argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
John Horam (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, like most of us, I imagine, I was relieved when, in the end, there was a deal. But I am afraid that it is not a good deal for the UK. The European Union gets all that it wants on trade and we get nothing on services, which we all now know, relentlessly, are 80% of our economy. That could be serious for our financial services industry. At the moment, we are the financial centre for the European Union. Will the European Union tolerate having its main financial centre outside its ambit? I doubt it. It smells good business and, as a regulatory body, can put the squeeze on us, as was pointed out by the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Stamford. Billions of pounds of trade have already gone and thousands more jobs will follow My other concern is inward investment from overseas, where we have consistently outstripped Germany and France in the past. Will that maintain its present level if we are no longer an easy entrance to the European single market? It seems unlikely I am afraid that in business we are like a card player who has voluntarily discarded two top cards but still has to play the game, so we have to reinvent ourselves on the economy. As the noble Lord, Lord Bridges of Headley, said, we have to think through our new role. It can be done. We have a great deal going for us, as the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, pointed out—I entirely agree with him. There are opportunities, and difficulties always cause opportunities, but let us not underestimate the size of the task that we have set ourselves.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Peter Bowness (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, it would be quite possible to use the two minutes to highlight the failure of Parliament to adequately scrutinise the Bill —now an Act—which implemented the agreement we are attempting to scrutinise today. In the period of negotiations, Ministers oft replied that the answer to questions depended on the outcome of negotiations with the European Union. Well, they are over, and we have an agreement of sorts. I have two specific questions and hope I may now get some specific answers First, when the Government had the opportunity to opt out of pre-Lisbon treaty police and criminal justice decisions, the UK took that option, but had the option of rejoining measures that the Government believed to be in the interests of the United Kingdom. The then Home Secretary, Theresa May, opted back in to some 35 or 36 measures. Specifically, how many of those are retained by this agreement My second question relates to the failure of the agreement to secure visa-free entry to the EU for more than 90 days in any period of 180 days. In winding up the debate on the Bill, and again today, the noble Lord, Lord True, said that a more ambitious agreement on movement of business travellers—which would include musicians—was rejected by the European Union. There has been some confusion in Answers I have had to Written Questions. On 24 March, the Home Office Minister replied that UK nationals wanting to stay in the Schengen area for longer than 90 days may need a visa from the relevant member state. The arrangements are not dependent on whether the Government conclude a free trade agreement with the EU. But on 5 May, the Foreign Office told me that it depends on the approach taken by the EU or the relevant member states. Does this have to be negotiated with the European Union or with individual member states? If the latter, how many of the 27 have we approached, and what is the state of the negotiations?
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Emma Pidding (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I first congratulate my noble friend Lord Wharton of Yarm on his most excellent maiden speech—excellent in both content and delivery. As one of his supporters on the day of his introduction, I acknowledge what an asset to our red Benches I know he will be. His wisdom and political acumen belie his tender years. How satisfying it must be for my noble friend who, back in 2013 in the other place, brought forward a Private Member’s Bill on a European Union referendum. It has taken only seven years to fulfil his ambition, as he said then, of putting the issue to bed Back in January 2018 I spoke in this Chamber and said that "regardless of which side we supported in the referendum … we all recognise that our departure from the European Union will be one of the biggest challenges faced by any British Government in modern times."—[Official Report, 30/1/18; col. 1516.] So it proved. The debate following the result of the 2016 referendum sucked the oxygen out of our political discourse. It has been bruising and debilitating in Westminster and throughout the country Our Prime Minister, along with the negotiating team led by my noble friend Lord Frost, have against the odds and despite much negative political commentary successfully delivered a deal that I believe can meet the ambitions of people on both sides of the Brexit debate. It is an agreement that fulfils the democratic result of the 2016 referendum and one that will allow us to take advantage of a new relationship with our friends in the EU and throughout the wider world. It is now for us as a country to move forward and begin a new chapter for this great global nation.