argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister will have read the comments from leading European Commission officials at the very highest levels about the withdrawal agreement since it was finalised. Sabine Weyand, Michel Barnier’s deputy, has said: "This requires the Customs Union as the basis for the future relationship" She has also said: "They must align their rules, but the EU will retain all the controls" Finally, she said: "The EU retains its leverage" Martin Selmayr, the secretary-general of the Commission, has said: "The power is with us" He also told the Passauer Neue Presse on 7 December that the agreement showed that "leaving the EU…doesn’t work" Those in Brussels clearly believe it is a great deal for them. Why is the Prime Minister seemingly equally enthusiastic in thinking this is a great deal for the UK?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We will be leaving the EU on 29 March. I believe it is important that Parliament delivers on the vote that people took in 2016. As I just said in response to the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman), Parliament voted to trigger article 50 with the two-year timeframe it contained. For the sake of our democracy, it is important that we deliver on the Brexit vote in 2016.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (Conservative, Centre-right): In her statement, my right hon. Friend pointed out that the EU will not agree to an end date to the backstop or a unilateral exit mechanism. Does that make her doubt its sincerity when it says that it does not really want the backstop?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The concern that the European Union has about those two options are, as I said in my statement, that somehow the United Kingdom would engineer a situation where it simply pulled out and there was a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It wants to guarantee that there would be no such hard border I have said to the European Union that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom: we want to guarantee that commitment to the people of Northern Ireland—it is important, because they are part of the United Kingdom. But the European Union has been clear that in every circumstance, whatever trade agreement was negotiated in future and whatever the withdrawal agreement, it would require a backstop to be part of that What we can do is ensure that we get the future relationship in place, such that the backstop is never needed and that, were it to be needed, it would be only temporary. It is getting that future relationship in place that enables us to ensure the long-term sustainability of the guarantee that we have given the people of Northern Ireland.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Victoria Mary Boswell Prentis (Conservative, Centre-right): Tempting as it is to sex up international law by talking about fig leaves, could the Prime Minister confirm to me that the status of these letters from the EU today is that they are legally binding if we were to have, say, an arbitration under international law in the future?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Law and Crime
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very happy to respond to my hon. Friend, who, with her legal experience, has rather more experience of these matters than I do. That is right: the letters do have that legal force and they would be taken into account. In looking at any arbitration or dispute that arose, they would be part of the consideration that would be taken into account, so they do have that legal force.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am afraid I do not accept the underlying premise of the hon. Gentleman’s question, which is that support for Brexit has fallen. There are indeed people who say that they voted leave but would now vote to remain. There are also people who say that they voted remain but would now vote to leave the European Union. The overwhelming view that is expressed to me when I knock on doors and hear from people directly is that they just want the Government to get on with the job that the people gave the Government—the job of leaving the EU.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Victoria Grace Ford (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week the shadow Brexit secretary, the right hon. and learned Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer), implied that he supported much of the withdrawal agreement, but would vote against it because he wanted more clarity on the long-term relationship. However, the EU has made it clear that we cannot have the clarity on the long-term relationship before the withdrawal agreement: the horse must come before the cart. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is the Opposition who are being reckless in jeopardising our chances of moving on with the negotiations before Europe shuts for its elections?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has made a very important point about the timing. In agreeing the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration, we have the opportunity to start those negotiations—to get that work going—before the European parliamentary elections take place in the summer. It is indeed right that the European Union cannot negotiate that legally binding text and sign up to it until we are outside the EU, but is willing to start the negotiations so we can ensure that we are in the best place possible to deliver the future relationship in December 2020.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I have made it very clear that if people want to avoid no deal, what they should be doing is supporting this deal. As I am sure the hon. Gentleman will know, businesses such as BAE Systems have said that it is a good deal and should be supported.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend and I have discussed this before. The European Union does not see the situation that would exist if the trade negotiations were continuing for some considerable time, and if the backstop had come into existence, as a good place for the EU. Tariff-free access to EU markets without paying any money, with no free movement of people and with no access for EU boats to our fishing waters, is not a good place for the European Union to be in As I explained, the reason why the EU is concerned about the idea of a unilateral exit mechanism is that it does not want to see circumstances in which the UK pulled out of the backstop and left the creation of a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. I suspect that my hon. Friend does not trust the European Union not to try to keep us in the backstop. The EU’s concern is about whether it can trust us not to effectively leave a situation in which there was a hard border. What we have been working at is finding a compromise between the two in which we can all have confidence.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): When people voted in the referendum in 2016 they wanted—in the words used at the time and that I have used since—control of our borders, our money and our laws; this deal delivers on that. They wanted us to be able to have an independent trade policy; this deal delivers on that. They wanted us to be out of the CAP and CFP; this deal delivers on that. I think we should be delivering what people voted for in 2016.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on standing firm on the date. Does she agree that, bearing in mind the track record of the EU and the difficulty we have had in negotiating anything like a fair trade deal, the only way we will actually achieve one is when we leave the EU, regain our sovereignty and sit down and discuss properly with it a fair trade deal—which I am personally convinced we will reach, and very quickly?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We have the outline of that free trade deal with the EU; we have set that out in the political declaration. We have the opportunity and commitment to ensure that that can be put in place by December 2020 by agreeing the withdrawal agreement and the package with the political declaration, and I believe that is the right thing to do.