argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not that expectations have been raised this time in relation to this—it is the position that we have taken, and consistently taken, since my Lancaster House speech in relation to not wanting to see a return to the borders of the past between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As I said in answer to a previous question, ensuring that we get the solution to this will require us not just to work with the European Commission and with the EU27 but to work hard with the Republic of Ireland Government as well.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The key issue is that this is about the period of time required to make the practical changes that are necessary to move to the future partnership. Of course, by definition, those changes will have a time limit to them. I have said that that will be around two years, on the implications of the practicalities of what we are looking at. It is absolutely essential that it is time-limited, because we will have left the European Union and we will be moving to a new partnership. People in the United Kingdom want to ensure that we get to that partnership and our new arrangement outside the European Union.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Transportation
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We are aware of the necessity of looking very closely at and negotiating deals in relation to aviation, because we want people still to be able to fly, as they can today. But, once again, the hon. Lady is focusing on a no deal scenario, when the efforts of Government are being put into getting a good deal.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
James Philip Duddridge (Conservative, Centre-right): Although we all hope that our European partners will start to negotiate on trade, is there not a silver lining if they are unreasonable? If that happens, we will have to move towards WTO rules, and suddenly the French and Germans will realise what a disaster that would be—for their economies, not ours. They will negotiate a good deal, and we will not write out the blank cheque that Labour Members want to give them.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. I think it is in the interests of both sides—businesses here in the UK, and businesses in the EU27 countries—that we get that deal on trade. That is why we are working so hard for it.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Desmond Angus Swayne (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend show caution in respect of the suggestion that she reach out to, and enlist the support of, Opposition Members, particularly those who have shown their desire to thwart Brexit at every turn by voting against the principle of the withdrawal Bill?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The whole question of our membership of the WTO, and the independent role that we will take once we are outside the European Union, is one on which the Department for International Trade is already working. It is looking ahead, with partners such as the European Union, to the position that we are going to take.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The reason why this country has been so successful in the past and will be in the future is our belief in the rule of law. May I therefore urge the Prime Minister to pay the European Union what is legally due to it when we leave the EU—not a penny less, but not a penny more either? If the Government have spare tens of billions of pounds in their coffers, and I am not sure that they do, that money should be used to pay for things such as social care and pay rises for public sector workers, not to go into the bottomless pit of the EU and into Jean-Claude Juncker’s wine cellar, which I am sure is rapidly diminishing as we speak. We cannot look public sector workers in the eye if we give tens of billions of pounds to the EU that we do not legally need to give to it and hold back their pay at the same time.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I assure my hon. Friend that, as I said in the Florence speech and have reiterated today, we are clear that we will honour our commitments, but we are going through those commitments line by line. Of course, part of the discussion about those commitments is precisely the legal nature of them. We are a law-abiding nation and we want to ensure that we stand by the commitments that we have made, but we are not just going to sign up to anything, as the Labour party would do.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that, by some happy accident, we have actually ended up in a rather more constructive space for a successful deal, because we are now going to have two months of private diplomacy on the future deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with our EU partners? Even so, it is necessary for us to prepare for no deal—these talks may fail—and even Gina Miller agrees with me that we should begin to surface the Government’s own preparations for their contingency plans. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the preparations should be surfaced so that not only the Government but businesses and people can begin to make the necessary contingency plans?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We are working to get the deal that we believe will be in the interests of the UK and the European Union for the future. That is where our focus is. Of course, as I have said, we are working across Government to make contingency arrangements for every eventuality. However, as I have also said, we are in negotiations, and we are not going to give a running commentary on every detail of them. We continue to work for what I believe is in our best interests, which is to get a good deal for us and for the European Union.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the hon. Gentleman was making the point from a sedentary position that this issue will actually affect others on the other side of the channel, as well as those in the United Kingdom The point is that we have published proposals. The future customs relationship will be part of the negotiations, as we look to the future trade relationship, but we published proposals in the summer about a number of options that could be adopted to ensure that we see trade that is as frictionless as possible across the borders, and the problem that the hon. Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock) raises does not arise.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My party has a track record of ensuring that we do not have to contribute to propping up the euro. That is exactly what my right hon. Friend the previous Prime Minister negotiated with the European Union.