Asked by Lord Dykes To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is
their current assessment of the prospects for reaching a Brexit
agreement with the European Union by March 2019. The Minister of
State, Department for Exiting the European Union (Baroness Anelay
of St Johns) (Con) My Lords, as the Secretary of State for
Exiting the EU said when closing the...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current
assessment of the prospects for reaching a Brexit agreement
with the European Union by March 2019.
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The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European
Union (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con)
My Lords, as the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU said
when closing the fourth round of negotiations, we have made
considerable progress on the issues that matter, increasing
certainty for citizens and businesses. Thanks to the
constructive and determined manner of both sides in
negotiations, we are making decisive steps forward. Both
parties want to achieve the best possible outcome and the
strongest possible partnership for the future by March
2019.
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(CB)
Yes, but when are the Government, at long last, going to
produce viable proposals for the Irish border which will
also be acceptable to the Irish Government and the Dáil?
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My Lords, there has been a very firm, fair and
collaborative discussion about the issue of Northern
Ireland. The most recent discussions continue to be
constructive and we have made progress in some areas. For
example, we have begun drafting joint principles on
preserving the common travel area and associated rights,
and have continued building on the general principles of
ensuring that there is no hindrance at the border.
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(LD)
My Lords, will the Minister give us her current assessment
of the prospect of reaching an agreement on Brexit within
the Conservative Party by March 2019?
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My Lords, the Cabinet has made it clear that it is fully in
support of the Prime Minister.
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Noble Lords
Oh!
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And that is the way it is going to stay.
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(Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that it would speed up
negotiations if the British Government put forward quite
specific and quantitative proposals with regard to what we
think any exit payment ought to be?
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My Lords, my noble friend speaks from his background of
work in the Treasury. There is a move from the Commission
to change the rules of the game. The rules set out at the
start of the negotiations were that we should have
sufficient progress by this stage. Suddenly, some members
and parties are saying that we should have agreed a
particular sum. This is more than horse-trading; it is the
future of our country. We are having a technical and
detailed discussion that will bear fruit.
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(Lab)
My Lords, going back to Northern Ireland, does the Minister
agree that the only way to stop there being any border
between Northern Ireland and the Republic is for us to be
members of the customs union?
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My Lords, it is a fact that as we leave the European Union
we are not going to cherry pick one or more of the four
freedoms—the Commission has made it clear that that is not
acceptable and we understand and abide by that. However, we
do seek a strong customs partnership. We cannot be in a
customs union unless we have all the other freedoms, and,
of course, contribute to the budget, without having a say
in it: that is not the British way.
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(CB)
My Lords, can the Minister say what effort the Government
made before triggering Article 50 to ensure that they would
be able to discuss with our partners in the EU the new
partnership straightaway? If they did not make any such
efforts, was not that a little foolhardy?
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My Lords, when we triggered Article 50 it was at a time when
we had already heard extensive analysis of a range of issues
that we knew would be the subject of discussion in reaching
an agreement on our withdrawal from the European Union. That
includes, as I have mentioned at the Dispatch Box in the
past, an analysis of more than 50 sectors of the economy. An
extraordinary amount of detailed work has been carried out,
which is why we have been able to publish a raft of papers
this summer.
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(LD)
My Lords, the Prime Minister allowed herself to think again
about holding an early general election. Why will she
therefore not allow people to think again about the
advisability of Brexit once they know the facts?
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My Lords, I remind the noble Baroness, who is also a friend,
that her party, which stood for that in the last election,
got hammered.
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(Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that we all have cause
to be grateful for the calm, prudent, constructive
contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in these
talks?
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Yes, my Lords. I have seen that close up because I was
fortunate enough to be briefed throughout the summer by
officials from the Treasury about the patient, technical work
that they have been carrying out to ensure that when we are
able to reach agreement not only on principles but on
practice, the result will be fair for this country as well as
for the rest of the European Union.
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of Kentish Town
(Lab)
My Lords, as we know, the European Parliament will get a vote
on the final deal. It has passed a resolution saying that it
does not consider that sufficient progress has been made to
go on to the all-important trade negotiations. The Bank of
England, agriculture, industry, higher education and UK
citizens all want progress. Is it not time to put the
national interest first and make real progress on these talks
so that we can get on to the deep trade ones?
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My Lords, we have made great progress—we would say sufficient
progress—to be able to proceed with the next stage of our
negotiations. Of course, as the noble Baroness will certainly
recall, Article 50 specifically says that discussions on the
withdrawal agreement should be against a background of
discussions about the future partnership. We are ready,
willing and able, and it is time now for the European
Commission to be more flexible to be ready for the next
stage.
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(Con)
My Lords, to return to the question of the two parts of
Ireland, does my noble friend recall that Monsieur Barnier,
after publication of Her Majesty’s Government’s proposals,
said that the European Union was opposed to an invisible
border? Surely there will be no progress on this issue until
Europe changes its mind.
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My Lords, my noble friend, who has some of the best
experience of the issues of importance to Northern Ireland,
raises a crucial point. Flexibility is important from the
Commission and also from other members of the European 27. A
political decision will ultimately make the difference. It is
worth noting that the Motion in the European Parliament to
which the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, referred a moment ago
proposed that one part of the United Kingdom—Northern
Ireland—could remain in the single market and the customs
union, thereby breaking up the United Kingdom. That cannot be
a way forward.
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