David Davis Election 2017

Thank you, Jonathan, for that over-flattering introduction.

The sort that my father would have enjoyed and my mother

Now, it's fair to say that when I accepted the invitation some

months ago to speak today I sort of rather expected that

the conference would fall in a nice, quiet period, just before

the council decided its negotiating guidelines, so so much

I certainly hadn't anticipated that we would be in the middle

of a general election campaign so for all the arguments that there

will be over the next six weeks, I know that here there are people

from both sides of the debate, from all parties and none,

and I am speaking today as a Secretary of State,

so you will understand, and you'll probably be relieved,

that I do not intend to indulge in any general

This is going to be a very serious speech.

And I am generally delighted to see Prosperity UK to emerge in a spirit

of forging consensus, as we have been

Your commitment to moving beyond the divisive arguments

of the past and looking constructively to the future

is absolutely the right one, and one the Prime Minister

Although you have lost some ministerial speakers today

because of the general election, you still absolutely

have our interest and attention, a point I will return to later.

Now, my clear sense is that a majority of people,

however they voted in last summer's referendum, now want the government

to get on with the job of negotiating and implementing

the UK's exit and seeking a new partnership with the European Union.

This week it'll be a month since the UK's historic notification

to the European Council of our intention to leave.

The Prime Minister was very clear about our approach,

and the spirit in which we approach these negotiations.

It is a straightforward plan with clear principles.

We are leaving the European Union but we're not leaving Europe.

This means our primary aim is to get a deal, a good deal,

We want to establish a deep and special partnership

with the European Union for the future.

And it is in the interest of both the UK and the European Union

that we establish that new partnership in as fair

and orderly a way as possible, with the minimum disruption for all.

I believe it's time for the country to come together with those goals

in mind and Prosperity UK has an important role to

We won't succeed without the wisdom and energy of the institutions

You're all a key part of what has made the United Kingdom a success

and a key part of what will ensure that we go from success to success

and strength to strength in the future.

Now, that given, we should be under no illusions about the scale

We are reshaping Britain's place in the world.

Securing an agreement with the EU within the two-year period

about our withdrawal and the shape of our future relationship

We will have difficult issues to confront, compromise will be

And even as the election campaign proceeds, the work

of government goes on to prepare for the negotiations.

I visited a number of countries even in the last few days,

let alone the last few weeks t to talk to my European

counterparts, and that will go on through the election as well.

Jean-Claude Juncker, Michel Barnier, my opposite number,

and others are coming to London today to meet the Prime Minister

Some are determined, for their own reasons,

to focus on the differences between us, and seize on every

But the UK has a very good reason to feel optimistic.

The discussions I've had confirmed to me that on both sides

negotiations with our European partners will be conducted

It's a spirit we have shared through our common history.

Indeed, one of my key messages on my visits to the four countries

in the past couple of days and more than a dozen countries over a longer

period is that the UK wants to see the European Union succeed

and prosper - politically, socially and economically.

And when it comes to it, our European partners know,

even those that are most dismayed by our departure after the UK

referendum result, that it will be in their interest for the UK

The vote to leave the EU did not signal any desire to do damage

to the European Union, or its 27 remaining member states.

Nor was it a rejection of the values that we share as fellow Europeans.

Now, there have been some suggestions that the UK might now

seek to take a divide and rule approach to the Union

We want the European Union to be united, not just for the good

of our continent but also because it makes sense in the negotiations

We want the negotiations to be swift and effective,

so unity amongst the 27 helps with that.

Given that the subject matter is complex and time is tight,

the unity of the European Union will therefore be

Remember, too, the unprecedented regulatory alignment that we already

We trust each other's institutions, and there is no reason whatsoever

We start from an assumption of convergence and shared

values that should make these discussions easier.

And as we made clear, we enter the process of seeking

to negotiate the shape of our future relationship with the EU alongside

the terms of withdrawal, within the two-year window provided

I believe it is important to ensure that we can implement that agreement

effectively and in a timely manner, something that will be

That means as much certainty and stability is possible for the UK

economy and the economies of the individual EU member states,

And it means we will seek to avoid any cliff edges,

and that desire to avoid cliff edges is, I know, from my own

conversations shared by a number of European nations I have

Now, that is one of the reasons that the day after Article 50

was triggered the government published a White Paper on what is

Now, as I have explained, the bill will, among other things,

convert EU law as it applies at the point we depart into UK

Now, this means as far as possible the same laws, the same rules,

will apply immediately before and immediately after our

departure, enabling a smooth and stable transition.

