argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Patrick Bosco McFadden (Labour, Centre-left): There are circumstances in which, under section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the Government are required to make a statement on how to proceed by 21 January. Those are if the Commons decides not to approve a deal presented by the Government, or if no agreement in principle can be reached. But the House of Commons Library, in its note prepared overnight on this, says: "If the Government maintains that its political agreement persists, the requirement to make a statement could be avoided." That is why Opposition Members are suspicious. Is the Government’s strategy to continue to give us a meaningful vote, or is it instead to run down the clock and, in the face of no deal, in the words of "The Godfather", make us an offer that we can’t refuse?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Ian Murray (Labour, Centre-left): I am sorry to sound suspicious, but the Minister has used two words in his statement that make us all suspicious. They are "assurance" and "reassurance", which we have heard time and again from this Government, and then they have reneged on them. Given that a vast majority of MPs in this House wish to prevent no deal—indeed, the Chancellor repeated that in Treasury questions just before this urgent question—will the Government either rule that out now, or bring a motion to the House so that we can vote on it and rule out a no-deal scenario?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister will understand that yesterday shredded all the good will that was left in the House on assurances such as these. I listened to the Attorney General last Monday when he told this House that he had "a solemn and constitutional duty…to advise it on these legal questions objectively and impartially, and to place such legal expertise as I have at its disposal. The historical precedents strongly support that view. The House may be sure that I shall discharge this duty with uncompromising and rigorous fidelity."—[Official Report, 3 December 2018; Vol. 650, c. 546.] The fact that he is not here today to give that legal weight to what the Minister is saying is a concern to all of us who have to go back to our constituents to explain what on earth is happening in this place. Can the Minister therefore confirm that the Attorney General has consulted him on what he has said today, and that he will publish any legal advice that he has given in the light of yesterday’s rulings and what happens on section 13?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Vernon Coaker (Labour, Centre-left): Will the Minister confirm once again for the benefit of this House and for the people in the country who will read his remarks and listen to what he has said that there are absolutely no circumstances—no legal interpretation, no scenario that may crop up over the next few days or weeks—that will deny this Parliament the opportunity to vote on whatever the Government come back with? I say to the Minister that, as he has heard from Members across the House, trust in the Government is such that he has a lot of work to do to make people believe him.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Angela Christine Smith (Labour, Centre-left): The Government’s credibility is in threads. If this country faces a no-deal exit from the European Union, the fault and responsibility will lie squarely with the Government, particularly the Prime Minister. Having listened to the Minister this afternoon, is it not the case that what we are now facing is not a meaningful vote, but a blackmail strategy?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Louise Joyce Ellman (Labour, Centre-left): Yesterday the Prime Minister failed to put before the House the deal that she herself described as the "best possible negotiable deal", and now she is travelling the capitals of Europe pleading for help. There is a growing sense of chaos in the country, and a feeling that the Government are simply not in control. Does the Minister agree that one of the options he should be considering is putting this issue back to the people with an option to stay in the EU—the best deal we have?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): The problem is that nobody believes the Government anymore. That is exactly why the Attorney General should, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) said, be forced to come to the House and to put in writing the assurances that the Minister has given. Today the Minister has simply been put up as chaff for other Ministers above his pay grade who, quite frankly, are willing to resort to any level of trickery and contempt for this House. That is the reality. Speaking of trickery, will the Minister be very clear about whether any EU member states or European Commission officials were informed of the plan to pull the vote before the Cabinet discussed it and before this House was told?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Rachel Jane Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): The contempt with which this Government hold Parliament seems to know no bounds. The answers of the Minister today suggest that it is either their way or the highway. That is not good enough. Parliament’s voice must be heard on this issue. Apart from the Minister’s word, what actual consequences are there if the Government do not bring a vote to the House of Commons by 21 January? There seem to be no consequences for holding Parliament in contempt, nor for pulling the vote that should have taken place today, so what will the consequences be if the Government do not bring a vote to the House before 21 January?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Helen Catherine Goodman (Labour, Centre-left): Yesterday we had a significant judgment from the European Court that opens up another option, so when the Minister tells the Attorney General that we want written advice, can the Attorney General take into account yesterday’s judgment in what he sends us?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Andrew Francis Slaughter (Labour, Centre-left): The date of 21 January is a long way in the future, particularly for those EU citizens whose lives are on hold and who are struck with uncertainty. The Minister said that he thought that the vote could be brought back a lot earlier than that. Could we hear a bit more of the Minister’s thoughts? Given that there are more than four sitting weeks until 21 January, why can we not have this vote before we break for the Christmas recess?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Karen Patricia Buck (Labour, Centre-left): This week’s events have meant extra cost and extra disruption for business and public services. Can the Minister help me to understand why we are expected to believe his assurance that the Government will bring forward a vote before 21 January, in several weeks’ time, when we were unable to believe the word that was given by Government Ministers yesterday morning that there would be a vote today? May I also invite him to use a different expression? Rather than saying, "We will have a vote before 21 January", can he tell us in legal terms that this Government must have a vote before 21 January?