Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

I congratulate the Foreign Secretary on her very patient and good diplomacy. Will she confirm tha...

I can absolutely confirm that this Bill is both necessary and legal, and the Government have publ...

rose —

I will make a bit more progress and then allow some further interventions.

We continue to r...

I thank the Secretary of State for bringing this forward and for her comprehensive understanding ...

Order. Interventions should be fairly brief because we have a lot of people wanting to speak in t...

I was talking about the data that we are sharing with the EU. I am pleased to say that we already...

I have an immense amount of sympathy with what the Foreign Secretary is saying, and it does seem ...

As I said at the outset, our preference is for a negotiated solution, and we have sought that for...

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way. The Government’s legal position prays in ...

We set out the case extremely clearly in the legal advice, and the doctrine of necessity has been...

My right hon. Friend could also point out that the protocol itself contains provisions for it to ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that the protocol is not set in stone. That is why for the pas...

I am going to make more progress, and then I will take more interventions.

We fully underst...

Does the Secretary of State understand why so many people would accuse this Government of the mos...

As I have made clear, the Belfast/Good Friday agreement should have primacy. The fact is that it ...

I entirely accept my right hon. Friend’s desire to achieve a negotiated settlement if at all poss...

I thank my hon. Friend for that point. There are clearly very severe issues in Northern Ireland, ...

Will the Secretary of State give way?

Perhaps the hon. Lady can give us an idea about her alternative plan.

Over the past six years, I have given several alternatives, including as a shadow Minister. The S...

I note that the hon. Lady has not come up with any alternatives to the Bill to move the situation...

I will make progress on talking through the elements of the Bill, but I will be happy to accept f...

I have a very short question, which is simply this. The Foreign Secretary says the Bill is legal,...

We have published our Government legal statement, which clearly states the reasons why this Bill ...

There is a lot of talk about international law, but can I take the Foreign Secretary to paragraph...

My hon. Friend is right. It is very clear from the legal advice that one of the issues is that th...

One of the fundamental purposes of this long-awaited Bill is to uphold the critical Good Friday a...

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. We all know how hard-won peace and political stability ...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that this Bill is borne out of necessity: necessity to act in our...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We still face a situation in which the EU has refused to chan...

The Foreign Secretary knows that the three things that need to be resolved are the friction in tr...

The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. Those who advocate further negotiation with the EU ne...

I suspect that when the Foreign Secretary was campaigning for Britain to remain in the European U...

The reason why I am putting the Bill forward is that I am a patriot, and I am a democrat. Our No....

I will finish off my remarks.

The only way for us to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday agreeme...

The Foreign Secretary knows that I have grave concerns about her Bill, but may I ask her coolly t...

I was directly responding to the point made by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Be...

Will the Secretary of State commit that never again will a Government stand at that Dispatch Box ...

The very clear reason why we are acting now is that there has been a refusal to change the text o...

Will the Foreign Secretary give way?

Will the Foreign Secretary give way?

I will not give way any more—the House will be pleased to hear that I am almost at the end of my ...

Less than three years ago, the Prime Minister stood at the Dispatch Box seeking to persuade the H...

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the very good proposal, made a few moments ago by the right h...

What can I say to the hon. Gentleman? The Opposition think that there is a better way forward thr...

The most important thing in all this is peace, and getting power sharing up and running. Will the...

In our discussions, the DUP had consistently said that it wanted a negotiated settlement—until it...

I will make some progress.

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I call Ian Paisley on a point of order, but I hope that this is not a way of disrupting the debat...

Is it in order for the shadow Secretary of State to indicate that he has had negotiations with th...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. He knows that he is well able to ask to interv...

rose—

Will the shadow Secretary of State give way?

I will not; I will make some progress.

The Government are bringing the Bill to the House be...

The protocol makes very clear the primacy of the Good Friday agreement for peace in Northern Irel...

Negotiate—just as Labour did to get the Good Friday agreement. We negotiate. We do not break inte...

Will the right hon. Member give way?

I will not at the moment.

Let us deal with Northern Ireland first as context. None of us in...

I recognise the comments that the shadow Secretary of State has made about the Belfast agreement ...

I am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman’s experience in these matters, and indeed when the pro...

I do not think that anyone in this House can doubt the right hon. Gentleman’s personal commitment...

I accept the sincerity with which the hon. Gentleman makes his remarks. Let me just say that they...

