Thursday Volume 628 7 September 2017 No. 24 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 7 September 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 285 7 SEPTEMBER 2017 286 Mr Davis: Yes, my right hon. Friend is quite right. House of Commons The simple truth is that membership of the European Free Trade Association, for example, which would be one way to retain EEA membership, would do exactly Thursday 7 September 2017 that: it would keep us within the acquis, and it would keep us within the requirements of free movement, The House met at half-past Nine o’clock albeit with some limitations, but none of those have worked so far. In many ways, it is the worst of all PRAYERS outcomes. Wedid consider it—I gave it some considerable thought, maybe as an interim measure—but it seemed to me to be more complicated, more difficult and less [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] beneficial than other options. Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD): The Oral Answers to Questions Secretary of State has given an equivocal answer on whether there might need to be a vote on the EEA. Will he consider whether we should also have a vote on the settlement bill and, indeed, on the cost of the Nissan EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION deal set out in the rather heavily redacted letter I have here? The Secretary of State was asked— Mr Davis: Well, the heavily redacted letter was not Membership of the European Economic Area from me, so I am not entirely sure what the right hon. Gentleman is referring to, but the answer, generally, is 1. Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab): What discussions no. he has had with Cabinet colleagues on plans for the House to vote on continued UK membership of the Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley) (Con): Does the EEA. [900639] Secretary of State agree that we have already had a vote, The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and that was on 23 June last year? The British people (Mr David Davis): The United Kingdom will no longer decided to leave the European Union. Does he agree participate in the EEA agreement once we leave the that one of the things we can now look forward to is European Union. The United Kingdom is a party to being able to do trade deals with a number of countries the EEA agreement in its capacity as an EU member throughout the world, which we are now constrained state, so on exit day the EEA agreement will cease to from doing as members of the European Union? operate in respect of the UK. It will no longer have any practical relevance to the United Kingdom. We are Mr Davis: My hon. Friend makes exactly the right considering what steps, if any, we might need to take to point: we are able to make trade deals once we leave the confirm formally our withdrawal from the EEA agreement European Union, and that will give us enormous benefits, as a matter of international law. because as the European Commission itself admits, 90% of world trade will be outside the EU, not within it, Stephen Kinnock: I thank the Secretary of State for in the coming decades. his answer, but I am afraid that article 127 of the EEA agreement, to which the United Kingdom has been a Keir Starmer (Holborn and St Pancras) (Lab): The signatory since 1993, clearly states that any country Secretary of State set out his position on the EEA. On wishing to leave the European economic area must give 15 August, he told the “Today”programme that transitional formal notice of at least one year. Will the Secretary of arrangements should be State therefore please confirm that such notice would “as close as possible to the current arrangements”. have to be given to leave the EEA and that, given the Two days before that, the Chancellor and the International fundamental constitutional, political, legal and economic Trade Secretary said in a joint article that Britain would importance of such a decision, the decision to leave the leave the customs union and leave the single market. EEA would be subject to a debate and a vote? Both positions cannot be right. Will the Secretary of State step up to the Dispatch Box and tell us what form Mr Davis: There is actually agreement that when the of transitional arrangements the Government are seeking UK ceases to be a member of the EU, the EEA agreement to negotiate? will no longer operate in respect of the United Kingdom. As such, the Government’slegal position is clear: article 127 Mr Davis: I did that only a couple of days ago. I will does not need to be triggered for the agreement to cease come back to the point, but for the House’s interest, I to have effect, but we are looking at it just to make sure, will read a small part of a LabourList article—I read for clarity purposes, that we meet its requirements. LabourList all the time, of course—by the hon. Member Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon) (Con): Does my for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock), who opened this question. right hon. Friend agree that continued membership of He said: the European single market, which some Opposition “On Sunday Keir Starmer used an article in The Observer to Members seem now to be advocating, would negate call time on the ambiguity that had come to define Labour’s many of the advantages of leaving the European Union, approach to Brexit since the referendum”— while requiring us still to accept decisions that we could the ambiguity, right? He said, “It was an approach”—this no longer influence? To that extent, it would actually be is the best bit— worse than continued membership as a full member. “that…served us well on 8 June”. 287 Oral Answers 7 SEPTEMBER 2017 Oral Answers 288 What was that ambiguity? Tell leavers you want to Dr Williams: Britain already has one of the most leave; tell remainers you want to remain. That ambiguity, competition-friendly economies in the world, according of course, could not last, and, as the hon. Gentleman to the OECD, but some Conservative Members want to said, it was never sustainable. That is the ambiguity of use Brexit to dismantle workers’ rights and erode the right hon. and learned Gentleman who has just environmental protections. [Interruption.] The EU brought asked his question. us—[Interruption.] Now, our position is very clear. The transition arrangements will meet three different requirements: to Mr Speaker: Order. I am sorry, but there is huge provide time for the British Government, if need be, to pressure of time today, and we do not have time for create new regulatory agencies and so on; time for descriptions. What we need is short, pithy questions, companies to make their arrangements to deal with new preferably not heckled extensively, so that we can get regulation; and time for other countries to make down the Order Paper. arrangements on, for example, new customs proposals. That is what will be required. That is why we need to be Dr Williams: The EU brought us parental leave for as close as we are to our current arrangements. It does families, it brought us— not mean that, in the long run, we are in either the customs union or the single market. Mr Speaker: Order. I am sorry, but I explained that what I need is a single-sentence question, not a series of Mr Speaker: There is plenty of material for colleagues descriptions. to include in their Second Reading debate speeches if they so wish. The material might be better located there. Dr Williams: Will the Minister assure the residents of Stockton South that their rights will not be eroded and Keir Starmer: I asked the Secretary of State his that workers and the environment will not end up position and he started with my position. If he wants to paying the price of Brexit? swap places—any time. Given the progress to date, and knowing that we will Mr Baker: Yes, I am happy to reassure the hon. go back to this answer, what prospects does the Secretary Gentleman and his residents. I can reassert the of State genuinely believe there are for bespoke transitional Government’s commitment not to roll back workers’ agreements being agreed, negotiated and implemented rights. As I have said, the UK already goes beyond EU by March 2019? Knowing how anxiously businesses are minima, and it will be for Parliament in future to looking at this, when does he anticipate being able to determine the future course of the law. tell them what the arrangements will be, because they need to make arrangements? Mr Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green) (Con): First, may I welcome my hon. Friend to Mr Davis: That is a very legitimate and sensible the Dispatch Box? In the course of the debates about question. I believe that the benefits of a transitional the so-called Henry VIII powers, will he remind everybody arrangement go both ways—they are symmetrical. They that section 2 of the European Communities Act 1972 apply equally to France, Holland, Germany or Denmark actually, for 40 years, gave a British Government the as they do to us. That is some of the read-back we have kind of Executive authority that was never granted been getting.