Asked by Baroness Ludford To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in
the light of their 2017 manifesto commitments, what are their
criteria and specific objectives for Brexit; and how they intend to
forge a deep and special partnership with the European Union. The
Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union
(Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con) ...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their 2017
manifesto commitments, what are their criteria and specific
objectives for Brexit; and how they intend to forge a deep
and special partnership with the European Union.
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The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European
Union (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con)
My Lords, the objectives for our partnership with the
European Union are as the Prime Minister set out in her
Lancaster House speech on 17 January, the White Paper of 2
February and the Article 50 letter. Supporting our exit
from the European Union is a cross-Whitehall effort. We are
conducting negotiations in a constructive manner to ensure
a strong and prosperous Europe with the UK as its closest
partner.
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(LD)
I thank the Minister for that reply. The Government have
reportedly dropped their cake-and-eat-it approach to Brexit
negotiations, but freelancing by individual Ministers is
creating an even more dizzying pick-and-mix confusion. The
fisheries, financial services and pharma sectors are
getting this treatment as well as cars. What, if any,
coherent partnership framework—the word mentioned in the
manifesto and the Queen’s Speech—is all this fitting into?
Is the Prime Minister actually in charge?
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My Lords, yes, she is, which is why she has formed a series
of Cabinet sub-committees to consider the full range of
issues—some of the crucial issues, as the noble Baroness
pointed out, that this country needs to address as we leave
the European Union and as we look at the implementation
period. Our overall objective is to ensure that there is no
cliff edge and that we have security for all those
practising business, whether agribusiness or financial
services. That is why this is a true cross-Whitehall
effort. It is not easy, and it is not necessarily the way
Whitehall has worked in the past—but it does now.
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(Con)
My Lords, in order to put one misused phrase to flight,
does my noble friend agree that it is perfectly possible to
have your cake and eat it but that you cannot eat your cake
and have it?
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My noble friend has a real way with words. I agree.
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(CB)
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House why the
Government have not put forward their proposals for the
framework, as required by Article 50, for the future
relationship, and when they will get round to doing so?
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My Lords, we have set out our framework from the point of
view of the objectives in, for example, the Prime
Minister’s Lancaster House speech, repeated in the White
Paper. That is the framework to which we are working and
the one which our colleagues in the European Commission see
as part of our negotiations. We have already had one round
of those negotiations, and are looking forward to the
second, starting on 17 July.
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(Lab)
My Lords, how many EU nationals in the UK have the Home
Office removed under article 14.4(b) of directive 2004/38
because they did not satisfy its work requirements? Does
not this provision enable EU nationals not in work to be
returned home while the UK still remains in the single
market and the customs union?
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My Lords, I will certainly seek advice from the Home Office
on the specific statistic, if that is to hand, but the
noble Lord quite rightly points to all the issues that need
to be considered as we work through our offer on citizens’
rights—the rights of EU citizens who are here and have
played a very valuable role in our economy but also the
rights of UK citizens who live overseas. Our recent paper
on this seeks to address some of those issues. These are
the matters that we are discussing, not just at headline
level, but in minute detail, with our colleagues in the
Commission.
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(PC)
My Lords, is it possible to negotiate an agreement to
facilitate barrier-free single market participation on the
basis of allowing the free movement of working people
taking up specific jobs? Would that be within the
Government’s negotiating criteria?
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My Lords, the negotiating framework looks very carefully at
how we can ensure that we will continue to be able to
recruit the brightest and best here and that those who have
employment in specific fields where they need to go across
borders are able to do so. That underwrote of course some
of the paper on citizens’ rights which we published
recently. The noble Lord raises an issue which goes to the
heart of all the considerations about how we then protect
employment rights. Protection of employments rights was one
of those 12 principles which were set out so clearly by the
Prime Minister.
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of Kentish Town
(Lab)
My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Baroness has talked
about partnership. Does she agree with her DExEU colleague,
, that the EU is an
“obstacle” to world peace and “incompatible” with a free
society? Is that what her department thinks?
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My Lords, I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying working with
my colleague . He brings a different
perspective on many matters, but all of them constructively,
as a Minister. It is a real pleasure to work in a department
where everyone is focused on one thing, and one thing
only—getting the best agreement for the UK and the European
Union, because that is the one that will work.
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(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister not agree that it is a little
anomalous that so far the only detailed paper we have from
our side is that published last week on status, whereas on
the European side there are a plethora of papers putting
forward their views? Does she not think that it would be
desirable that on for example scientific co-operation,
justice and home affairs, and foreign policy and security
issues, some piece of paper could emerge into the light of
day setting out the British Government’s extremely positive
objectives in these fields, and does she not feel that that
would help to create a positive atmosphere in the
negotiations?
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My Lords, the noble Lord is right to point out that it is
important to be able to set out issues such as that, but we
must do so in a way that is in sync with our negotiations
across Europe. Further papers were released by the European
Commission just at the end of last week, which I have read,
and we will be responding to those shortly. I hope we will
then be able to share those more widely.
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(LD)
My Lords, in response to the International Relations
Committee’s Middle East report, where we raised the issue of
the importance of bilateral relations with our EU partners,
the Government said that,
“until the Government’s negotiations on exiting the EU have
concluded, there will be no decisions on specific post-Brexit
arrangements”.
Is there any evidence that the Government have a clue where
they are going? Should we be worried? Is helping?
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My Lords, we work closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office—my own department until recently—and clearly the
Ministers there look very seriously at this issue,
particularly at a time of the remembrance of the Balfour
declaration. I assure the noble Baroness that the security
issues across that region are crucial to us, which is why the
Prime Minister made it clear that security co-operation must
be a vital part not only of the first tranche of discussions,
which they are, but of the agreement to be reached.
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