UK Parliament / Open data

The Government's Plan for Brexit

Proceeding contribution from Keir Starmer (Labour) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 7 December 2016. It occurred during Opposition day on The Government's Plan for Brexit.

I think it is pretty straightforward and I have said this on a number of occasions. I fully accept that the Government will enter into confidential negotiations for a number of months, and that producing a plan should not undermine that process. This is not the first time that I have said that; I have said it repeatedly. Some argue that we should not produce a plan because saying anything might undermine the negotiations, but I do not accept that. I do, however, accept that there is a level of detail and of confidential issues and tactics that should not be disclosed, and I have never said otherwise.

I want to put the contrary proposition, to see how comfortable Members really are with it. Absent of a plan and of us knowing the objectives and starting position, the Government would then negotiate for two years without telling us any of that detail. Are any Members of this House content not to know any of that between now and March 2019? Hands up who does not want to know that and is happy to say, “I don’t need to know. Whatever you are negotiating is fine by me.”

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
618 cc223-4 
Session
2016-17
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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