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Shailesh Lakhman Vara (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement and the progress she has reported to the House. I do not believe that EU citizens living in the UK should have the European Court of Justice as the final arbiter of any disputes when we leave the EU. However, to the extent that this matter remains on the agenda for Brussels, will she give an assurance to the House that Britain is demanding that British citizens living in EU countries have recourse to our Supreme Court and not the ECJ?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative, Centre-right): There are some misguided amnesiacs who think that nationalisation is good way forward. There are also some who think that we should stay in the single market. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that, due to state aid rules, a country cannot nationalise if it is in the single market?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): What we have done, and what we will continue to do when we move on to the negotiations on trade, is talk about the future customs relationships we want to have with the European Union. We have set out proposals for that and we look forward to discussing them with the EU.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We are a member of the WTO, but obviously we have that link in relation to the European Union. In future, we will want to be an independent member. We are working across the WTO to ensure we are able to put in place the necessary arrangements for that to happen.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy John Elton Lefroy (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Prime Minister for the huge amount of work she is putting into these negotiations. I am sure she has the support of the whole House as she does so. Does she intend to ensure, as she mentioned in her statement, that free flow of data is an absolutely integral part of any future relationship between the UK and the EU?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Technology
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very happy to give my hon. Friend that reassurance. As I said when I was at the European Council, the free flow of data is important for us in relation to operations, in particular building a digital single market. Another point that I and others made is that we should look at the digital market as not just being about the European Union. Actually, this is a global issue. We need to ensure that the work is done on a global basis.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Both sides recognise that the timetable was set out in the Lisbon treaty, which does indeed refer to the future relationship. The withdrawal agreement can only be considered and agreed taking account of the future relationship. It is important that we negotiate that future relationship, so we have both the withdrawal agreement and the future partnership, and the implementation period then is a practical implementation period.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Jonathan Simon Djanogly (Conservative, Centre-right): Actually, he always used to take me to Nottingham Forest, but there you are In contrast to the disappointment coming consistently from the bureaucracy of Europe, in my right hon. Friend’s discussions with the leadership—the politicians—of Europe and individual member states, is the position more nuanced? Is there hope for optimism?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, there is hope for optimism. Obviously, we are negotiating a future partnership. One of the interesting issues is that the EU27 are themselves starting to think about their future and the nature of the relationship and arrangements they will have. We are working to negotiate that deal. As I indicated to the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith), we will start those trade negotiations on the same basis of trading, which will make it easier for us, as it will not need to be as bureaucratic as it might in other circumstances.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): This is about more than the decision to leave the EU; it is about whether the public can trust their politicians to put in place the decision they took. Any suggestion that we say to the public, "Oh, you’d better have a second referendum because we think you got it wrong," is out of the question. We will be leaving the EU.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome my right hon. Friend’s update and the tone and manner in which she is representing the UK during these negotiations. Although no deal is obviously better than a bad deal, does she agree that given reports that the German Foreign Ministry is preparing a draft trade accord and the Swedish National Board of Trade is drawing up trade plans, there are grounds for optimism that a mutually beneficial trade agreement can be struck that honours the instruction from the British people last year?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that there are grounds for optimism that we will be able to move on to those detailed trade negotiations and get that good trade deal. As her question illustrated, it is precisely because this matters to others in the EU, not just to us, that it is in both sides’ interests to have that trade deal.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The British people voted to leave the EU and that is what we will be doing, and that means we will no longer be full members of the customs union or the single market. We should be optimistic, however, about the opportunities that will be open to the UK, as a sovereign nation, not just from a good trade with the EU but in negotiating trade deals around the world.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Macroeconomics
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Prime Minister believe that there are still too many refuseniks on the Opposition Benches who find it impossible to come to terms with the result of the referendum, that by their antics they undermine not just the Government’s bargaining position but their own constituents’ verdict, and that the image of some of them crossing the channel recently, paying homage to the Commission, holding a bowl of British taxpayers’ money, like some Oliver Twist in reverse, saying, "Please sir, can we give you more?", was not just absurd but a slight to the British taxpayer?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend. I am afraid that all we hear from the Opposition Benches are speeches and questions and, indeed, votes that are intended to thwart the will of the British people. What British taxpayers want is for the Government to get on with the job, which is exactly what we are doing. What they do not want is an Opposition who say to the European Union, "Just tell us the bill, and we will pay whatever it is."
