:39.this Government is proceeding with Brexit. And so my final play is,

:59:40. > :59:41.look to the long-term interests of our country and your constituents

:59:42. > :59:51.when voting, not the short-term interests of this Government. Mr

:59:52. > :59:54.Speaker, in following the right honourable member for Sheffield

:59:55. > :59:59.Hallam, I rise proudly on this side of the House where I would remind

:00:00. > :00:03.him that our mandate of Brexit means Brexit is a mandate we are standing

:00:04. > :00:12.by, and remind him that there was once a mandate that a politician

:00:13. > :00:20.stood on saying, no tuition fees. Mr Speaker, this bill... It may be

:00:21. > :00:21.simple and small but it has a significance which is way above its

:00:22. > :00:34.size. Last June, the country spoke

:00:35. > :00:37.decisively in a democratic vote in a referendum that had been initiated

:00:38. > :00:45.by a large majority in this House, more than 10-1. We should all

:00:46. > :00:48.remember that. 10:1 MPs voted for that referendum in this House. More

:00:49. > :00:55.people voted to leave the European Union than have ever voted for a

:00:56. > :00:59.single political party. That vote cannot be ignored. I therefore will

:01:00. > :01:03.be voting for the government legislation had second reading. And

:01:04. > :01:08.then supporting them and their negotiations. To ensure a good deal

:01:09. > :01:13.is obtained that works primarily in the interests of the United Kingdom.

:01:14. > :01:18.But without damaging the 27 other member states of the EU. We do

:01:19. > :01:22.expect a professional attitude towards those negotiations from the

:01:23. > :01:26.European Union. Without some of the vindictiveness that has come through

:01:27. > :01:29.in some of the statements from European politicians. In my

:01:30. > :01:33.commercial life before entering the House, I worked in many countries in

:01:34. > :01:36.Europe. I am fortunate to have represented the UK on European

:01:37. > :01:43.institutions and I have strong personal ties with Europe. Many of

:01:44. > :01:47.my family live in and are Danish. So when people say we are

:01:48. > :01:52.anti-European, I tell them we are not leaving Europe, we are leaving

:01:53. > :01:58.the European Union. Europe is a fantastic place to call home. It is

:01:59. > :02:03.diverse in culture, language. It has a unique history which enriches us

:02:04. > :02:07.all. But the EU goal of standardisation, a one size fits all

:02:08. > :02:11.in Europe has been a source of the will demand to many of us. In many

:02:12. > :02:17.countries including our own, devolving power away from central

:02:18. > :02:20.government, the EU is moving in the opposite direction. Centralising

:02:21. > :02:25.power in Brussels and imposing bureaucracy from above. The EU has

:02:26. > :02:29.constantly eroded national sovereignty and undermined the

:02:30. > :02:33.nation state. Its key decision-makers are unelected and

:02:34. > :02:36.unaccountable. And we cannot say that the single currency has been a

:02:37. > :02:41.success for many of those countries that are facing such dire economic

:02:42. > :02:46.situation is at the moment. It has been clear for some time that the EU

:02:47. > :02:51.needed fundamental reform. It has now become equally clear that it

:02:52. > :02:56.lacks the political will to do so. So like the right honourable member

:02:57. > :03:01.for Rushcliffe, I too have been consistent in my views about Europe.

:03:02. > :03:03.When I was first elected to Parliament, the Maastricht Treaty

:03:04. > :03:08.was going through this House. I was a member of the fresh start group

:03:09. > :03:13.with many of my colleagues here today and I have not changed my

:03:14. > :03:16.position in 25 years of serving this country and my constituents. I made

:03:17. > :03:21.no secret of the fact that I supported the campaign to leave the

:03:22. > :03:24.EU. But I knew it was up to individuals to make up their own

:03:25. > :03:28.mind. Now the country has made that clear, the Prime Minister has made

:03:29. > :03:32.her intentions clear. We need to get on with it. The choice that some

:03:33. > :03:39.seem to be offering between what they call hard and soft Brexit is a

:03:40. > :03:45.false one. If it means staying in with no controls on our borders and

:03:46. > :03:48.being subject to the European Court of Justice, it is not Brexit at all.

:03:49. > :03:55.Remain campaigners argued during the referendum that sacrificing EU

:03:56. > :04:00.membership at staying in a simple market was the worst of both worlds.

:04:01. > :04:03.-- single market. We must free ourselves of the institutions of the

:04:04. > :04:08.EU, would remain a firm friend and ally to all the European countries

:04:09. > :04:11.with whom we have been working with for decades to try and maintain

:04:12. > :04:18.peace, prosperity and stability on European soil. Not only do we want

:04:19. > :04:22.to and will seek an open trading relationship with those countries,

:04:23. > :04:27.no matter what the outcome, we will continue to work with them on

:04:28. > :04:31.tackling areas of common interest. Terrorism, crime, climate change and

:04:32. > :04:37.environmental protection. This major change in our governance means that

:04:38. > :04:40.Britain can freely reach out to the rest of the world. Forging new

:04:41. > :04:47.friendships and alliances. Expanding into new markets. But just like the

:04:48. > :04:51.writable member for Leeds Central, I recognise the disappointment of

:04:52. > :04:54.people who have been satisfied with our member ship of the European

:04:55. > :05:00.Union and wish we were in a different place. I think we have a

:05:01. > :05:04.bright future ahead of us. There's is a whole world out there and I

:05:05. > :05:10.want to see a free, open and tolerant self determining Britain

:05:11. > :05:12.driving it. Therefore I will have no hesitation in going through the

:05:13. > :05:19.lobbies tomorrow to support the government on this bill. Mrs

:05:20. > :05:23.Margaret Beckett. Piller where can I say at once Mr Speaker that while I

:05:24. > :05:27.deeply regret the decision made by the British people, including in my

:05:28. > :05:31.own constituency, to leave the European Union, I do not seek to

:05:32. > :05:35.challenge it. I regret the opening remarks of the Secretary of State

:05:36. > :05:39.and I am sorry he is not here to hear me say this. This debate is

:05:40. > :05:44.about whether or not we trust the British people, it is not. It is

:05:45. > :05:49.about whether we commence the process of implementing the

:05:50. > :05:52.decision. A process which will not be simple, easy or fast. It does no

:05:53. > :05:58.one any favours to pretend otherwise. Though I accept that

:05:59. > :06:01.decision and I will vote for the bill. I still fear that the

:06:02. > :06:09.consequences both for our economy and society are potentially

:06:10. > :06:14.catastrophic. So I hope that the practice of dismissing any call,

:06:15. > :06:17.queries or concerns, no matter how serious and well founded as merely

:06:18. > :06:27.demonstrating opposition to the will of the British people to obstruct

:06:28. > :06:30.the process will now cease. Once we commenced this process, there are

:06:31. > :06:35.serious and profound questions to address and it helps no one to

:06:36. > :06:39.cheapen it in that way. A second practice I deplore is that

:06:40. > :06:43.pretending that the question the public actually answered, whether to

:06:44. > :06:47.leave the European Union or to remain, is instead the question some

:06:48. > :06:52.leave campaigners would have preferred to have answered. I hear

:06:53. > :06:56.many such claim in that the people voted to leave the single market.

