argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The crux of the issue is that the Prime Minister has complied with the law, but it is right that alongside that, he has set out his well-known views, and that should not come as a surprise to the right hon. Gentleman any more than it should to any other Member. What is unworthy is to hold referendums and then ignore the results, which is the position of the right hon. Gentleman in terms of not just the 2014 referendum but the referendum of 2016. More than 1,200 days have passed since the referendum, and the one thing that I do not think the House has lacked is opportunity to debate the issues contained in the withdrawal agreement Bill. The Bill will be published—it is with the House—in order for further debate to happen. It is time for the House to begin that debate, back the Bill, get Brexit done and get on to the domestic priorities: the record investment in our health service, the extra 20,000 police officers we are recruiting, and the levelling up of all parts of the United Kingdom as part of strong economic delivery.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Foreign Trade
John Alan Redwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad that the Government wish to base our future relationship with the EU on comprehensive free trade agreements, but will they get on with tabling one, and show urgency in trying to secure one? The sooner we can secure one, the more reassuring it will be for Northern Ireland; and the public, who are heartily sick of all this, do not want to waste another 15 months May I personally thank you, Mr Speaker, for avoiding groundhog day today? I heard all the arguments on Saturday, and I do not think that I need to hear them again.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my right hon. Friend: we need to get on to the future relationship. The House has been endlessly debating the winding-down provisions, which are contained in the withdrawal agreement Bill. The political declaration sets out a clear framework for a best-in-class free trade agreement, and we need to pass the Bill in order to get on with that.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): The urgent question was asked by the Leader of the Opposition, which was somewhat unusual. May I refer my right hon. Friend to a Bill that was introduced in 1997 in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, along with that of the right honourable Tony Benn? That Bill stated: "Sections 2 and 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 are hereby repealed." It also stated that the European Court of Justice shall have no effect in the United Kingdom Does my right hon. Friend recall the number of times—which, as far as I am concerned, was indefinite—when the Leader of the Opposition went through the Lobby with me on every single instance relating to European matters? Does he accept that this demonstrates not merely a monumental U-turn, but a monumental lack of memory and lack of understanding of what the withdrawal Bill is all about, and of the referendum itself?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon Friend agree that what the recipients of the letter and other EU member states, and indeed this country, want to know is whether the agreement that they have reached with the Prime Minister commands the majority support of this House, and how does he propose to explain to them that now, on a second day of the House of Commons meeting, we are still unable to discover that?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much share my right hon. Friend’s frustration. That exactly is the question that will be posed in capitals; they have reached a deal with the Government and they want to see the UK leave in a smooth and orderly way. That is what their citizens want to see, it is what UK citizens in Europe want to happen, and the sooner we get on and do it the better.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Transportation
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): What I was referring to in those remarks was in line with international obligations. Some practical information will need to be provided electronically on the movement of goods from west to east. However, the Government will be considering the process during the implementation period.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Government Operations
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative, Centre-right): May I just say on the Floor of the House now that I have zero respect—absolutely no respect—for the Benn surrender Act? I have no respect for the means by which it was brought to the House and the Order Paper taken over. I have no respect for the fact that it had four hours’ debate with one day’s notice. I have no respect for the manner in which—Mr Speaker, you were not in the Chair that afternoon—manuscript amendments were being debated before they were available. This was a shambolic Act brought by those who do not want to respect Brexit. The Government should be in control of the Order Paper, and if others do not want that, they can lay a vote of no confidence, but they will not I really wonder, Mr Speaker, what this urgent question is for: is it an argument that somehow the Government should have delivered a gold-trimmed letter on a sequinned velvet cushion to the Commission? Can the Secretary of State confirm that the letter has obviously been treated as genuine and is being dealt with in the appropriate way by the Council of Ministers—even though I would have much preferred that the Government and the Prime Minister had ignored this shambolic Benn Act?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend knows, the Benn legislation was designed to prevent a no-deal exit. The Prime Minister was told that changing the backstop was impossible; he delivered it. He was told that the withdrawal agreement text could not be changed; he did so. We now have a deal that the House can pass; I hope Members across the House will do so with the withdrawal agreement Bill in order that we can leave on 31 October, as citizens and businesses around the country want us to do, and get on with it.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): First, I thank the hon. Gentleman for the kind words with which he prefaced his question. I have always enjoyed working with him on that basis. He is right to say that we need to get the detail right, but we also need to be clear as to what the scope of the withdrawal agreement Bill is. It is to implement the deal—the international treaty—that has been reached. It is not to determine the future relationship, which the House, through the withdrawal agreement Bill, will have a lot of opportunity to discuss and get right in the negotiation mandate. We need to implement the treaty through what has been agreed with the EU in the withdrawal agreement Bill, and then get on to the debate, which I look forward to having with the hon. Gentleman, on the terms of the free trade agreement as we move forward with that deal.