(Penistone and
Stocksbridge) (Lab):...A humble bottle of fabric
conditioner crosses the border of a member state four times in
the process of its manufacture. Imagine how many times the
components that make up a Rolls-Royce jet engine cross the
border—thousands of times. On that basis, how can this country’s
economy afford to even think about leaving the customs union?
(Edinburgh South)
(Lab): I am grateful to my hon. Friend. If I were the
Minister and she made that point to me, I would just say, “It’ll
be okay. We want something that’s as close to the customs union
as possible. It will be frictionless. It will only take seconds.
We’ve got new technologies”, but without spelling out what those
are, how they will work or how a company such as Rolls-Royce,
exporting and importing goods and parts all the time, would
actually operate. It seems that we have to take this on trust.
Well, many of the businesses around the country need certainty,
because they will be making decisions very shortly about the
years ahead.
(Cardiff South and
Penarth) (Lab/Co-op): Further to the point from my hon.
Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith),
Simon Hemmings, one of the chief negotiators for Rolls-Royce at
its manufacturing site at Derby, told the Financial Times:
“If we are not in the customs unions there will be job losses”.
We could not have clearer than that...
...I have mentioned Rolls-Royce. I was recently visited by Unite’s
shop stewards from its manufacturing facilities in Derby, who
were very clear about the implications for them. Simon Hemmings,
the chief negotiator for Rolls-Royce staff, said:
“If we are not in the customs union there will be job losses. If
we have a hard Brexit, the foundations we have built…for the next
generation of engines will not be built upon. They will be built
elsewhere.”
That is absolutely clear: some aerospace parts cross the channel
five times as they move along the various assembly lines in
factories in both the UK and continental Europe. That is just one
example, one industry that contributes an incredible amount in
terms of high-skill, high-tech jobs not only to Wales, but to
south-west England, Derby and more widely. We ignore the concerns
of those businesses at our peril...
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