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Richard John Grenville Spring (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I very much hope that, as an independent entity, we can enjoy a positive and productive relationship with the European Union. Its prosperity is in our interests Our new status unlocks the capacity to embrace new trade and investment relationships. Of course, many of our 63 accords signed up to essentially replace existing EU trade agreements, but all offer expansion potential. For example, clear parameters have been agreed with Japan for regular meetings to examine expanding financial sector linkages. For the first time, the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and HM Treasury are formally participating in this process. Japan is anxious to support our membership of the CPTPP, the trans-Pacific partnership, which it is chairing this year and to which we are soon to apply. It is worth noting that, in dollar terms, while the United States’ share of world GDP remained steady at 25% between 1990 and 2019, the EU’s fell from 30% to 20%. The pointers are obvious Many of your Lordships have underlined the necessity for us to obtain equivalence for our financial sector. My noble friend has reiterated our commitment, but the real competition for us, and indeed for any other financial sector, is New York and Singapore. So, for our unique financial sector, we must make sure that our interests are recognised—and indeed, in the interests of all of Europe Of course, our financial institutions will inevitably have increased their activities in the EU, but our financial sector coped brilliantly with the huge changes that occurred during the big bang, and it resurrected itself after the huge damage done by excess and the dysfunctional regulatory system that marked the financial crisis. Our financial sector should, and will, remain an irreplaceable asset for us and indeed for our neighbours.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Mohamed Sheikh (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I welcome the agreement. As someone who voted in favour of leaving the EU, I am pleased we have been able to do so with a good and respectable agreement. As a businessman, I realise that in any negotiations you need to give and take and compromise, with the view that you will arrive at a win-win solution. I think we have achieved this. I declare that I have been a regional chairman and a member of the board of the British Insurance Brokers Association. I would like to make three points. First, the insurance broking industry welcomes the deal, but one of its concerns is there is no equivalence provision. It asks the UK Government that, in their current negotiations with the EU, a system should be set up to replicate passport rights as closely as possible and implement this in the proposed MoU. Secondly, as of 1 January 2021, UK drivers and motorcyclists in Europe must have a green card in their possession; they will no longer enjoy benefits of access to the free circulation zone. The EU Commission has indicated that there must be consultation on this issue. I ask the UK Government to begin this consultation as soon as possible. Thirdly, I refer to the exchange of data among financial services organisations. The EU has agreed a specified period of four months, extendible by a further two months for the exchange. We ask the UK Government to negotiate a long-term solution on this matter. The exchange of data is very important to the financial services industry. I ask my noble friend the Minister to comment on the points raised if he can.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the vote on 30 December, followed by our exit from the EU on the 31st, was a truly remarkable couple of events in the history of this country. In the face of constant adversity and amidst negative attitudes from many, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and my noble friend Lord Frost pulled off a Canada-style deal that was thought impossible. I applaud their tenacity and skill I believe that our future outside the EU looks exciting and full of opportunities. Last Sunday, I read a press article written by one of this country’s most successful businessmen and exporters: my noble friend Lord Bamford. As your Lordships will be aware, my noble friend makes construction equipment, which is exported to all four corners of the globe. In the article, he said that, since it was founded in 1945, his company has grown to export products to over 150 countries worldwide. He stated: "Let us be a lot more like the Germans when it comes to exporting. We really do need to be exporting a lot more … We just need to seize more of the opportunities." He should know—those policies have served him extremely well. The CBI, the chambers of commerce and UK Export Finance have a major role to play in exploiting fully all the opportunities that will be provided by the dozens of new trade deals that the UK is entering into. It is bound to be a bumpy ride but the rewards could be phenomenal I agree wholeheartedly with my noble friend Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth when he says that there is much vital work to do to rebuild our friendship and trust with our European Union friends and neighbours. Now is the time to concentrate on building a successful and prosperous future—not continually carp on about the past like some noble Lords insist on doing. The future of this country is far more important than their views.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