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Benjamin David Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I wonder whether my right hon. Friend shares my concern that two Front-Bench Members of Opposition parties have now said that it is not good enough simply to police the Prime Minister’s actions through the courts and that they now want to police his thoughts and opinions as well. That is quite a sinister preview of what life might be like under a Labour Government, if that were to happen. Can he confirm my understanding of the process for the following week, and perhaps give my constituents some clarity on the legislation? Will he confirm that if Opposition Members were to bring forward amendments that are incompatible with the agreement we have made with the European Union, they would not achieve their intended outcome and would simply frustrate and prevent us from passing a deal and leaving on time?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): On the detail of the next steps, my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House will make a business statement after the urgent questions, and I would not want to pre-empt that. On the wider point, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Prime Minister has met his legal obligation, and that has been recognised by the President of the European Court and the European Union. What we now need to do is implement the withdrawal agreement Bill, get Brexit done and get on to the free trade agreement that was referred to earlier.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Law and Crime
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not for a Minister of the Crown to comment on any live court proceedings, but, to follow the lexicon of the hon. and learned Lady, what would be malarkey would be for claimants to send letters before the publication of the correspondence that addressed the issue that was sought in the earlier judgment.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Neil John O'Brien (Conservative, Centre-right): I have recently returned to the House after two weeks’ paternity leave following the birth of my beautiful son—[Interruption.] Even better, I have returned to find that the Prime Minister secured a wonderful Brexit deal, which I look forward to voting for—
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Neil John O'Brien (Conservative, Centre-right): Arthur, Mr Speaker Can my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State reassure me that he will now crack on and get the legislation through so that we can get Brexit done and not still be talking about this when Arthur is old enough to drive?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): There may have been delays in getting Brexit delivered, but I am delighted that Arthur has been delivered, and I am sure I speak for the whole House in offering our congratulations and wishing him every success for the future. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to suggest that there is huge frustration up and down the country, not only among our constituents but among the businesses that want an end to the uncertainty. They want to see a deal reached, and they recognise that it is in the country’s interests to leave in a smooth and orderly way. They see that the Prime Minister has agreed a deal that has been brought to the House, and it is now for the House to pass the legislation to enable us to move forward and get on to the other priorities that we want to do.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The answer is to listen to the Governor of the Bank of England, who says that passing the deal will be a boost to our economy, because a huge amount of investment is ready to be released if we get this deal. Business voices up and down the country want a decision and want the UK to move forward in a smooth and orderly way, and the best way of addressing the hon. Gentleman’s constituents’ concerns is to get Brexit done.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Andrew Theakstone Percy (Conservative, Centre-right): Lots of my constituents in east Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire think that what happened on Saturday was a Westminster bubble smarty-pants stitch-up to stop us leaving the European Union on 31 October and—do you know what?—that is exactly what it was. The reason why 31 October is so important is because many people in this country, particularly across the north of England, have figured out what is going on in here. There has been an attempt to play for time—to delay, delay, delay—with one simple aim, which is to overturn the referendum result that people in here never accepted and never had any intention of accepting.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The House said that it did not believe that the Prime Minister would get a deal, but he did get a deal. The House said that it wanted a meaningful vote, but when the opportunity was presented it was made a meaningless vote. It is time for those games to stop and for us to get a deal through. The opportunity to do that is to support the withdrawal agreement Bill, which legislates for the deal that the Prime Minister has reached.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The reality is that the House will have opportunities to debate the negotiating mandate and to instruct how those negotiations are taken forward. Any modelling for the future will have to take on board the future direction of the Commission under the new leadership. It will have to consider what actions the UK Government will take in response, and it will have to model what will happen elsewhere in the world, such as in China and the US. The reality is that one cannot forecast these things, but it is right that the House will have an opportunity to negotiate and discuss these things as part of shaping the mandate for the future.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): The Leader of the Opposition is slightly wrong to say that the letter takes a no-deal exit off the table. That is impossible, because it is up to the other nations of the European Union whether or not they grant an extension. The only definite way to take a no-deal exit off the table is, as someone once said, to vote for this deal, which is exactly what this House should do. [Interruption.] Does the Secretary of State agree?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much agree with my hon. Friend, and I am grateful to him for supporting the deal. This is Parliament’s letter, but as he says, the reality is that any extension would require the agreement of all 27 member states, which is outside Parliament’s control.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said in response to the earlier question, I am happy to confirm that, in accordance with international obligations, there will be occasions when electronic information is needed for the movement of goods The hon. Gentleman talks about bouncing decision makers, but we have already had two extensions. The House has debated these issues endlessly. The first version of the withdrawal agreement was published as long ago as last November. The reality is that he does not want any Brexit. He wants a second referendum; he wants to remain; and he will do everything he can to frustrate Brexit.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Henry Halfon (Conservative, Centre-right): Can we write another letter to the European Union saying that we utterly oppose a second referendum? Does my right hon. Friend agree that a second referendum would be a betrayal of the many thousands of Harlow voters and the millions of working people across the country who voted to leave? We should respect democracy and implement the result of 2016.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Foreign Trade