:06:57. > :07:03.That they voted to leave the customs union. First, those were not the

:07:04. > :07:06.words on the ballot paper. Second, while we all have our own

:07:07. > :07:14.recollections of the debate, mine is that whenever, we who campaigned to

:07:15. > :07:18.remain, raised concerns that if we leave the European Union to end free

:07:19. > :07:21.movement of people, we might in consequence find that we might have

:07:22. > :07:24.to leave the single market with massive implications for jobs and

:07:25. > :07:29.the economy. Some leave campaign would immediately hop up to ensure

:07:30. > :07:36.the people that there were no such convocations or problems likely to

:07:37. > :07:42.arise. I'm looking at one of them now. And that we could have our cake

:07:43. > :07:45.and eat it. That we could leave the European Union, not only without

:07:46. > :07:49.jeopardy to our economy but even with advantage because we could

:07:50. > :07:54.negotiate other trading relationships without any such

:07:55. > :07:57.uncomfortable ties. I will give way. Doesn't cheer a member that the

:07:58. > :08:01.official leave campaign said one of our main aims is to have many more

:08:02. > :08:04.free trade agreements of the world and that in order to do that, of

:08:05. > :08:11.course we had to leave the single market customs union because we are

:08:12. > :08:16.not allowed to undertake free trade. Quite honestly Mr Speaker, I don't

:08:17. > :08:20.recall that, I recall them saying we could have trading relationships

:08:21. > :08:25.with a lot of other countries. India was cited as one example. But I have

:08:26. > :08:28.the distinct impression that when the Prime Minister discuss these

:08:29. > :08:33.issues with the president of India, she may have been advised that far

:08:34. > :08:38.from closing the immigration door, he would like to see it opened

:08:39. > :08:45.wider. Nor do I think a trade deal with China would be without any quid

:08:46. > :08:48.pro quo. I am grateful to my right honourable friend for giving way,

:08:49. > :08:53.does she recalled the International Development Secretary making the

:08:54. > :08:56.case to my constituents of Indian descent, Banda dishy descent,

:08:57. > :08:59.Pakistani descent, that leaving the European Union would not only lead

:09:00. > :09:03.to future trade deals but with improved immigration to this country

:09:04. > :09:07.from the Commonwealth. Does she expect that promise to be delivered?

:09:08. > :09:10.The element quote I am extraordinarily grateful to my

:09:11. > :09:13.honourable friend, not only do I recall that, I originally had it in

:09:14. > :09:19.my speech but took it out on the rounds of time. And as for the

:09:20. > :09:23.United States, I am sure that the Secretary of State, who like me has

:09:24. > :09:27.had a degree of experience in complex international negotiations

:09:28. > :09:34.is as conscious as I am that one of the first prerequisites is to listen

:09:35. > :09:37.to the words. It was not the president of the United States who

:09:38. > :09:42.said that Britain would be at the front of the queue. It was British

:09:43. > :09:51.politicians. What the president said was "You are doing great." I don't

:09:52. > :09:55.take as much comfort from that. Especially coming as it does from a

:09:56. > :10:00.president whose motto is "America first." I wholly shared the fears

:10:01. > :10:04.that have been expressed and probably will be in this debate

:10:05. > :10:08.about the possibility of American companies wishing to exploit the

:10:09. > :10:15.market here for health care or to weaken our regulations for example,

:10:16. > :10:19.in food safety. These negotiations that we trigger with this bill will

:10:20. > :10:23.be extraordinarily difficult and they will be very time-consuming. I

:10:24. > :10:29.personally do not think for a second that they can be concluded within

:10:30. > :10:34.two years. I don't think anyone negotiating it would. It would be

:10:35. > :10:40.right therefore to make an allowance and make preparation for possible

:10:41. > :10:45.transitional arrangements. I am conscious of time, that brings me to

:10:46. > :10:47.my final point. It is not clear whether the Prime Minister

:10:48. > :10:53.frightened the European Commission by her threat to devastate our tax

:10:54. > :10:58.base and in consequence, all of our public services but she successfully

:10:59. > :11:02.frightened me. I do not believe, for one second, that that is what the

:11:03. > :11:08.British people thought they were voting for. And when this process is

:11:09. > :11:15.concluded, the European Parliament, the European Parliament, will have

:11:16. > :11:19.the right to vote on the outcome. If taking back control means anything,

:11:20. > :11:27.it must mean that this House enjoys the same right. Mr Speaker, it is

:11:28. > :11:32.with a heavy heart that against my long held belief that the interests

:11:33. > :11:39.of this country are better served as a member of the European Union that

:11:40. > :11:42.I will support this bill. In 2015, I promised the good people of Brock

:11:43. > :11:48.stowed that if I was elected to represent them for another term and

:11:49. > :11:53.in accordance with our party's manifesto, I would vote remain in

:11:54. > :11:57.the referendum, agreeing with the words of David Cameron that the

:11:58. > :12:03.people would settle the matter. I promise to respect and honour the

:12:04. > :12:09.vote. So on June nine, 2015 along with 540 members of this place, I

:12:10. > :12:13.agreed to that referendum and in so doing I agreed to be bound by the

:12:14. > :12:18.result. My right honourable and learned friend, the member for

:12:19. > :12:22.Rushcliffe was not in favour of that referendum. And he didn't vote for

:12:23. > :12:29.it. So he is free and able to vote against this bill. Mr Speaker, I am

:12:30. > :12:33.sure it is no confidence that he happens to enjoy a considerably

:12:34. > :12:37.large number of people within his constituency who voted remain. And

:12:38. > :12:42.he has quite wrongly in my view announced that he will not be

:12:43. > :12:46.standing again in 2020. Mr Speaker, what I would say to all those

:12:47. > :12:53.opposite, you can't go back on your word because you don't agree with

:12:54. > :12:57.the result. But I want to say this, I believe history will not be kind

:12:58. > :13:04.to this Parliament nor indeed the government I was so proud to serve

:13:05. > :13:10.in. We offered an alternative to the people which we then said would make

:13:11. > :13:14.them worse off, less safe and would weaken our nation. I greatly fear in

:13:15. > :13:19.echoing the wise words of some of the speech from my honourable new

:13:20. > :13:26.friend, the member for Sheffield Hallam. That I greatly fear

:13:27. > :13:31.generations who either didn't vote, who are yet to come, will not thank

:13:32. > :13:36.us for our great folly. And neither will they forgive those who have

:13:37. > :13:41.chosen since June 23 not to be true to their long held views. Who

:13:42. > :13:45.remained mute as the country has turned its back on the benefits of

:13:46. > :13:53.the free movement of people, the single market and the customs union.