My right hon. Friend is making a brilliant speech. Is he aware of comments by the US trade repres...

My right hon. Friend is exactly right. I have been to Washington on three occasions in the past s...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a powerful speech, particularly on the legal points. He has li...

The hon. and learned Lady knows that there is not a serious Queen’s Counsel in the country who wo...

If I heard him aright, the right hon. Gentleman indicated earlier that the Government should have...

I think that the right hon. Gentleman is putting words in my mouth. Article 16 arises in relation...

I take this point from my right hon. Friend’s mention of the Budapest accord: when the UK signs a...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. When we use the word “honourable” across this House, it means...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a thoughtful speech and these matters deserve thoughtful consi...

I want to make some progress, but I have said that this party would negotiate, just as we negotia...

The shadow Secretary of State has made much of the Government abandoning their obligations, but s...

Yes, it needs to be improved, but the question is how. What is the best method to achieve that? I...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

Let me just make some progress, because I have been on my feet for a long time and lots of hon. M...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a thoughtful speech. Will he confirm to the House that he has ...

The right hon. Gentleman has, like me, been in this House for many years. This is too serious an ...

As well as disrespecting Members and Parliament, the Bill is extraordinarily disrespectful to the...

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Should this Bill reach Committee stage, I hope that ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I must make some progress, because I am very conscious that we will run out of time.

As I h...

As will be very obvious to everyone here, there are many people who want to contribute to this de...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Ten minutes is the time usually taken to make opening remarks, a...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

If the hon. Gentleman will allow me, I want to make a few more points.

This Bill represents...

rose —

I give way to my constituency neighbour.

My hon. Friend and constituency neighbour is making a good speech. Of course, the Bill is permiss...

I think it is probably a failure of both sides, but a presumption of, “If I don’t get my own way ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Let me just finish on what the Bill might be, and then I shall of course give way to the right ho...

The hon. Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth) made a point on this subject earlier, but as a re...

That is a point with which I have much sympathy, and which Committee members discussed with the C...

rose —

I am going to make some progress, if I may.

I suggest that we have to be the party of the r...

I find it astonishing that my hon. Friend has got eight minutes into his speech and he has still ...

My hon. Friend was obviously not listening, because I made it very clear at the start that the co...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind, because of the time.

Anybody who thinks th...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not, but I know the hon. Gentleman will understand why.

The argument of necessity is...

I call the SNP spokesperson.

5.43 pm

I rise to speak in line with the basis of our reasoned amendment, namely that we believe that thi...

I was very fortunate to have the hon. Gentleman in my constituency, where I gave him the opportun...

I recall that visit with great fondness, particularly the discussions we were able to have in Por...

It seems to me that the fundamental issue of debate is whether the EU would move on the implement...

It certainly appears to me that there is a potential landing zone between what has been proposed ...

It is clear that the protocol is not working, and Northern Ireland business is suffering. In what...

Well, it seems to me that whether it disadvantages or not is not something that Her Majesty’s Gov...

I am listening to the hon. Gentleman with a great deal of interest. He is right to defend interna...

Whataboutery!

My hon. and learned Friend says it very eloquently in one word: whataboutery.

We have been ...

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in 1937 de Valera himself actually tore up the Anglo-Irish treat...

The hon. Gentleman seems to be confusing me with a representative of the Government of Ireland; t...

If the hon. Gentleman were to examine the economic performance in Northern Ireland, he might find...

Manufacturing also seems to be doing quite well, as I recall. Perhaps having a foot in both marke...

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, although I have to say to the lone Minister si...

I am grateful to the Back-Bench speakers so far, who have been very considerate of others in the ...

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Reading of this very important Bill. At the outset, ...

The right hon. Gentleman has not said anything up to now that is any way factually challengeable....

I will come to that point, but I simply ask the hon. Gentleman: if I were to do that, would he th...

Further to that point, it seems that the people of Northern Ireland sometimes cannot get goods fr...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely correct. Many of my constituents, and those of my right ho...

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman, as I have said in this place many times, about aspects of ...

If enacted, the Bill will restore confidence in Northern Ireland, will restore the consensus esse...

I know that the right hon. Gentleman gives a lot of thought to these issues and does not arrive a...

I am not suggesting that the Bill is perfect. It is rare for legislation that passes this House t...

indicated dissent .

The Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee shakes his head, but if he found his constitu...

