EU: Negotiations

Baroness Ludford Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord True]

My Lords, both sides remain fully committed to these negotiations. Discussions are about not whether but how to continue them.

[Baroness Ludford (LD)]

My Lords, in his reply to the debate on the EU Committee’s report yesterday, the Minister made an absolutist statement that “under no circumstances” would the Government “accept an extension”. This contrasted interestingly with an earlier response to my noble friend Lord Oates by the Minister’s colleague the noble Lord, Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, at Question Time, who said:

“Were it the case that the … Government felt the need to do such a thing”—


amending the EU withdrawal Act—

“they would take the step that the noble Lord has outlined”,—[Official Report, 16/3/20; col. 1274.]

so that they have the power to extend. However, that is not the Government’s view today. The answer from the noble Lord, Lord Goldsmith, was much more flexible. Does the noble Lord, Lord True, accept that a flexible rather than absolutist, rejectionist policy towards extension would be regarded by the House and by the country as statesmanlike, rather than as some kind of cave-in?

[Lord True]

My Lords, I do not accept the noble Baroness’s adjectives or colourful language. Parliament has enacted that we should complete this by the end of the year. That is this Government’s policy.