:13:54. > :14:01.And without, Mr Speaker, no debate, far less any vote in this place. Why

:14:02. > :14:06.is that? This needs to be said and recorded. Our government has decided

:14:07. > :14:09.that the so-called control of immigration, which actually means

:14:10. > :14:15.the reduction because that is what so many people actually believed in

:14:16. > :14:20.our constituencies. But that so-called control, the reduction of

:14:21. > :14:24.immigration, is worth more than the considerable benefits of the single

:14:25. > :14:30.market and the customs union. And what has been even more upsetting in

:14:31. > :14:37.my view is the fact that the front bench of the party opposite has

:14:38. > :14:40.connived with them. The government was never going to give us the

:14:41. > :14:45.opportunity of debating these important matters for reasons that I

:14:46. > :14:50.genuinely understand and indeed respect. But for the party opposite

:14:51. > :14:54.to go against everything it has ever believed in is really quite

:14:55. > :14:59.shameful. It is a combination of incompetence on the front bench and

:15:00. > :15:03.the deep division amongst so many with a few honourable exceptions. I

:15:04. > :15:08.include of course, the honourable member for Leeds Central. But they

:15:09. > :15:11.have turned their backs on their long-standing belief in the free

:15:12. > :15:14.movement of people and they have failed to make a positive case for

:15:15. > :15:25.immigration. Mr Speaker, this referendum vote

:15:26. > :15:31.exposed a deeply divided Britain. And no better place has it been

:15:32. > :15:37.exposed than in the party opposite. They have been petrified, literally

:15:38. > :15:39.frozen to the spot, looking over one shoulder and seeing their

:15:40. > :15:45.constituency Labour parties having been taken over by the extreme left

:15:46. > :15:53.and beyond that, in many instances, up to 70% of their own voters boated

:15:54. > :15:57.leave. But Mr Speaker, what's happened to our country? Businesses

:15:58. > :16:02.have fallen silent, scared to speak up and to speak out. I think they

:16:03. > :16:06.believe it's all going to be fine, we're not really going to leave the

:16:07. > :16:09.EU, we won't really leave the Single Market and we won't really need the

:16:10. > :16:14.customs union, they're going to get a sharp shock. I thank my right

:16:15. > :16:19.honourable friend for giving way. Will she agree with me that when she

:16:20. > :16:24.and I'm other members of this House voted, rightly, to give the British

:16:25. > :16:31.people the ultimate say in this, we did not vote to take away the rights

:16:32. > :16:36.of EU citizens which live in this country, like my parents? And it's

:16:37. > :16:39.disgraceful that we are not honouring their rights as it stands

:16:40. > :16:44.today. I completely agree with my honourable friend, and I include him

:16:45. > :16:49.on those many brave souls in this side, who, in the face of abuse,

:16:50. > :16:53.even death threats, have stood up and being true to what they believe

:16:54. > :16:58.in and I agree with him. So what happened? Why has there been this

:16:59. > :17:02.outbreak of silence. Before I take my honourable friend, can I just

:17:03. > :17:08.quote these wise words, because half a dozen grasshoppers under a third

:17:09. > :17:15.make the field ring while thousands of cattle reposed beneath the shadow

:17:16. > :17:19.of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that

:17:20. > :17:24.those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field. And

:17:25. > :17:28.that is what has happened, Mr Speaker, and it now must stop. We

:17:29. > :17:31.now must make sure that everybody is free and able to stand up and say

:17:32. > :17:39.what they believe and no longer cower in fear of four newspapers and

:17:40. > :17:43.this never-ending chorus, which I don't believe represents certainly

:17:44. > :17:46.my constituents. We're very grateful on these benches for all the advice

:17:47. > :17:50.that she is giving Gus! LAUGHTER

:17:51. > :17:54.I'm sure that you are grateful as well sometimes. Was she a member of

:17:55. > :17:58.the Government that tried to cut net migration to the tens of thousands?

:17:59. > :18:02.Did she is found as a Conservative member in the last general election

:18:03. > :18:11.and the one before on a manifesto to cut net migration to tens of

:18:12. > :18:13.thousands -- did she stand? I just ask? Let me make it clear, I do

:18:14. > :18:16.think anybody would say I haven't been forthright in putting forward

:18:17. > :18:19.my views about the positive benefits of immigration to our country. The

:18:20. > :18:23.best way that the Government can reduce those figures of course is to

:18:24. > :18:30.take out overseas students. And if only they would do that it would be

:18:31. > :18:35.the right thing to do. And Mr Speaker, I remained far from

:18:36. > :18:38.convinced that notwithstanding the considerable abilities and efforts

:18:39. > :18:44.of our Prime Minister and our Government, we will not, we will not

:18:45. > :18:51.actually get, as the honourable member the Derby North has said, any

:18:52. > :18:57.good deal as we now embark upon these negotiations. In two years, I

:18:58. > :19:02.do not believe we will secure a good perspective on trade, customs union,

:19:03. > :19:06.and indeed our nation's security. -- a good spoke deal. I hope to be

:19:07. > :19:10.proved wrong and I will of course abort the Prime Minister and our

:19:11. > :19:14.Government as they embark on an important and difficult set of

:19:15. > :19:19.negotiations in decades, with consequences by generations to come.

:19:20. > :19:23.What happens if no deal secured? Mr Speaker, it's difficult to see how

:19:24. > :19:29.any Government could put a deal that they believe is inadequate in some

:19:30. > :19:33.way to this place. So I want assurances from the Government that

:19:34. > :19:38.in the event of no good deal being reached, all options will be placed

:19:39. > :19:42.before this House, and we on behalf of all our constituents, including

:19:43. > :19:46.our businesses, are able to decide what happens next. We may need more

:19:47. > :19:52.time, we certainly don't want any jump off a cliff onto World Trade

:19:53. > :19:58.Organisation tariffs, out of the Single Market, and also out of the

:19:59. > :20:02.customs union, which would be so dangerous all our businesses in all

:20:03. > :20:07.sectors and sizes. Mr Speaker, let us now begin to heal the wounds, he

:20:08. > :20:13.the divides, and come together and work together to get the best deal

:20:14. > :20:20.for our country as we leave the European Union. Kate Howey. Thank

:20:21. > :20:25.you, Mr Speaker. I will be wholeheartedly voting to trigger

:20:26. > :20:30.Article 50 this evening. Or tomorrow evening, sorry, we are all ahead of

:20:31. > :20:35.ourselves. I have also used my judgment. I do accept that Lambeth

:20:36. > :20:41.boated overwhelmingly by Remain, but as I have made it very, very clear.

:20:42. > :20:44.This was a UK referendum will take -based referendum or a borough

:20:45. > :20:48.-based referendum. And I welcome the many letters that I have received

:20:49. > :20:54.from my constituents, many very pleasant letters regretting that I'm

:20:55. > :20:57.going to boat to trigger Article 50. And many I'm afraid, not less

:20:58. > :21:02.thoroughly from my constituents but from across the country, in a very

:21:03. > :21:06.kind of nasty, venomous way. And I do resent very much the language,

:21:07. > :21:10.the deplorable language that has been thrown around over the last few

:21:11. > :21:16.months. And it is not just on the one side. There has been a tendency

:21:17. > :21:20.to think that it has only been the Remainers who have had awful things

:21:21. > :21:24.said about them, there have been pretty dreadful things said by some

:21:25. > :21:29.of those who voted to remain against people like myself who is dead out

:21:30. > :21:33.against perhaps my own party on this issue. None of this is acceptable.

:21:34. > :21:38.Honourable members really all need to do their bit to ensure that we

:21:39. > :21:41.seek to improve the level of political discourse, particularly

:21:42. > :21:44.over the next years when we are actually involved in the gauche

:21:45. > :21:49.Asians. I remember, like the honourable member., the Maastricht

:21:50. > :21:55.Treaty debate -- involved in the negotiations. The Labour Party time

:21:56. > :21:59.after time made us come along to all of the law amendments voting

:22:00. > :22:04.against. Then when it came to the final vote, ordering us to abstain.