My right hon. Friend is putting forward an excellent case for how to do away with the Northern Ir...

I believe in fairness and that when there is a dispute at an international level, the court of on...

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept, as he said earlier, that a serious democratic deficit exist...

I thank the hon. Member for that intervention and for the excellent work he has been doing in hel...

It is a pleasure to speak after the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson)...

Order. First, I remind everyone that, if you were not in at the beginning—you know who you are, a...

The Bill is proof, if ever it were needed, that Brexit is not done. It was always going to be dif...

rose —

rose—

I am not going to give way, as I want to keep to time.

Of course there are products where i...

I am grateful to be called so early.

May I start by saying to the right hon. Member for Lee...

I am surprised to see the right hon. Gentleman wanting to interfere further on “Brexit means Brex...

I read the protocol—that is why. I do not know whether the hon. Member did. In the protocol, it i...

These few years have been frustrating and damaging for Northern Ireland, and the Bill adds to tha...

Order. In order for us to get as many Members in as possible, the time limit is reduced forthwith...

The status of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom derives initially from the Act of Union 1800...

Given the right hon. Gentleman’s concern for the Assembly and for democracy in Northern Ireland, ...

The Assembly will, in due course, have the right to decide on it, but that will be after the pass...

Anybody in the House who takes legislation seriously ought to start from the presumption that ope...

I have sat diligently through the entire debate, and I think that the House is soberly and carefu...

My right hon. and learned Friend speaks wisely about these topics, as ever. He refers to the doct...

My hon. Friend makes a powerful case. His amendment to that Bill was adopted by this House in 202...

Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

I am afraid I cannot give way any further.

It is paramount that article 1 of the protocol, ...

I was very clear: I want to see progress being made in the passage of this Bill through the House...

I am extremely grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I know that he speaks about the issues with ...

The Bill unilaterally sets aside significant provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol, an inte...

My hon. Friend is quite right that there is an advantage to business and to the economy of Northe...

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. It is without question that issues with, in particu...

This Bill stands behind the Union, and the Union itself is dependent on the sovereignty of the Un...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Stone (Sir William Cash). He brought to mind the i...

While I understand the reason for his absence, I rather wish that it had been the Prime Minister ...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right in what he is saying about the Bill. Does he agree t...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, but I think the rather more dangerous point, which has alrea...

Does my right hon. Friend really think that that is a fair comparison to make?

I gently suggest to my young friend that, if I had not thought it was a fair comparison, I would ...

I welcome this Bill, which is long overdue. It delivers on some of the promises that were made to...

It is worth noting that not one Unionist party has approved the protocol. We are all united again...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Only the Social Democratic and Labour party has suggeste...

Order. I think the right hon. Gentleman is talking about Members of the other place .

I am.

Would the right hon. Gentleman be opposed to bringing more representatives of the Northern Irish ...

I have to say that there are elements of this debate that feel a bit like a bad sequel. We though...

May I begin, just as the Foreign Secretary did, with the Good Friday agreement? There is common c...

The hon. Gentleman makes a point about Members of this House. Does he believe in parliamentary so...

I completely agree with parliamentary sovereignty. I also believe that no Parliament can bind its...

Give him a job!

I am not going to take a job, thank you very much.

I agree with my right hon. Friend the Me...

This is an extremely bad Bill. It is unwanted, unnecessary and, indeed, dangerous. A number of Me...

Such a cynic!

I hear those words from the Bench behind me rather than anyone trying to refute what I am saying....

The hon. Member says that the protocol is designed to protect the Good Friday agreement. The nort...

I rather suggest that the right hon. Gentleman lies at the heart of all four of the outcomes he j...

In rising to speak this evening, I find myself, unusually, in disagreement with my right hon. Fri...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will give way as the hon. Gentleman represents the SNP.

If the hon. Gentleman is protecting what he and I would both agree is the Treaty of Union, why do...

It might have passed the hon. Member’s attention that we actually had a referendum in Scotland in...

This Bill says everything about the sorry state of this Government. It is not about solving the p...

This is a profoundly serious debate, because it is a profoundly serious thing for any country to ...

This Government are making a habit of breaking the law. Only last Friday, the Home Secretary was ...

Before I start, I would like to comment on the quality of the debate that we have had. I have bee...

I thank the hon. Member for his point. If I may, I will just return briefly to the point he made ...

The right hon. Member makes a strong point that I will come on to address in just a moment.