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Paul John Sweeney (Labour, Centre-left): I think we all have a fairly shrewd idea that no amount of sugar-coating is going to salvage this deal. It is dead in the water and is highly likely to fail when it does meet the test of a parliamentary vote. Given that that is the situation, what contingencies are the Government planning? They have agreed that it would be disastrous for us to crash out with no deal, so are they ruling out any option, including potentially unilaterally revoking the article 50 declaration?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Michael John Gapes (Labour, Centre-left): Given the dysfunctional and duplicitous behaviour that we have seen in the last few days, would not it be best if the Government listened to the very wise words of the former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major, speaking in Dublin today, who has asked for the revocation of article 50?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): The Government’s handling of this whole thing has been woeful. After yesterday’s shambles, I met staff of Reckitt Benckiser this morning, who told me that they are having to step up the preparations for a no-deal scenario, having received a letter from the Health Secretary saying that there could be problems at the ports for up to six months, which would mean major problems for pharmaceuticals and getting raw materials into the country. Is it not time that we now actually get on and have the vote? The Prime Minister will not bring back any major change to the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration; let us have the vote before Christmas, and then we can see what we need to do next in the new year.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
John Eugene Joseph Dromey (Labour, Centre-left): The success of Jaguar Land Rover in my constituency has transformed the lives of thousands of workers, but they now face a bleak new year. Six weeks more of uncertainty take us ever closer to the cliff. Pending Parliament deciding where we eventually go, we must rule out no deal. Will the Government therefore call a vote next week on no deal-no Brexit?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Luciana Clare Goldsmith (Berger) (Labour, Centre-left): Will the Minister acknowledge the enormous disquiet not just in all parts of this House but outside this place, across our country, that the expected vote today was pulled, despite repeated promises that it was 100% going ahead? We have heard from Europe that there is no chance of any change to the deal. Will his Government now take responsibility, stop this uncertainty—which, as he will have heard from countless colleagues, is having such a detrimental impact on our businesses and also on our nation’s mental health—and commit to bring forward the vote by Christmas so that we can all start 2019 with some certainty?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Owen Smith (Labour, Centre-left): Yesterday’s fiasco has done further damage to this country’s once proud reputation for stability and good governance. Could the Minister explain to the House how another 40 days of drift and dither is going to help to restore that battered reputation?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Thangam Elizabeth Rachel Debbonaire (Labour, Centre-left): I told my constituents in Bristol West that I will be voting against the Government’s deal and voting against no deal this evening, but the Government have pulled those votes, and yesterday the Minister’s boss said that he would not be revoking article 50. So is not the truth that this Government are trying to hold a no-deal Brexit gun to the country’s head?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018: Statutory Obligations on Ministers — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Deborah Angela Elspeth Marie Abrahams (Labour, Centre-left): After yesterday’s shenanigans and—let us face it—a total abuse of power by the Executive, all trust in this Government has broken down. So while I believe that the Minister is being sincere, will he, to restore trust, promise to have the Attorney General’s legal advice on section 13 of the withdrawal Act published, and also call for the article 50 clock to be stopped on this process?
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I beg to move, That this House has considered the Prime Minister’s unprecedented decision not to proceed with the final two days of debate and the meaningful vote, despite the House’s Order of Tuesday 4 December 2018, and her failure to allow this House to express its view on the Government’s deal or her proposed negotiating objectives, without the agreement of this House I have had the privilege of serving this House for 35 years, and I have had strong disagreements with every Prime Minister who has served in that time—it is all there on the record—but I have never, in all those years, witnessed such an abject mess as this Prime Minister is making of these crucial Brexit negotiations and in presenting her deal to the House. Most Prime Ministers lose votes and get things wrong, but yesterday she demeaned her office by unilaterally taking her discredited deal off the table and running away, rather than facing the verdict of this House. We should have been voting on it today. There is nothing wrong with standing by your principles, but this deal is not one of principle—or apparently not one that she is prepared to stand by, anyway. Yesterday the Government did not even have the decency to allow a vote on withdrawing the business. The Prime Minister let down all MPs and the people we represent, on both sides of this House, the overwhelming majority of whom know that this deal is dead and want to get on with putting a realistic solution in place I want to thank my colleagues in the Labour party who supported the application for the debate yesterday, and colleagues in all the other opposition parties who supported it, and indeed Conservative Members, on both sides of the debate, in order to ensure that a vote could take place.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour, Centre-left): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the frequency with which the Government hold this Parliament in contempt, and the ease with which they mislead the British public, is frankly appalling and pathetic? [Interruption.] It is true. It is now alleged on BuzzFeed that the Prime Minister told top EU officials that she intended to pull the Brexit vote 24 hours before she told senior Cabinet members. Does my right hon. Friend agree—
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): It is not just BuzzFeed that reported that, but the Daily Mirror. I myself have been told that the Prime Minister spoke to a number of EU member states and officials before she spoke to the Cabinet and the House to say that the vote would be cancelled. Does my right hon. Friend agree that what I have been told is shocking: that apparently the addendum the Prime Minister is now seeking was drafted weeks ago, before we even started the debate in this House?