:22:05. > :22:09.I want to welcome very much the honourable member on my front bench

:22:10. > :22:13.for the tone of his speech, for the greatness of the way that he put the

:22:14. > :22:18.argument, and for his honesty about the difficulty that the Labour Party

:22:19. > :22:22.has on this issue. And I am very pleased that my party has decided

:22:23. > :22:29.that they will not block this referendum vote. It would have been

:22:30. > :22:33.a travesty if we did. Now, I want just to raise a couple of issues

:22:34. > :22:38.that people keep saying, and does rather annoy me. One is that nobody,

:22:39. > :22:42.people didn't know what they were voting for. They voted to leave, but

:22:43. > :22:46.they didn't know what that meant. They didn't understand it. It really

:22:47. > :22:50.is patronising, and it's actually part of the reason why so many

:22:51. > :22:56.people voted to leave, that they were fed up being treated as if they

:22:57. > :23:00.knew nothing, that those in power knew more than them. Yes, I will

:23:01. > :23:08.give way. I'm grateful to the honourable lady will giving way. Did

:23:09. > :23:11.she recall that during the course of the referendum, probably from my

:23:12. > :23:15.experience and I hope from hers, that there was much more engagement,

:23:16. > :23:18.questioning and interest and bigger turnouts than in any general

:23:19. > :23:22.election I have ever been involved in, with people really knowing and

:23:23. > :23:26.trying to find out what this was actually all about. The right

:23:27. > :23:30.honourable member is quite right about that, certainly at the many

:23:31. > :23:34.meetings that I spoke at all over the country, there was a fervent

:23:35. > :23:39.interest in the issue, and people wanted to know more. I remember very

:23:40. > :23:43.clearly listening to the former Prime Minister and the former

:23:44. > :23:47.Chancellor of the extract very clearly warning people, not just

:23:48. > :23:52.warning people, but threatening people, that if they dared leave, if

:23:53. > :23:55.they get to vote Leave, the consequences would be they were

:23:56. > :23:59.leaving the Single Market. Let's not call it the Single Market, it's an

:24:00. > :24:03.internal market. If you are leaving the EU of course you have to leave

:24:04. > :24:08.the internal market. I'm sure that we will be able to get a deal which

:24:09. > :24:16.allows us to have access like any other country outside the European

:24:17. > :24:26.Union. No, I'm not... The right honourable member had 22 minutes to

:24:27. > :24:33.speak! Mr Speaker, the other... It was 17! Not enough! Mr Speaker, my

:24:34. > :24:36.maths is not as good as yours! The other area I want to raise is the

:24:37. > :24:42.question of this idea that somehow if you voted to leave, but where is

:24:43. > :24:49.not an outright racist, and indirect racist. So good you were. That has

:24:50. > :24:53.been so ridiculous and appalling that the 17 million people who voted

:24:54. > :24:57.to leave have been treated in that way. And we know that what people

:24:58. > :25:04.voted for was not against immigrants but against the idea that 27 other

:25:05. > :25:09.countries, 26 excluding the Republic of Ireland, could come into our

:25:10. > :25:14.country without any, you know, any reason other than that they could

:25:15. > :25:19.come. Whereas outside the European Union, we betrayed the Commonwealth

:25:20. > :25:23.so badly back in 1973, and yet those people did not have any right to

:25:24. > :25:27.coming here. And in my view, it is all about getting back control. I

:25:28. > :25:32.know that sounds like a cliche, but actually it is taking back control

:25:33. > :25:36.of our country. Now, once we have left the European Union, Mr Speaker,

:25:37. > :25:42.we will have sharp disagreements in this House, and we will probably not

:25:43. > :25:45.have such cross-party views on many of the issues, because I think we

:25:46. > :25:50.want to build, and I certainly want to build, a post-Brexit UK that

:25:51. > :25:54.looks at spending priorities that actually might be very different

:25:55. > :25:58.from colleagues on the other side of the House. I want to look at how we

:25:59. > :26:02.can use the new freedoms of state aid that will give us the power to

:26:03. > :26:07.do things in our own country. But in order to do that, we have to trigger

:26:08. > :26:10.Article 50. We have to get into the negotiation. And the business and

:26:11. > :26:15.the country generally want to get on with it, Mr Speaker. And we have

:26:16. > :26:19.left ourselves in a situation where we are spending two days of debate

:26:20. > :26:23.on a very simple bill, the amendments will come next week, one

:26:24. > :26:27.or two amendments that I hope the Government might accept. But the

:26:28. > :26:30.reality is, this is a process that needs to be triggered. We need to do

:26:31. > :26:35.it soon, and the public of this country expect us to do it. And I

:26:36. > :26:40.hope that from today we will be able to look forward to negotiations that

:26:41. > :26:44.will take this country to knock the foreboding that the right honourable

:26:45. > :26:48.member for Sheffield Hallam has, I have no foreboding about our future

:26:49. > :26:52.outside the European Union, I have hope. I believe that we will have a

:26:53. > :26:59.bright future, and this will happen tomorrow night when we vote to

:27:00. > :27:05.trigger are to go 50. Mr Speaker, UK voters voted to take back control.

:27:06. > :27:12.They voted to take back control of their laws, of their borders, and of

:27:13. > :27:16.their money. They showed great bravery, a huge passion for

:27:17. > :27:21.democracy, and they showed enormous engagement with the complex and many

:27:22. > :27:26.issues that were put before them by the two campaigns. But they voted by

:27:27. > :27:31.a majority to leave, despite being told that that course would be

:27:32. > :27:35.fraught with dangers. They were told that the EU will bully us on the way

:27:36. > :27:40.out, and their answer was, then we will stand up to the bully. They

:27:41. > :27:44.were told that the economy would immediately be badly damaged and

:27:45. > :27:53.would be plunged into a winter recession this winter. And they said

:27:54. > :27:55.they did not believe the experts. And they were right, fortunately,

:27:56. > :28:00.and the experts were wrong. Now is the time for us all here to do the

:28:01. > :28:04.difficult task, of speaking for those many constituents who did

:28:05. > :28:09.agree with us, and for those many constituents who did not agree with

:28:10. > :28:14.us. And I think they come together around two central propositions. The

:28:15. > :28:19.first is, we are all Democrats. Everyone who is fair-minded nose, in

:28:20. > :28:24.the words of the Government leaflet sent to every household, that the

:28:25. > :28:28.people made the decision. That was our offer, that was what our

:28:29. > :28:34.Parliament voted to provide, and that is what the people expect. And

:28:35. > :28:38.they also expect us to be greatly respectful of each other's views.

:28:39. > :28:41.Because in a democracy, you don't automatically change your view when

:28:42. > :28:46.you've lost the argument on the vote. And it is incumbent upon those

:28:47. > :28:50.of us on the majority side to listen carefully and to do all we can to

:28:51. > :28:58.make sure that the genuine worries and the inaccurate worries of the

:28:59. > :29:03.Romain side can be handled. We all want economic success. Many of us

:29:04. > :29:07.believe we can deliver that economic success by leaving. Many of the

:29:08. > :29:11.Remain voters will be relieved, and will come our way, if we show in a

:29:12. > :29:16.good spirit that is in fact what we are going to do stop yellow I thank

:29:17. > :29:21.him for giving way. Will he agree with me that our interlocutors are

:29:22. > :29:25.also listening and watching very carefully to this debate and sending

:29:26. > :29:28.mixed messages would be against the international interest of this

:29:29. > :29:34.country if we want to get a good deal for both the 52% and by 48%? It

:29:35. > :29:40.is in the national interest that we share our worst doubts privately and

:29:41. > :29:44.have a strong presentation to our former partners in the European

:29:45. > :29:48.Union in our national interest. And I believe business now wants to do

:29:49. > :29:53.that. The message from business now is, get on with it, they accept the