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): It is very simple; either we have no deal or we have a deal. The deal on the table is a good deal for the UK and the EU has made clear that it is the deal.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I do agree with my hon. Friend, because many people who voted in the referendum in 2016 had not voted before or had not voted for some considerable time, and I think their faith in politics, and indeed the faith in politics of all those who voted to leave the EU, would be damaged if we did not deliver on that. I think it is very simple: we asked the people what their view was and said we would do what they decided, and we should now do it.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Brett Charles Anthony Elphicke (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Prime Minister confirm that whatever tactics are used by the Labour party—whatever Trump-style shutdown threats to Government finances it may bring to this House—she is determined that we should leave the EU on 29 March, and does she also agree that while no deal would not be ideal, it would not be the end of the world either?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier today, of course there would be damage to the economy; there would be an impact and consequences from no deal, and I have set them out. Over time the UK could recover from that, but I believe that, as my hon. Friend says, it is important that we deliver leaving the EU, and I am concerned about attempts that could be made to try to find ways of effectively rejecting the vote of the British people in 2016. I believe we should deliver Brexit, and this Government will do so.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The political declaration sets out an ambitious trade arrangement with the European Union for the future. It sets out clearly a number of specifics in relation to the customs arrangements across the border between the United Kingdom and the European Union at the various border points. What we now see is a clear commitment from the European Union to the nature of that political declaration, and the fact that it is part of the package with the withdrawal agreement.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Prime Minister provide assurances to the distribution, exporting, technological and manufacturing businesses in my constituency that if and when the deal is passed, as I hope it will be, she will move quickly to put in place our future arrangements, in order to give those businesses—and most importantly their employees, who are my constituents—the certainty that they need?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important point. We should consider those businesses, those employers and the constituents who are employed by them. Indeed I will move quickly. It is clear now from the EU, and once the withdrawal agreement has had the agreement of this House, we can sit down and start the work of putting the future relationship in place such that it is there at the end of the implementation period and there is a smooth and orderly exit for businesses and their employees in this country.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): In 2016, as part of the campaign for the referendum, the Government, who took the position that they supported remaining in the European Union, sent out a leaflet to every household in the United Kingdom in which they clearly said that they would abide by the decision of the referendum.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
David James Duguid (Conservative, Centre-right): Can my right hon. Friend confirm that, contrary to the assertions made by President Macron and others, in the event of a backstop, which would be undesirable for both sides, there would be no more common access to our waters for EU fishing vessels?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I can confirm that to my hon. Friend. It is clear that if no agreement has been reached on this matter, there will be no access to our waters for EU boats in the circumstances in which the backstop is in place. That is one of the reasons why the European Union will not consider that to be a good place for it to be.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for her determination to secure a deal that protects jobs across Erewash. Can she also confirm that the EU27 have committed to work at a rapid pace to get future trade deals in place so that we will never need the backstop?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, that is one of the things that we have now seen confirmed by the European Union. That is indeed its commitment. It wants to ensure that we can work together so that we get that future relationship in place at the end of the implementation period and so that the backstop need never be used.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): What I have said would undermine democracy—I am clear about this—would be the failure of this Parliament to deliver on the vote of the British people and to deliver Brexit. However, there should be none of the sort of behaviour that we have seen online or physically in relation to Members of this House or other members of the public regarding their views on the European Union. I have absolutely no truck with that. That aggressive and vicious attitude is absolutely wrong. I say to the hon. Lady that this deal protects jobs and that what would have a negative impact on jobs would be to leave the European Union without a deal.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): Much of the concern about the Northern Ireland backstop relates to trust, so will the Prime Minister confirm my understanding of one of the reassurances that she has secured, which is that even if EU member states have not ratified a future trade agreement, that agreement would still be applied in order to avoid the backstop? That would mean that we would not be hostage to those in any regional Parliament, such as the Walloons or anyone else, in the way that the Canadian agreement was.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. It is normal practice in trade agreements to enable them to be provisionally brought into place while ratification processes are being undertaken. We have been clear that that is what we would do, and the European Commission has been clear that it would recommend that that is what the European Union should do. The agreement could therefore be put in place and the backstop would not need to be used, and it would not be hostage to those ratification processes.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Nobody yet knows what amendments the Speaker will choose for voting on tomorrow. As for the ratification of the treaty as in the withdrawal agreement Bill when that comes through, the Bill will obviously need to reflect what is in the withdrawal agreement. A number of issues have been raised by hon. Members across the House—not just the ones to which the hon. Gentleman referred, but also issues around workers’ rights—on which we have the ability to give further confidence to Members in a way that does not actually have an impact on the ratification of the treaty.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Kevin John Foster (Conservative, Centre-right): Whatever option people want for the future relationship, other than actually remaining in the EU, there will need to be some sort of agreement with the European Union on money and citizens’ rights and some guarantees around the Northern Ireland border. Does the Prime Minister agree that just kicking the can down the road, as some Opposition Members want, will not change any of those issues?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Any agreement will contain those elements, and we have those elements in the deal before us. The suggestion that all we need to do is somehow take longer and longer is not right, and the British people would turn around and say, "Three years on, we need to leave."