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I will tell the right hon. Gentleman who I am standing up for. I am standing up for the British people who voted that we should leave the European Union—unlike the Liberal Democrats, who want to tell the British people that they got the answer wrong. They did not. We gave them the choice, they voted, and we will deliver what they voted for.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Over the weekend, television broadcasters and newspapers have repeatedly used a photograph in which the German Chancellor and the French President are covering their mouths. Viewers of "Match of the Day" will be familiar with that pose, which is usually adopted by managers and coaches on the bench when they do not want the opposition to see their change of tactics. Does my right hon. Friend detect a change of tactics among our European colleagues, and does she think that they have ruled out victory, fear defeat, or are playing for a score draw?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I do think—this was clear from some of the comments from other European leaders which I quoted earlier—that the speech that I gave in Florence has brought about a change in momentum, and has been a spur to the negotiations and the progress that was made at the European Council. However, I could not possibly comment on what Chancellor Merkel and President Macron were saying when they were talking to me in that manner.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Agriculture
Sarah James (Wollaston) (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Prime Minister’s positive approach, and the news that we are within touching distance of a deal, because that is in everyone’s best interests. However, in preparing for all eventualities, would the Prime Minister be willing to reinstate the seasonal agricultural workers scheme? Businesses in my constituency are keen to plan ahead for all eventualities.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I always welcome the literary and classical references that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary brings to bear in his speeches and statements, and he and I are both working to ensure we get the right deal for the United Kingdom when we leave.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver James Dowden (Conservative, Centre-right): I, too, was listening to the Foreign Secretary’s speech, and I was heartened by his remarks on Korea. I thank my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister for her update on those discussions at the European Council; does she agree that, as we leave the EU, it is more important than ever that we reassure our important friends and allies in that region, such as Japan and the Philippines, that our support for them remains undimmed, and, indeed, is stronger than ever?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very happy to give my hon. Friend that reassurance. Indeed, I spoke to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this morning to congratulate him on his victory, but also to reinforce the fact that we in the United Kingdom want to build on and enhance our relationship with Japan. We will continue to work with it and other international partners to ensure we get the right result by stopping the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal activities, but we also want a stronger defence and trade relationship with Japan in the future.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said in response to the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw) earlier, Russia was not a subject on the agenda of this European Council, but it has been on previous Council agendas. The hon. Gentleman talks about disruption across Europe; of course, the Russians have indulged in disruptive activity—not just the illegal annexation of Crimea, but also the actions it has taken to interfere in democratic elections in a number of countries. This is a subject that I am sure the Council will return to.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Antoinette Geraldine Sherratt (Sandbach) (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend has outlined the progress being made in the negotiations. That is particularly important in terms of exports by the services sector, which accounts for 80% of our economy. The sector has no protection under WTO rules; what assessment has been made of the impact of no deal on the services sector?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Foreign Trade
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said earlier, we are obviously looking across all parts of our economy in the work we are doing for the future. My hon. Friend is right to raise the issue of the services sector, as it is very important for the UK, and it is one of the key issues we will be focusing on in the trade negotiations for the future. We have always been very clear that this is about both goods and services, and we want to retain both the value of our services sector and the world leadership that we have in many aspects of it.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen William Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement and warmly welcome the progress she has outlined towards the deal that both we and our European partners require. I also welcome the statement about EU citizens. I note that my right hon. Friend says in her statement that "there are a small number of issues that remain outstanding". What progress might be made in front of the December Council on those matters, because resolution of that would represent a real Christmas present for many EU citizens in my constituency and elsewhere?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I used the phrase that we were within touching distance of a deal in relation to the citizens’ rights issue, and I have just indicated in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond) that there are a number of issues still on the table, but I think we can see where we can go to ensure that we get that deal and that agreement. The Government are very clear on the position we have taken into the negotiations. I set it out in the Florence speech, and that is setting that vision for the future deep and special partnership. It is that vision that the European Union is now responding to.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Macroeconomics
Nigel John Mills (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the conclusions about the need to have a fair and effective tax system in which all companies across Europe pay their share of taxes. Did the Prime Minister have the chance to urge the EU to follow the progress we have made on more transparency for international companies, and will she commit to extending that to overseas owners of UK properties?
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: Technology
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an interesting point. We have made clear to the European Union the work that the UK has done on this in the past. There was a particular discussion on this issue in relation to the digital market, and also a recognition in the European Union, given what we have always said and the efforts that we have made in the past, that this is an issue that has to be looked at on a global scale and not just within the European Union.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are working to ensure that we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom. That is where our efforts are being focused, and that is what we will continue to do. I set out the implementation period in my Florence speech, and, as I indicated earlier, this issue was alluded to by the European Council and by the Commission in the April guidelines. This is a matter on which I believe we can make progress because it is in both sides’ interests.
European Council — House of Commons, 2017-10-23
Topic: International Affairs
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. We have been clear that we have been keeping the Gibraltar Government in touch with the work that we have been doing, and we continue to work with them. We will continue to assure them that we will take their interests into account at every stage.