:29:54. > :29:56.verdict. I thank him for giving way. A few moments ago he said that all

:29:57. > :30:01.of the fears that had been expressed about the impact of the decision

:30:02. > :30:04.that was made have proved to be you'll founded. He must have seen

:30:05. > :30:09.the analogy which is been floating around about how we are in a

:30:10. > :30:12.position of somebody who has just thrown themselves for 100 story

:30:13. > :30:18.building. What story does he think we are at now? That is not a

:30:19. > :30:21.sensible analogy, and we note that the main claims were wrong, because

:30:22. > :30:26.we were told there would be a recession this winter. There would

:30:27. > :30:30.be an immediate plunging of the economy off the cliff, and instead

:30:31. > :30:33.we were the fastest growing economy in the G7 throughout last year, with

:30:34. > :30:38.a stronger end to the year than we had had in the middle. So Mr

:30:39. > :30:41.Speaker, this is the once and future sovereign Parliament of the United

:30:42. > :30:46.Kingdom. The thing most motivated all of those voters to Leave is that

:30:47. > :30:52.they want the sovereignty of this Parliament restored. And that is

:30:53. > :30:55.what this bill allows us to do by exiting the European Union and

:30:56. > :30:59.making our own decisions about our laws and our money and our borders.

:31:00. > :31:04.And as somebody who for many years has had to live with the answer of

:31:05. > :31:05.the British people on the European Union that I didn't like, I was

:31:06. > :31:20.increasingly faced with this choice. Did I support the odd position or

:31:21. > :31:25.should I be a serial rebel complaining about the EU whether

:31:26. > :31:31.that we had no power to change or alter. I had reached the point that

:31:32. > :31:36.if the country had voted remain, I would have respected the country's

:31:37. > :31:38.judgment and I would not have sought re-election at the next general

:31:39. > :31:43.election because I see no point in this puppet parliament. This

:31:44. > :31:47.Parliament full of use, as and graces but cannot change the laws,

:31:48. > :31:52.taxes and spend the money in the way the British people want. That is the

:31:53. > :31:57.liberty we regain, this Parliament will be made great by the people. It

:31:58. > :32:02.will be made great despite itself. It will be made great because the

:32:03. > :32:07.people understand better than so many of their politicians, that

:32:08. > :32:13.sovereignty must rest from the people in this Parliament. And all

:32:14. > :32:18.of those many good things that we are told Europe has given us, the

:32:19. > :32:22.great news is, we can decide to keep them for ourselves. All of those

:32:23. > :32:26.good laws, we will keep. All of those employment protections, we

:32:27. > :32:30.will agree to continue. On the day we leave the European Union, it will

:32:31. > :32:36.be a great day because everything will change and nothing will change.

:32:37. > :32:43.The everything that changes is we have power to make our own choices

:32:44. > :32:47.and nothing changes that we will guarantee continuity and allow

:32:48. > :32:52.people the benefits of the laws we have already inherited. What is it

:32:53. > :32:58.about freedom they don't like? What is it about having power back in our

:32:59. > :33:03.parliament that they cannot stand? Mr Speaker, the once and future

:33:04. > :33:06.sovereign parliament of the United Kingdom vote to make it sovereign

:33:07. > :33:15.again, that is what the people challenge you to do. Can I just

:33:16. > :33:24.gently say, remember the merits of keeping a safe distance. Thank you

:33:25. > :33:31.Mr Speaker, rather nervous about following on from that extraordinary

:33:32. > :33:37.double act over there. But I think the debate once again has shown how

:33:38. > :33:41.important it is for Parliament to scrutinise properly the government's

:33:42. > :33:46.approach and the actions being taken to leaving the European Union. And

:33:47. > :33:53.makes even more ludicrous the government attempts to try and

:33:54. > :34:00.thought that scrutiny at the Supreme Court. -- thwart. I shall be

:34:01. > :34:05.supporting the bill before us, I did not want us to leave the European

:34:06. > :34:09.Union but those who voted in the referendum thought differently.

:34:10. > :34:15.Nearly 70% in Doncaster Central. And I believe it is important that we

:34:16. > :34:17.respect that decision, as stated so eloquently by my right honourable

:34:18. > :34:23.friend, the member for Leeds Central. And from the shadow front

:34:24. > :34:28.bench. Secondly however, we must do all we can to get the best deal for

:34:29. > :34:34.Britain from the negotiations. That deal must benefit all parts of the

:34:35. > :34:37.UK. The UK has focused on the strategist of Scotland, Wales,

:34:38. > :34:44.London and Northern Ireland but we need to make sure that all of the

:34:45. > :34:49.regions have an input and a proper analysis of the effect of leaving

:34:50. > :34:55.the European Union. People in Yorkshire and the Humber want to

:34:56. > :34:57.know what the effect will be on our businesses, small and large,

:34:58. > :35:08.universities. Science at topology sectors. -- science and technology

:35:09. > :35:13.sectors. During a recent statement, the Secretary of State, who said yes

:35:14. > :35:16.of course the other nations would be involved in those discussions said

:35:17. > :35:22.that he would also be inviting representatives from the regions to

:35:23. > :35:26.a meeting in York. I hope the minister will be able to give us

:35:27. > :35:30.more detail on exactly how this will work. Who will be representing the

:35:31. > :35:37.Yorkshire region and whether any analysis will be done of the effect

:35:38. > :35:42.of Brexit on Yorkshire. What we need to see from any deal and how an

:35:43. > :35:48.ongoing dialogue will be maintained. Each nation and region will have an

:35:49. > :35:53.interest in not just trade deals but in the government's so-called great

:35:54. > :35:57.repeal bill. Which leads me to my first -- my third point about

:35:58. > :36:02.employee rights and conditions. The government has said it will

:36:03. > :36:07.guarantee that current employment rights will be incorporated into UK

:36:08. > :36:10.law once we have left the EU. However I think the government needs

:36:11. > :36:16.to go further in strengthening employment law in the UK if it is to

:36:17. > :36:23.deal with the issues of both undercutting and exploitation. For

:36:24. > :36:27.British manufacturing, our agricultural industry, public

:36:28. > :36:31.services and especially the NHS, we will need workers from other

:36:32. > :36:37.European Union countries. Skilled and unskilled. At the same time, we

:36:38. > :36:43.also know the concern about immigration was a key factor in many

:36:44. > :36:47.peoples minds during the referendum. A lot of that concern revolves

:36:48. > :36:51.around the feeling that workers, wages and conditions were being

:36:52. > :36:56.undercut by migrants, especially from Eastern Europe. I know from my

:36:57. > :37:02.end constituency that many of those workers are on zero hours contracts,

:37:03. > :37:09.often only offered about ten hours of work a week. Even though they

:37:10. > :37:13.want to work longer and at minimum or even sometimes below the minimum

:37:14. > :37:17.wage. This is not from just employers looking to make even but

:37:18. > :37:23.big companies who often use agencies to supply their workers and are

:37:24. > :37:30.effectively using the state, through housing benefit, to subsidise cheap

:37:31. > :37:40.labour while subsidising -- while singing big profit margins. -- while

:37:41. > :37:44.seeing. We need to use the opportunity before us to look again

:37:45. > :37:48.at how the labour market operates. If the government is going to

:37:49. > :37:52.address the concerns I have set out, it will have to improve the whole

:37:53. > :37:56.way the labour market works. I believe this is something countries

:37:57. > :38:00.across Europe have concerns about. We will be discussing it at the