John Taylor (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, my interests are listed in the register. I will speak on matters of concern to my family’s business interests. Along with other noble Lords, I am very much relieved to be able to welcome a deal. As a horticultural businessman growing and trading in bulbs and flowers, principally with the Netherlands, I have a feeling of déjà vu about pre-membership days when I started in the business—a return to the bureaucracy of data-inputting and inspections. This is not what Brexit was about. In particular, I do not want our business to lose its trade with an important part of the UK—Northern Ireland—nor, for that matter, with the Republic. However, a combination of the Northern Ireland protocol and phytosanitary regulations may make that inevitable We all know of the problems with Scotch certified seed potatoes, Lincolnshire sausages and wooden furniture from Cwmbran, and shoppers on the island of Ireland are rightly worried that suppliers and distributors based in Great Britain may find it impractical to serve their market. The added paradox is that EU suppliers will have the right of unimpeded transit, free of inspection, across Great Britain to deliver to Ireland, north and south If the agreement with the EU is truly about trade and co-operation, we have now designed an over-elaborate system. It is not sufficient to input customs papers; we also need to provide phytosanitary documentation. Why cannot the two be combined? Inspections of already-inspected produce add costs to business. To remain competitive, an answer might well be for us to change our business model and transfer some activity to Holland, but this will be of little comfort to the 150 people who work for us in Holbeach Pressures such as this will exist throughout the horticultural industry. I accept that some change is inevitable, but we owe it to British horticultural businesses to work with them to ensure that they retain their role as a key employer in rural areas. Brexit should be and can be about putting British business and British jobs first.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Sandip Verma (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I refer to my interests in the register. It is now time to ensure that, against the challenges of Covid-19, we as a country talk up our ability to go out, to engage, to get progressive and advantageous trade deals and stronger engagement with the emerging economies of the world, and to develop even closer relationships and exchanges of information and intelligence with our EU friends and those globally that we share common goals and threats with Can my noble friend the Minister provide comfort and confirmation to the SME sector, which throughout the transition period raised concerns about preparedness and readiness, that it will be properly supported, not penalised, if it makes errors in the early days, and that there will be some grace period to help SMEs to embed the processes and systems required? Many have told us that they are fighting the impacts of the pandemic, and that has dramatically impacted on their cash flows Would my noble friend also tell me what support those currently working in the EU are being provided to ensure that they do not face any untoward hardship or difficulty in continuing to work in Europe? I wish to know what they need to be done in a respectful way, just as we would be treating EU citizens in the UK Finally, with the growing rise of racism in some parts of Europe, will my noble friend ensure that all UK citizens are free from harm, discrimination and barriers to opportunities with this new relationship? I do not want to see certain parts of our country unable to access the benefits that we will find outside the European Union.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Sayeeda Warsi (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I draw the House’s attention to my interests in the register and I too start by congratulating my noble friend Lord Wharton of Yarm on his maiden speech. As someone who also entered the House at the grand age of 36, I say to him, "Pace yourself, it’s a long road ahead." I welcome the deal because it is better than no deal and because it provides some stability for business—and I welcome the agreement on tariffs, which has eased some of the anxiety faced by business. But in my two minutes I want to draw my noble friend’s attention to the real-life implications of these changes for businesses In preparing for the debate, I attempted to run through the process of obtaining the information and completing the new documentation required to export to an EU state. It is far from straightforward. Having read through numerous documents, visited numerous websites, been advised to join more webinars and watched hours of YouTube videos, I was directed and encouraged to contact an external organisation that could assist me with the necessary paperwork, for a fee, on a transaction-by-transaction basis I personally went through the system and process that businesses are doing as we debate. What concerns me is that there is no single portal or place to get vital information. It is naive and out of touch of us to assume that small business owners have the time to dedicate hours to video watching, hoping that the next one will be relevant and have the answers. It is worrying that we assume, in these pandemic-hit, difficult times, that they have the headroom to absorb additional costs in simply trying to carry on the trade they were doing last year. Additionally, training on these changes and additional staff time will have to be organised and budgeted for In preparation for the debate I spoke to a number of manufacturing businesses that have also been going through this process. They anticipate a morning’s worth of paperwork and preparation per export transaction. The optimist in me would like to think that these are simply teething problems, but the realist in me fears that it is not and that it will—certainly in the short term—make British business less competitive I have two short questions. First, do the Government feel that businesses coming out of a pandemic have the time or capacity to absorb additional costs of production and provision? Secondly, would it be prudent for the Government to provide financial support to enable businesses to implement these changes?