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The point the hon. Gentleman is missing is that the free trade agreement is still to be negotiated, and what is causing damage to businesses in his constituency and elsewhere is reflected in the comments of people such as Lord Rose, a leader of the remain campaign who now recognises that what is damaging to business is the ongoing uncertainty. We need to bring that uncertainty to an end, and the hon. Gentleman’s continued refusal to vote for a deal—while opposing no deal—is prolonging the uncertainty and damaging the interests of businesses in his constituency.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Edmund Francis Hughes (Conservative, Centre-right): Mr Speaker, I do not know whether you stayed tuned to "The Andrew Marr Show" after watching "Match of the Day" yesterday morning, but if you did, you would have heard my right hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Dominic Raab) say that Parliament cannot "muzzle" the Prime Minister. If he does not want an extension, he should be at liberty to tell the EU that. Does the Brexit Secretary agree?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much agree. I do not think the Prime Minister’s view will come as a surprise to colleagues in Europe, as he has been clear from day one that he wanted a deal, despite many voices in this House suggesting otherwise, and that it is in the country’s interests to leave on 31 October. That remains his commitment, and it is exactly what the Government are committed to doing.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): Perhaps we could have a similar tradition for the remaining duration of the rugby world cup, to which many Members from across the House would enjoy applying that maxim. My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct on the Opposition’s position. I appreciate that they have moved a lot and frequently, but if I take the position set out on Sunday by the shadow Brexit Secretary, the right hon. and learned Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer), it clearly was for a second referendum. That is odd, given that they do not trust the people with the first referendum. The question that the Leader of the Opposition is not answering and needs to answer is: how long does he expect the primary legislation to take? How long does he expect the question testing from the Electoral Commission to take? How long does he expect the operational preparations to take? How long does he expect the regulated campaign period to be for? If his position is to have a second referendum, we need answers to those questions, because he risks leaving this Parliament in paralysis because he is not answering how long he wants to delay Brexit for?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about how we engage with the devolved Assemblies as we take forward the negotiations. It is a fair point and one we are keen to address. I recognise that there have been concerns, particularly in respect of the first phase, about the effectiveness of the Joint Ministerial Committee discussions. One thing that I changed in my own Department was to ask officials to engage at official level much more. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has spoken to the Scottish and Welsh Governments in the past day or so, and the Minister of State in my Department went up to Edinburgh for meetings, but the hon. Gentleman raises a fair point on which I am keen to work with him.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: Macroeconomics
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I was just pointing out an economic reality. One can set out, as the Treasury frequently does, broad landing zones, but forecasts are inherently difficult because there are so many variables that shape what happens. To say with absolute certainty where things will be in 2033, which is where the forecasts would be trying to determine a precise landing zone, is open to a significant challenge. When the Treasury presented the cross-Whitehall analysis last November, we saw such challenge not only from Government Members; it was also there in the sort of questions that the hon. Gentleman and other Opposition Members were asking.
Northern Ireland: Restoring Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to make a statement on progress towards restoring devolution in the light of today’s extension of the period in which the legal duty to call an Assembly election is removed under section 2 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019.
Julian Richard Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): The Irish Language Act is one of a number of issues that are being discussed in the talks process. I would say again that the most important and the best way to resolve these issues is through the Stormont talks. I will continue to work at pace with the Tánaiste to ensure that we encourage parties to come back together and get back into an Executive.
Northern Ireland: Restoring Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-10-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to make a statement on progress towards restoring devolution in the light of today’s extension of the period in which the legal duty to call an Assembly election is removed under section 2 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019.
Julian Richard Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): Since taking on this job, I have been meeting the parties almost on a weekly basis, but, as the hon. Gentleman acknowledged, this is an issue for the five parties. It is ultimately up to those parties to come together, and both the Irish Government and the British Government stand ready with ideas and thoughts in order to make that happen On the relationship between the Government and the DUP, my responsibilities are for all parties in Northern Ireland, but I have a good relationship with the DUP. I will continue to support the Union to the best of my ability, along with all Members of this House. On the issue of direct rule, I could not have been clearer that Stormont and local decision making is my priority and the best way, in my view, for Northern Ireland to move forward.