Full version of exchange at PMQs - May 16

The problem is that the Prime Minister’s own position is not even supported by her Cabinet. Rolls-Royce has said: 

 

“We’re worried about border checks…we need to be thoughtful and careful about”

 

future investments. Ford has said:

 

“any sort of border restrictions or customs friction is going to be an inhibitor to us continuing”.

 

Vauxhall says:

 

“We cannot invest in a world of uncertainty”.

 

Businesses are understandably frustrated by the Government. This week, the Environment Secretary gave his view on the Prime Minister’s preferred customs partnership model. He said that

 

“there have to be significant question marks over the deliverability of it on time”

 

as it “has flaws”. Well, at least he didn’t call it “crazy”, as the Foreign Secretary did. If the Prime Minister cannot convince even her own Cabinet of her strategy, what chance does she have with 27 other European countries?

The right hon. Gentleman has taken this view of our position in the negotiations before. Before December, he said we would not get a joint report, and we did. Before March, he said we would not get an implementation period, and we did, and we continue to negotiate. He asks what British businesses are doing. I will tell him what they are doing. They are creating more jobs in this country, meaning that we now have record levels of employment. What did we see under Labour? Half a million more people unemployed—because Labour Governments always leave office with more people out of work than when they went in.