:38:01. > :38:07.Labour Party conference on Brexit in a few weeks' time. I also think that

:38:08. > :38:10.this would help if we could talk to our European neighbours about this

:38:11. > :38:17.in terms of gaining access as far as we can to the single market. My

:38:18. > :38:19.final point is that huge concern has been expressed in this country and

:38:20. > :38:26.throughout the world with regards to the actions of resident Trump, as we

:38:27. > :38:31.saw yesterday. That has shown how absolutely essential it is that the

:38:32. > :38:40.UK does not, because of Brexit, withdraw from the world stage. I saw

:38:41. > :38:45.at the assembly meeting last week how valuable it was to show that the

:38:46. > :38:51.UK has not withdrawn into itself and we do understand the importance of

:38:52. > :38:55.working with our European neighbours in advancing our Common cause on

:38:56. > :39:00.human rights. I know this is an issue that members opposite feel

:39:01. > :39:03.strongly about as well. I hope the Minister will reassure the House

:39:04. > :39:09.once and for all that the government will not be withdrawing from the

:39:10. > :39:14.European Convention on human rights and the Council of Europe. We need

:39:15. > :39:19.to lead the debate on how we leave the European Union and this bill

:39:20. > :39:24.should be an opportunity to do that. The speech that the honourable

:39:25. > :39:29.gentleman for whole Bourne gave from the Labour front bench was one of

:39:30. > :39:34.the best speeches I have ever heard from the Labour front bench in terms

:39:35. > :39:39.of its tone and its honest accept and soft difficult choices being

:39:40. > :39:47.made by all of us in this House. But also in its fundamental accept and

:39:48. > :39:51.is that we, by a majority of 6:1, passed a decision to the people and

:39:52. > :39:58.we have to do respect that decision. And this debate we are having today

:39:59. > :40:02.is simply about that. And facilitating that and that is why so

:40:03. > :40:09.many of us will ensure there is a large majority tomorrow evening for

:40:10. > :40:13.triggering this process that our people asked for. I also want to

:40:14. > :40:18.follow, perhaps in what some people might think is a rather

:40:19. > :40:24.counterintuitive way, the other remarks of the honourable gentleman

:40:25. > :40:33.who led for the Labour Party. I sincerely believe that this process

:40:34. > :40:38.is not a triumph of nationalism, of us being apart from them. I believe

:40:39. > :40:43.it is quite the opposite. I believe it is part of a new internationalism

:40:44. > :40:48.in recognising our common citizenship of the whole world. I

:40:49. > :40:53.think we stand ready to break through and break free of the

:40:54. > :40:58.protectionist barriers the EU has erected which have so damaged much

:40:59. > :41:05.of the third World and rejoin the world at large. As a former promise

:41:06. > :41:13.to Australia made clear, Britain is back. We crave the familiar, but we

:41:14. > :41:18.know that the human race is won and that human dignity is indivisible.

:41:19. > :41:23.We know that -- that this dignity has not been respected in our

:41:24. > :41:26.continent in the past. By the spring of 1945, we knew there was a much

:41:27. > :41:36.hate, war and destruction that people understandably despaired.

:41:37. > :41:40.Noble spirits, understood that the familiar divisions of home, tried

:41:41. > :41:43.and nation were so dangerous when exaggerated that they needed to not

:41:44. > :41:47.be abolished but overcome in a process that became the European

:41:48. > :41:54.Union. And no longer would one nation be able to use iron and steel

:41:55. > :41:57.for its own chauvinistic fratricidal and destructive ends. And then of

:41:58. > :42:07.course came the freedom of travel and work. And that is why they set

:42:08. > :42:13.this project in process. I thank the right honourable gentleman, he and I

:42:14. > :42:17.are both executive officers of the APPG Italy group and we both went to

:42:18. > :42:22.Rome a few months ago. Would he agree with me that while we will

:42:23. > :42:25.respect the will of the British people, that did not include

:42:26. > :42:30.changing the rights of Italians and other EU nationals who are have been

:42:31. > :42:36.lawfully resident in the United Kingdom for years. Will he please

:42:37. > :42:42.confirm that that is also his view? My view and all that we spoke to in

:42:43. > :42:46.the Italian parliament and in the British Parliament and our

:42:47. > :42:51.government has made it clear. But the point I am trying to make is

:42:52. > :42:54.that at the time I was describing, the British Parliament under the

:42:55. > :42:59.leadership of Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, understood that

:43:00. > :43:05.this was a supernatural movement. That is why they didn't join it. All

:43:06. > :43:09.the discussions we can read about in the early 1950s all talked about an

:43:10. > :43:20.ever closer union. It was not the Council of Europe. It is not a body

:43:21. > :43:24.of sovereign nations. It is bound by a single court of justice. That is

:43:25. > :43:29.why our predecessors took the decision not to join in 1957 and

:43:30. > :43:33.they were right to do so. And if they had been, they were desperate

:43:34. > :43:36.to try and conclude a free trade agreement with our European friends

:43:37. > :43:40.and if they had been offered that free trade agreement, they would

:43:41. > :43:46.have signed up to it. That is precisely what we are trying to

:43:47. > :43:49.achieve. We are trying to be internationalist and further free

:43:50. > :43:55.trade, we are not and never must be in this country, protectionist or

:43:56. > :43:59.small-minded. Indeed, Charles de Gaulle had an understanding of our

:44:00. > :44:04.point of view when he talked about a European Union of nations. How

:44:05. > :44:07.Britain, with large prosperous daughters all over the world would

:44:08. > :44:15.fit into the Europe that was created. There is an amusing cartoon

:44:16. > :44:19.from the time via a Dutch cartoonist in 1962 showing EEC leaders on one

:44:20. > :44:26.side, faced with the prospective arrival of big mother Britannia and

:44:27. > :44:33.Canada, Australia and New Zealand and the caption reads "If I join,

:44:34. > :44:37.can my offspring to? " And of course, the answer was no. We were

:44:38. > :44:43.already part of a what worldwide can indeed of nations, we call that the

:44:44. > :44:47.Commonwealth. What we are now trying to achieve is similar but even more

:44:48. > :44:52.ambitious. We want to lead this worldwide drive towards free trade

:44:53. > :44:58.and I do believe that in 200 years' time, the poll will not have the

:44:59. > :45:03.Brexit as a last-gasp of an outdated nationalism. They will view it as

:45:04. > :45:11.the advent of a new internationalism. I was disappointed

:45:12. > :45:14.when our remain friends, and we understand their sincerity in their

:45:15. > :45:19.arguments, we are disappointed they don't seem to want to grasp the

:45:20. > :45:25.immense globalism of Brexit. Of escaping the EU barriers and looking

:45:26. > :45:26.beyond the ocean to take up solidarity with the rest of the

:45:27. > :45:45.world. We are not engaged in 19th-century

:45:46. > :45:51.scrabbles. We believe this is an opportunity for us and them. Of

:45:52. > :45:56.course I will give way to my friend, the leader for the International

:45:57. > :46:02.trade committee. He talks about this globalisation of Brexit. But for

:46:03. > :46:08.globalisation to occur, it needs someone to reciprocate it. Who will

:46:09. > :46:13.be the reciprocate as of this change of attitude that has emerged in the

:46:14. > :46:19.last few months? I accept there will be trialled along the way, but what

:46:20. > :46:26.is the harm of believing in something, to international free

:46:27. > :46:31.trade and leading the world in it? That is all we are asking for. This