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Gentleman will have noted, we published a document last week in relation to Northern Ireland that confirms the commitments we have given on one of the issues of concern that he and his hon. and right hon. Friends have raised about the potential differences in regulation between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. We are clear about the commitments we would give in relation to that situation, such that we do not see that difference occurring should the backstop be put in place. I believe firmly in the Union of the United Kingdom, and I want to do everything to ensure that we maintain the Union of the United Kingdom. There are of course already some differences in the treatment of Northern Ireland in relation to some laws, and some of those differences are significant in the areas in which they operate, but we have given a commitment to ensuring we do not have that divergence in future.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Henry Edward Millar Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very appreciative of the Prime Minister’s seemingly tireless efforts in negotiating the withdrawal agreement, but is it not the case that, because we could not unilaterally leave the backstop if it were to come into force, we are effectively ceding sovereignty, not taking back control?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right that there is no unilateral right to exit that mechanism. There is, of course, a termination mechanism within the withdrawal agreement and the protocol, but both sides would need to agree because of the fundamental point of ensuring that, at every stage, there is the guarantee of no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The backstop need not come into force if the future relationship is put in place by the end of December 2020. Even if there were a need for something at that stage, it would be possible for this Parliament—we have been clear that it would be for this Parliament—to choose whether to go down the route of extending the implementation period instead. I believe that the best thing for us to do is to work to ensure that the future relationship comes into place, with a long-term and sustainable guarantee of no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We accepted the vote on Welsh devolution, and we accepted devolution. Of course, we looked beyond that to extending the powers of the Welsh Assembly, and this Government have extended the powers of the Welsh Assembly.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Charles Kerr (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that any failure of this House to comply with the instruction of the people to take this country out of the European Union in an orderly way will play right into the hands of those who wish to destroy our precious Union and break up our United Kingdom?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. People want to see us leaving the European Union in an orderly, smooth way that does not disrupt people’s jobs and livelihoods. To do it in any other way would, indeed, be a threat to the Union of the United Kingdom.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister has said that the assurances she has from the EU would give legal certainty and clarity. If there is a dispute in that matter in relation to what is in the withdrawal agreement, who will be the final arbiter on it? Will that go to article 174, with the European Court of Justice to look at European law? Who will be the arbiter on that?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The arbiter would be the arbitration panel; a process of governance is set out in the arrangements that we have set out in the withdrawal agreement and, looking ahead, for the future relationship under the political declaration.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier in response to a number of hon. Members, the concern that was expressed was about ensuring—[Interruption.] I am trying to answer the hon. Lady’s question. The concern people had within the House, overwhelmingly, was one of ensuring that the backstop would be temporary if it ever came into place. That is in the withdrawal agreement already, but the further assurances that we have received further confirm that. As I have said, the December Council conclusions do have legal force.
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): In a speech on 11 October last year, Michel Barnier stated that in the event of no deal there would be checks at the border for all live animals and products of animal origin. Is that not potentially disastrous for Northern Ireland and for the integrity of the UK?
Leaving the EU — House of Commons, 2019-01-14
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I believe that what people voted for in 2016 was to ensure that the ECJ jurisdiction ended in the UK—the deal delivers that; that free movement would come to an end—the deal delivers that; and that we did not continue sending significant sums to the EU every year—and the deal delivers on that.