Asked by Lord Dykes To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
assessment they have made of the principal Brexit negotiation
issues following the invoking of Article 50. The Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State, Department for Exiting the European Union
(Lord Bridges of Headley) (Con) My Lords, the Prime
Minister’s letter to the President of...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have
made of the principal Brexit negotiation issues following
the invoking of Article 50.
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Exiting the European Union (Lord Bridges of Headley)
(Con)
My Lords, the Prime Minister’s letter to the President of
the European Council comprehensively articulates this
Government’s assessment of the principal negotiation
issues. We are pleased that the indications are that both
sides wish to approach these talks constructively and we
look forward to negotiations beginning when the time comes.
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(CB)
I thank the Minister for that Answer. Bearing in mind the
importance from now on of very close relations with another
leading member state—France—and the importance of trade
negotiations, will the Government make an effort to have
close relations with it in the context of national member
states and their responses to the Brexit negotiations to
make sure that, even if the Government cannot go as far as
accepting the wise advice of Mr Macron when he came to
London last February, they will make every effort to make
sure that we have a good outcome?
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I thank the noble Lord for that question. He will not
expect me to comment on individual elections in other
European member states, but your Lordships can rest assured
that my ministerial colleagues and I are doing all we can
to have relationships that are as cordial as possible and
to build the atmosphere of trust that we wish to see before
the negotiations begin.
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(LD)
My Lords, what assessment have the Government made of the
amount of parliamentary time that will be lost thanks to a
general election and whether that can be added back in, so
that there is adequate parliamentary scrutiny of the
negotiations, given that the limit for the negotiations is
two years and we are going to lose about two months?
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I can assure the noble Baroness and all noble Lords that
there will be ample time for a debate about the matters
before us, not just over the months to come after the
general election but in the weeks before it—I am sure
everyone is looking forward to it. As regards the time
lost, I draw the noble Baroness’s attention to the fact
that, as I understand it, the General Affairs Council will
not adopt the Commission’s draft negotiating guidelines
until 22 May at the earliest. Therefore, political
negotiations will not begin before early June. As the
Commission has said, those negotiations will begin after
the general election on 8 June.
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of Kentish Town
(Lab)
My Lords, on the election, as TV’s Mrs Merton famously
asked Mrs Daniels, “So what first attracted you to the
millionaire Paul Daniels?”, perhaps I could ask Mrs May,
“So what first attracted you to an election when you were
apparently 20 points ahead in the polls?”. However, the
Question in front of us is about Europe. We need an exit
that assures access to the single market, a continuing
relationship with Euratom and the other agencies, and
protection of the rights of EU nationals. Some of these
might require some involvement with the ECJ. Does the
Minister not think that this is something the Government
might now look at, so that we can achieve those broader
objectives?
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I am delighted that the noble Baroness is looking forward
to 8 June as much as a number of us are. I can absolutely
assure the House that we are looking at options as set out
in the Government’s White Paper. The Prime Minister, I and
other ministerial colleagues have made it clear time and
again that we wish to end the primacy of EU law once we
have left the EU. As regards the specific issues, I have
nothing further to add to what has already been set out in
the White Paper.
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(Con)
My Lords, given the complexity of the negotiation with the
27 other member states, does my noble friend agree that any
attempts, from wherever they may come, to push the
Government towards revealing their negotiating positions
can only weaken those positions?
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My noble friend speaks with considerable experience of
negotiating in Europe, so I absolutely heed his remarks. As
I have said time and again at this Dispatch Box, while
ensuring that this House and the other place will have the
opportunity to scrutinise the Government’s negotiating
position, it is of paramount importance, as my noble friend
so rightly says, that we protect our negotiating position,
as that is clearly in our national interest.
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(UKIP)
My Lords, is not the deeper problem that the Eurocrats are
much more interested in keeping their sinking project of
European integration afloat because it pays them so well
than they are in meeting the needs of the real people of
Europe, which are much the same as ours?
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The noble Lord has his own unique way of saying things and
not mincing his words. I think we can be sure about that.
It is in all our interests, on this side of the channel and
right across Europe, to ensure that the withdrawal
negotiations work in both our and Europe’s interests, and
to ensure that our exit is smooth and orderly and that we
continue to trade with our European partners as we have
done for generations in the past. That is the overriding
intention, and it is good to see that so many of our
European partners are saying similar things as we speak.
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(Con)
My Lords, on the subject of making the best use of
parliamentary time, would it not be a good start after the
general election if every party in this House accepted the
results of the referendum?
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My Lords, that would be a very good thing. As the Prime
Minister has said, this party and this side of the House will
be setting forward a clear approach to those negotiations to
ensure that we get the very best deal for this country in the
months ahead.
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(LD)
My Lords, does the Minister agree with the CBI assessment
that we will have to establish the equivalent of 34 domestic
agencies to replace EU agencies when we withdraw—if we
do—from Europe? Has any assessment been made of that and, in
particular, of the cost of funding 34 agencies?
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The noble Lord makes a good point. Considerable work is being
undertaken by my department and right across Whitehall
regarding the impact of our withdrawal on UK regulators and
regulatory bodies. I shall not go into detail on that at this
precise juncture, but noble Lords should rest assured that in
the months ahead, were a Conservative Government to be
returned, we would ensure that those plans are set out.
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(Con)
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for using the word
“partners” so regularly. Would he remind certain Members of
your Lordships’ House, including the noble Lord, Lord
Pearson, that we are talking not merely to Eurocrats but to
companions and friends in 27 other European nations?
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My noble friend makes a very good point. As I have said
before—indeed, a moment ago—it is absolutely in our interests
to ensure that these negotiations are not only in our mutual
interests but also smooth and orderly. It is in no one’s
interest to see Europe’s prosperity or security diminished as
we leave the EU.
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(Lab)
My Lords, would the Minister care to confirm, as he has in
the past, that accepting the result of the referendum does
not have to imply not scrutinising what comes after?
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I have enjoyed the debates that we have had in this House,
and I have said many times that obviously this House and the
other place will have a considerable role to play as we leave
the EU in scrutinising the Government’s proposals, the way
ahead and the significant pieces of legislation, not least
the great repeal Bill, that Parliament will be asked to pass.
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