:46:32. > :46:37.is a free trade deal that can be concluded so quickly. We harmonised

:46:38. > :46:44.our laws for 40 years. It is only politics that prevents our European

:46:45. > :46:49.friends from concluding a free-trade deal with us. I can say to the

:46:50. > :46:54.honourable lady who has just spoken that absolutely, in all sincerity,

:46:55. > :47:01.we do not want to create a bargain basement economy in which we lessen

:47:02. > :47:07.the rights of workers. On the contrary, such is the strength of

:47:08. > :47:11.our economy, our innovation and industries that surely we can

:47:12. > :47:15.enshrine a golden standard of protecting our workers as well as

:47:16. > :47:23.our fields, forests, rivers and seas. So there is nothing, apart

:47:24. > :47:27.from politics, to stop our European friends from rapidly sorting out a

:47:28. > :47:32.free-trade deal in goods and services. There has never been so

:47:33. > :47:36.easy a free-trade deal. I appealed to my French cousins, not just

:47:37. > :47:41.figurative cousins, actual literal cousins, living in Paris and

:47:42. > :47:47.Provence, that we want to strengthen our links, not disarm them in a

:47:48. > :47:52.friendly amity of nations. Of course we have to on ensure that we

:47:53. > :47:59.enshrine security and the patrol of borders and all those things, but

:48:00. > :48:03.for the positive reasons I have given, the international reasons and

:48:04. > :48:10.so many members of Parliament will be proud to vote for this tomorrow

:48:11. > :48:15.evening. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I say at the start that I and my

:48:16. > :48:18.colleagues will be voting tomorrow evening to make sure that the

:48:19. > :48:25.process of leaving the European Union is commenced by the triggering

:48:26. > :48:31.of Article 50. This is something which first of all personally I have

:48:32. > :48:37.always believed that we were much better off in an arrangement where

:48:38. > :48:41.the people of the United Kingdom elected those representatives who

:48:42. > :48:47.they wanted to express their views, to make decisions about them, be

:48:48. > :48:54.made exclusively by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. If we look at

:48:55. > :49:01.the history of our involvement in the EU, we can see time and time

:49:02. > :49:05.again where laws which were passed by people who were not part of our

:49:06. > :49:12.country, who were not elected in our country, were detrimental. Whether

:49:13. > :49:16.in my role as a council or previously in the Northern Ireland

:49:17. > :49:21.assembly, time and time again you were told even though this might not

:49:22. > :49:25.be suitable for Northern Ireland, even though this may have

:49:26. > :49:29.consequences which were perhaps not even intended by the people who

:49:30. > :49:35.wrote them, nevertheless you do not even have a say in whether or not

:49:36. > :49:40.these laws should be taken into consideration, we will simply sign

:49:41. > :49:50.them off. Secondly, I campaigned in the referendum to leave the EU and I

:49:51. > :49:55.am pleased that my constituents by 55 - 45% my advice. That is more

:49:56. > :49:59.than voting for me when it comes to the general election, so I even

:50:00. > :50:06.persuaded some of my detractors that it was the correct thing to do.

:50:07. > :50:10.Thank you, I am grateful to the honourable gentleman for allowing me

:50:11. > :50:16.to intervene when he was in full flow, or about to get into globe.

:50:17. > :50:20.The honourable gentleman and his colleagues in the DUP will know that

:50:21. > :50:25.a majority of people, the electorate, voted to remain, a clear

:50:26. > :50:31.majority voted for the country to remain within the EU. A majority in

:50:32. > :50:34.my constituency voted to remain. How does the honourable gentleman and

:50:35. > :50:40.his party colleagues propose to respect that fact in their voting

:50:41. > :50:45.tomorrow evening and indeed their negotiations with the Brexit

:50:46. > :50:51.secretary? She brings me neatly onto the third point I want to make. That

:50:52. > :50:56.is when I campaigned in this referendum I campaigned as a member

:50:57. > :51:03.of the UK Parliament that passed a law for a referendum which had

:51:04. > :51:09.national implications and which will be judged on a national basis, not

:51:10. > :51:13.on a narrow regional basis, not on a basis of Northern Ireland can have a

:51:14. > :51:17.different safe from the rest of the people of the United Kingdom. I

:51:18. > :51:22.would have thought as a Unionist she would have respected that this is a

:51:23. > :51:27.UK referendum and the outcome had to be judged on a UK basis. Indeed it

:51:28. > :51:33.would be detrimental to the union if we had a situation where Scotland or

:51:34. > :51:37.Wales or Northern Ireland had the right to say to the people of the

:51:38. > :51:44.whole of the United Kingdom, we do not care how you voted. I will give

:51:45. > :51:49.away in a moment. We do not care how you voted, but 1.8 million people in

:51:50. > :51:54.Northern Ireland have a right to veto how the rest of the people in

:51:55. > :51:57.the UK expressed their view. That would be detrimental to the union

:51:58. > :52:04.and therefore I would not accept that case. I am grateful to the

:52:05. > :52:08.honourable gentleman. We are not seeking to impose a veto on the

:52:09. > :52:14.people of the UK. The people of the UK have voted to leave and we

:52:15. > :52:18.respect that. We ask Westminster respect our situation where we have

:52:19. > :52:22.voted to remain as one of the family of nations. Why would the UK

:52:23. > :52:29.Government not support our right to remain? It depends how you dress up

:52:30. > :52:34.that request. The government has made it clear that of course it

:52:35. > :52:39.wants to hear not just about the concerns and the issues which affect

:52:40. > :52:48.Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, but other regions of England and in

:52:49. > :52:51.particular industries, etc. There are numerous conversations and

:52:52. > :52:56.discussions between officials at an official level within departments.

:52:57. > :53:02.There is the joint ministerial Council whether politicians in the

:53:03. > :53:05.different countries that make up the United Kingdom can express their

:53:06. > :53:12.views, and ministerial meetings. The government has made a commitment and

:53:13. > :53:17.in the case of Northern Ireland, not only that it has had very good

:53:18. > :53:20.contacts with the Republic because there are issues between the

:53:21. > :53:25.Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. For those reasons we will

:53:26. > :53:30.be voting and supporting the referendum. I accept there are

:53:31. > :53:37.people in this house who probably do have the right to be exempt from

:53:38. > :53:40.looking at what the people of the United Kingdom said and voting

:53:41. > :53:46.against this because they were opposed to a referendum. But the one

:53:47. > :53:51.thing I believe many in this house, who will be voting against this

:53:52. > :53:56.motion tomorrow evening do not have a right to do, and that is to say we

:53:57. > :54:00.voted for a referendum, we voted for voted for a referendum, we voted

:54:01. > :54:04.a referendum which allowed people in the United Kingdom and gave the

:54:05. > :54:11.right of the people in the United Kingdom to express a view which will

:54:12. > :54:17.be binding and we disregard that. That is where the line should be

:54:18. > :54:22.drawn. A number of excuses have been made. We heard it from the former

:54:23. > :54:26.leader of the Liberal Democrats, that people did not know what they

:54:27. > :54:31.were voting for. First of all, there is no excuse for people in this

:54:32. > :54:34.house to not know what they are voting for now because the Prime

:54:35. > :54:43.Minister has made it very clear in 6000 words what we are voting for.