Our parliament will then be in control of any changes that are

Now, given that, we should favour an intelligent approach

Yes, we must avoid unnecessary burdens on business,

but we also want to make sure that our new...

that our approach, maintains or ensures new access to markets

from Croatia to California, the regulations must

And, as the Prime Minister has said on many occasions,

whilst we are leaving the institutions of

the European Union, we are not leaving Europe itself,

The values we share it run deeper than the politics

They were forged long before the United Kingdom joined

the European Economic Community, as it was then, and will endure long

We intend to continue to be a reliable partner and a willing

ally to our closest neighbours who want a new, deep and special

At the core of this partnership should be an ambitious

and comprehensive free trade agreement of unprecedented scope.

We will seek the freest possible trade in goods and services

between the UK and the EU and we want to continue to give

businesses the freedom to operate within European markets.

It's also vitally important to continue our collaboration

in the areas of science, research, education and technology,

to maintain Britain's status as a world leader in these sectors

and so that we can play our full part in advancing Europe's

collective excellence is here, so important for our

This is a key part of building a truly global Britain.

Now, some of you in this room have spoken to me or my colleagues

directly about your concerns, so I want to take

a moment to address some of these specific issues.

Firstly the government has made it very clear that it wants to secure

the rights of EU nationals living in Britain at the earliest

Citizens of EU member states made a vital contribution

to our society and our economy, and while we want to control

immigration in the future, I do not think anyone wants to pull

up the drawbridge, and a global Britain will always welcome

Secondly we want no return to the borders of the past

in Northern Ireland, and I can guarantee that stability

there will be a key priority when we look to the future

Happily these areas are ones in which the EU and the UK think...

I am confident that we can work closely with Michel Barnier's team

to achieve early agreement on these issues, very early agreement

It is also important that we focus on embracing

the opportunity of Brexit as well as addressing

We can reach out beyond the borders of Europe to some of

the fastest-growing export markets in the world.

At a time when the entire Western world faces great challenges

from automation and the changing nature of work, we

The EU is many things, and we wish it every success,

but making our own decisions as one sovereign country I do not doubt

that we can be more agile and more responsive,

not least because we start from an incredibly strong position.

We are a great global nation with so much to offer Europe

We are one of the world's largest and strongest economies,

we have the finest intelligence services, the bravest Armed Forces,

the most effective hard and soft power, and friendships

and partnerships and alliances on every continent in the world.

So let me be clear, the UK's departure from the EU should not be

We want to reach out to our old friends and new allies

alike and say Britain is open for business.

I hope that you will also share my optimism about Britain's

bright future, and if I may I'm going to deviate slightly

from my set speech here and just say something personal to this.

I mean, democracy is a massively important thing, but one

of the things that happens in political arguments is sometimes

the most important issues are not the most exciting in the news,

so it's battles over disagreements that dominate things,

and sometimes in the last nine months we have lost a little

sight of the importance of those new opportunities

that we will enjoy, and that is why I have made a point of coming today,

despite the problems of the general election and doing a ministerial

speech in the middle of it because what you are doing in this

meeting and this conference at Prosperity UK are addressed

exactly the sort of issues that I think are not getting

And the government will do its best to ensure that those opportunities

But before I was a politician I was a businessman,

and I am acutely conscious that while the government can

facilitate the opportunities, what converts the opportunities

into innovation, investment, jobs, wealth creation, is civil society

And that's why your meeting today, your conference today,

is incredibly important and why I shall read very carefully

the outcomes of your discussions today and others you have in future

because in our policy formulation, to try to create and maximise

those opportunities, knowing exactly how you'll use them,

the problems you see, the issues you see,

the opportunities you see, will be very important to us

so I want to reiterate what I said briefly at the beginning,

that I thank you to Jonathan Hill and Paul, Sir Paul Marshall,

for setting this up because actually this is a massively important

meeting for helping us achieve the best future for our country,

so working together we can ensure that our country goes from strength

With cool heads, strong leadership and traditional British resolve

we can build a stronger, fairer Britain than ever before.

Order! Order! Questions to the Prime Minister. The goings on in

Parliament are watched closely. Comments and counterclaims pored

over, especially busy times like this. Of course, there are times

when there are fewer people taking