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Nicholas Fairfax (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I also congratulate my noble friend Lord Wharton on his strong maiden speech. Like many others, I congratulate the Prime Minister and my noble friend Lord Frost and his team, but also Ursula von der Leyen, on achieving this deal. There is a saying that the definition of a good settlement is one where both parties are unhappy, but in this case both sides profess to be happy; therefore, it is all the more of an achievement. As I say, I include the President of the EU Commission in that accolade. Like us, she saw the nonsense of no deal and the sense of a pragmatic deal. Of course, as many have said, the deal is not perfect, particularly in financial services and fishing. However, it mostly achieves for the UK what very many here wanted. Meanwhile, the Department for International Trade has quietly got on and signed over 60 bilateral trade deals, as your Lordships have heard, and CPTPP membership is now within possible reach For much of the period of its membership, the UK has often been an awkward and uncomfortable member of the EU. With its departure in this deal, it is much better for the UK to have cleared the air and to move to a less tense and more harmonious future relationship with our former EU colleagues. As the vast majority in this country wish, let us put the acrimony and bitterness of the last few years behind us and instead go forward in a mood of positivity for the benefit of our country, as indicated by my noble friend Lady Bottomley. This is what our country badly wants and needs. Despite what some Jeremiahs sadly still say, I sincerely hope that this is not a Panglossian aspiration.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Anne McIntosh (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I also warmly welcome my noble friend Lord Wharton and congratulate him on his maiden speech This is definitely an agreement towards a relationship on which we can build, so that is very positive. However, I urge my noble friend the Minister to turn to some urgent matters in the first few days of the agreement being in place. In particular, while I welcome that the agreement has led to no tariffs or quotas, I am sure that he will share my concern on the rules of origin provisions and country of origin rules. He was silent on this point but already it is having grave repercussions for our food and drink industry, which is the largest manufacturing industry in the country. Will he therefore urgently address the issue so that products such as pies, sausages and other processed meats can be exported fresh rather than just frozen, which is the position from 1 January I realise that the bottleneck at Dover has been eased at the moment as we are currently running at only about 15% of its 2019 capacity, but will my noble friend look favourably on increasing the freight capacity on east coast ports? I think in particular of the capacity that has been released with the sad loss of the Hull to Zeebrugge ferry service, but also increased capacity through other east coast ports, to ensure that northern businesses such as Potter of Melmerby and Reed Boardall of Roecliffe do not have to trundle down to Dover to access the EU market There is a severe shortage of vets, which has been exacerbated by the fact that we now require vets in connection with the urgent release of export health certificates. Perhaps my noble friend can address that, as well as the loss of access to the European Food Safety Authority and what will replace it.
EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement — House of Lords, 2021-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Howard Emerson Flight (Conservative, Centre-right): The TCA comprises a detailed and complex agreement, which looks, in the main, to be a fair and sensible deal for both the EU and UK. It reads as though it may have been drafted by members of the Department for International Trade. It comprises seven separate parts, plus a number of annexes and three protocols. Of particular interest are the joint declarations on financial services and regulatory co-operation Key aspects of the TCA include tariff-free and quota-free trade in goods, and provisions made for rules of origin that will need to be met for goods to qualify for preferential trade terms. The TCA covers transport, hauliers and air travel, law enforcement co-operation, government structures and ongoing participation in some programmes. It creates a number of government structures to be managed by new partnership councils. It includes level playing field requirements to prevent distortions to trade The most important trade co-operation issue is that the UK has a fair deal for financial services—our largest industry. As other noble Lords have pointed out, there is still a lot to be done to negotiate equivalence. It is constructive that the Treasury—with the help of the Bank of England, I am sure—is producing a memo on undertakings. I believe we can complete and polish the deals on financial services, but it will take some time. I close by adding my welcome to my noble friend Lord Wharton.