I too will be brief. I was anticipating a more favourable response to Amendment 79 and the issue of the QR code. I was certainly taken aback to hear from the noble Lord, Lord Oates, that the Home Office has now rejected the bar code. I accept that the Government did not give any specific commitment in relation to the QR code when we discussed the matter in Committee, other than to say that they would take the matter back to the Home Office.
11.30 pm
We have heard some fairly powerful submissions this evening on why that documentary proof is required, why people feel it is necessary, and why people feel that they could be left in an awkward situation if they do not have it. One only hopes that the Government will take some cognisance of what has been said in the debate this evening, reflect further and take this back, and perhaps have another rethink in the hope of coming forward with something more positive when we get to Third Reading.
On Amendment 82, the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe, pursued this in Committee. She said in response to the Government:
“I found what he said”—
that would be the Minister—
“about trade reassuring on sovereignty. I am less happy on the application of CRaG, because of course that gives us a vote only on a whole trade agreement. It is the provisions on visas or immigration that worry me. If a favourable trade agreement were presented to Parliament, obviously Parliament would not want to vote against that, so we have a little problem.”—[Official Report, 8/2/22; col. 1574.]
I understand what the noble Baroness is saying. In a way it is a bit like a statutory instrument: you either accept it or you reject it, and you cannot take out bits that you are not happy with. It will be interesting to read the Government’s response.
Having said that, I crave the indulgence of the House because, frankly, I have reached the stage where I will have to depart in order to get home. I apologise because I know that is not what I should be doing, but I hope the House will accept my apologies on that particular score. I have sought to set out where we stand as an Opposition on these issues.