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The whole process gets curiouser and curiouser, Mr Speaker. This is no longer a functioning Government and the Prime Minister must admit her deal is dead. Her shambolic negotiations have ended in failure and she no longer has the authority to negotiate for this country when she does not even have the authority of her own party.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Government Operations
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is not just that the Prime Minister let down the House and our constituents? Taxpayers have been paying the price, with reports that £100,000 was spent in the past week on Facebook advertisements supporting her deal. Her Ministers were sent around the country, and all of us have spent time and resources consulting our constituents. We have all been let down. We have not been able to express our view and their view in a vote in this House.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Prime Minister has indeed wasted £100,000 of public money in just seven days on Facebook adverts trying, and failing, to sell this dog’s dinner of a Brexit deal. There were days when both the Prime Minister and I served as local councillors. Had we spent public money in that way, we would have been surcharged for a waste of public money without proper approval.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I have tabled this motion today, which the hon. Gentleman supported. We have no confidence in the Government. We need to do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time—have a motion of no confidence to get rid of this Government The Prime Minister not only failed to convince the public; she now seems unable to convince the European Union to accept any meaningful changes to her proposals.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Prime Minister cancelled the Cabinet meeting this morning—presumably she is worried about whether she has a majority there or not—and apparently many of her Ministers are very upset. I cannot say I blame them. At least a dozen were sent into TV and radio stations yesterday morning to deny the Prime Minister would pull the vote, before somebody helpfully phoned from Downing Street to pull them out of the studios to say the line had changed. That is an extraordinary way of not running a Government. The Northern Ireland Secretary was quoted as saying that the UK must move on with Brexit or risk being riven with division, shortly before the Prime Minister decided not to move on with Brexit. This is the same Prime Minister who said hers was the best deal and the only deal. If that is the case, what is she doing today in Europe This runaway Prime Minister is not even seeking to negotiate. She confirmed that she is only seeking reassurances. Our Prime Minister is traipsing around the continent in pursuit and search of warm words—when she can get out of the car to hear them. It really is, if I may say so, Mr Speaker, the unspeakable in pursuit of the unwritten—a waste of time and a waste of public money. Because of her own unworkable red lines, the European Commission says it will not renegotiate with her. The Prime Minister also concedes that she is not negotiating either, so what on earth is she doing travelling from capital to capital in Europe? I am sure it cannot be Christmas shopping, so what on earth is she doing in Europe? Worse than that, it shows that once again she is simply not listening.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The red lines the Prime Minister set out on the backstop became impossible. Because of her bungled negotiations, there is a greater chance of entering into an indefinite backstop. That is one of the reasons why we would vote against it, as I believe the hon. Gentleman would.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Emma Elizabeth Reynolds (Labour, Centre-left): There are legitimate concerns about the Northern Ireland backstop, but does my right hon. Friend agree that it is not only the backstop that is a problem with this deal? Can he remember a time in British history when the Prime Minister and the Chancellor recommended a course of action that, like their deal, would make people worse off according to their own analysis?
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I cannot recall a time when any Government have come to the House to promise something that will make people worse off and then blindly continue to go ahead with it. It is not only the backstop that is a problem. Many will not vote for a blindfold Brexit on the basis of a 26-page wish list attached to it. It fails to guarantee the frictionless trade that the Prime Minister promised. It fails to maintain our membership of vital agencies and programmes. It fails to ensure that our rights and protections will be kept in place. It fails to provide a comprehensive customs union with a UK say. On the latter point, I welcome the endorsement of a permanent customs union by former Brexit Minister Lord Bridges, who said that it could be the basis for a parliamentary consensus Yesterday, following her statement, the Prime Minister failed to answer a single one of my questions, so last night I wrote to her, together with the leaders of the Scottish National party, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. We set out five questions to the Prime Minister. Sadly, she is not here to answer them. Therefore, Mr Speaker, when she returns from her strange stage-managed foray to Europe, I hope she will reply promptly to the five Opposition parties who wrote to her While the Prime Minister sends our country into Brexit-induced paralysis, the coming winter threatens the deepest crisis in our NHS. Homelessness and rough sleeping continue their unrelenting rise. The local government funding settlement is delayed yet again, meaning our very hard-hit councils cannot start budgeting for next year and neither can the police—facing rising violent crime because their funding settlement is delayed, too. Another Government contractor, we learn, is at risk, and thousands of jobs, too, as Interserve teeters on the brink of collapse; and all the while, the economy is slowing—high streets in crisis, shares tumbling, the pound plummeting. This is not strong and stable government—it is weak leadership from a weak Prime Minister.
Exiting the European Union: Meaningful Vote — House of Commons, 2018-12-11
Topic: Social Welfare
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): Poverty is the central issue in this country. As the UN report pointed out, 14 million of our fellow citizens are living in poverty. More will be rough sleepers than for many, many years over this Christmas, and we have hundreds of thousands of children living in insecure, temporary accommodation, many of them very hungry over this Christmas. That is not a good look and we should be having a Government who are concentrated on reducing the levels of poverty in this country.