:54:44. > :54:49.During the referendum campaign the people of the United Kingdom knew

:54:50. > :54:54.what they were voting for. In fact, those who wanted to vote to remain

:54:55. > :54:58.tried to scare the devil out of them when it came to the vote. They told

:54:59. > :55:05.them all kinds of horrors were going to be set them and within a couple

:55:06. > :55:10.of days they were going to be eating bread and drinking water and losing

:55:11. > :55:18.their jobs, and still they voted to leave. Voting to leave meant that if

:55:19. > :55:22.we were going to have the freedom to make our own laws we could not be

:55:23. > :55:27.part of the single market because being part of the single market

:55:28. > :55:32.meant that somebody else made the laws. When they voted to leave, they

:55:33. > :55:36.knew they were voting to leave the customs union because we were told

:55:37. > :55:42.our future rests with those parts of the globe where there are expanding

:55:43. > :55:47.economies, not that part of the globe were because of restrictive

:55:48. > :55:52.policies the economy is contracting. People knew what they were voting

:55:53. > :55:57.for. Secondly, there have been arguments put forward that we should

:55:58. > :56:01.be thinking of young people and the future of young people. I must say,

:56:02. > :56:08.listening to the member for Sheffield Hallam, many young people

:56:09. > :56:15.will not believe what he is saying. This was someone who promised we

:56:16. > :56:22.would have fee free education and then imposed fees upon them. This is

:56:23. > :56:27.a man whose party voted for greater government debt which will be paid

:56:28. > :56:32.for by young people when they pay their taxes in the future. Had we

:56:33. > :56:41.remained in the EU, we would have found that as well. I will give way.

:56:42. > :56:45.Could I just ask him this? Would he accept the right honourable work of

:56:46. > :56:50.the member by Loughborough that when we stood there on the day of the

:56:51. > :56:54.referendum almost overwhelmingly everybody who said that they were

:56:55. > :56:58.voting to leave to get the immigrants out. That is the reality

:56:59. > :57:04.of the league campaign. My constituency voted to make sure that

:57:05. > :57:12.the EU's interference in our affairs was ended and if we made a decision

:57:13. > :57:20.about immigration policy and economic policy and environmental

:57:21. > :57:25.policy, that is why... Order! I have been very generous to the honourable

:57:26. > :57:31.gentleman even though he seems blissfully unaware of the fact.

:57:32. > :57:35.Thank you, Mr Speaker. As Attorney General I had plenty of

:57:36. > :57:39.opportunities of witnessing some of the problems attendant upon the EU

:57:40. > :57:43.membership, including the difficulties of achieving harmony

:57:44. > :57:49.when there are 28 member states, of the ways in which rules could be

:57:50. > :57:53.applied, and at times of the irksome sclerosis which pervaded it as an

:57:54. > :57:58.organisation. But I have to say that at no time did I have any doubt that

:57:59. > :58:05.being a member of the European Union was in our national interest. I have

:58:06. > :58:11.to say that since the referendum and the months that have elapsed, I have

:58:12. > :58:16.never taken the view that my opinion is any reason to change on this

:58:17. > :58:21.matter whatsoever. On the contrary, it seems to me that as the months go

:58:22. > :58:25.by it becomes clearer that the challenges we face in leaving the

:58:26. > :58:31.European Union are going to be very considerable. We reassure ourselves

:58:32. > :58:37.that we wish to globalise and to look outwards. I never thought there

:58:38. > :58:41.was any way in looking outwards from within the European Union in the

:58:42. > :58:48.first place. But as we spend time trying to have trade deals with

:58:49. > :58:51.third countries outside the European Union, it becomes manifestly obvious

:58:52. > :58:57.that each one of those will carry its own cost and often that cost

:58:58. > :59:02.will go beyond just economic issues and goes into values as well. That

:59:03. > :59:09.is what has always worried me most of all about this decision to leave,

:59:10. > :59:12.because although we are insistent and rightly so that we wish to

:59:13. > :59:19.continue close corporation with our European partners, the reality is we

:59:20. > :59:24.are embarking on producing a series of obstacles to understanding which

:59:25. > :59:27.means we will be perceived as turning our back on countries who

:59:28. > :59:33.are not only our closest neighbours, but also the reality becomes

:59:34. > :59:39.manifestly obvious that they share our values in a very developed

:59:40. > :59:42.fashion. That is not to say that that is exceptional, there are other

:59:43. > :59:47.countries outside the world that also do outside the EU, but these

:59:48. > :59:51.are key relationships for the well-being of our citizens and for

:59:52. > :59:55.our national security. The only thing that has given me confidence

:59:56. > :00:00.in this period is the speech by my right honourable friend the Prime

:00:01. > :00:06.Minister a week or so ago did seem to me to set out very clearly an

:00:07. > :00:11.understanding of the challenges we face and an intention to pursue a

:00:12. > :00:15.policy which, if it can be carried out, although I have to say it will

:00:16. > :00:22.be very difficult, will place the United Kingdom at least to its

:00:23. > :00:27.advantage on its decision to leave. As far as triggering Article 50, I

:00:28. > :00:35.take the view that I will support the government in doing it, despite

:00:36. > :00:39.my deep concern. I supported the referendum and with it, by

:00:40. > :00:44.implication, that I would honour the decision which the electorate made.

:00:45. > :00:49.Even if I had not, one of the reasons why we are sent to this

:00:50. > :00:54.place is to pursue the national interest by looking at the widest

:00:55. > :00:57.considerations and I cannot see at present are continuing with

:00:58. > :01:00.political uncertainty would be in the national interest in trying to

:01:01. > :01:09.obstruct the decision that the electorate so clearly made.

:01:10. > :01:15.Many may and Sabin table, many seem to involve micromanagement of the

:01:16. > :01:19.negotiation process which is something that Parliament cannot

:01:20. > :01:24.readily do. But I do worry about process. It may sound legalistic but

:01:25. > :01:29.process in my experience matters enormously because it enables one to

:01:30. > :01:35.focus in a sensible way on the issues that arise. It worried me

:01:36. > :01:38.deeply that the government, leaving aside the legality of the Supreme

:01:39. > :01:42.Court decision, seemed at the start of this process to deprive this

:01:43. > :01:50.House of the same triggering article 50. In the same way, I worry very

:01:51. > :01:53.much that we should have a proper process to help to engage the House

:01:54. > :01:59.and the country in what we are going to do. We still don't have a white

:02:00. > :02:03.paper. I say to my right honourable friend is on the front bench, that

:02:04. > :02:09.White Paper has got to be there before we come to the committee

:02:10. > :02:14.stage of this bill. Without it, we cannot do the informed debate at the

:02:15. > :02:18.committee stage that we need to do. Then looking forward, much further,

:02:19. > :02:24.there is going to come a time when the government will come back to

:02:25. > :02:28.this House and ask for its approval for what it has succeeded in

:02:29. > :02:32.negotiating. Of course it doesn't have to because of the way which

:02:33. > :02:36.conventions operate, in terms of foreign affairs. But I have to say

:02:37. > :02:40.to my right honourable friend is on the front bench, this has to be for

:02:41. > :02:45.the matter goes to the European Parliament for ratification. If that

:02:46. > :02:50.is the deal that has been agreed. Those seem to me to be the two

:02:51. > :02:54.benchmarks we are going to need to maintain the support which this

:02:55. > :02:56.House needs to be giving to the government if it is to lead to a

:02:57. > :03:20.satisfactory outcome. It is one that will become more

:03:21. > :03:27.apparent with the passage of time, the national interest is that we

:03:28. > :03:28.should work together to get the best possible outcome for our