Point of Order
Debate between Baroness Winterton of Doncaster and David Duguid
David Duguid (Banff and Buchan) (Con)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. In yesterday’s Scottish National party Opposition day debate, I referred in my speech to the long list of support provided by this Government to help people with the cost of living crisis —you may recall that, as you were in the Chair—including the maintenance of the triple lock on pensions. I inadvertently used the wrong numbers and instead of giving the new figures, I reported the old ones. I gave a figure of £141.85 for the basic state pension and £185.15 for the new state pension, but I should have said £156.20 and £203.85 respectively. Will you assure me that my having stated that today is sufficient to correct the record?
Madam Deputy Speaker
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. Clearly, he has corrected the record, at the earliest opportunity, so I thank him for that.
Cost of Living and Brexit
Debate between Baroness Winterton of Doncaster and David Duguid(1 year, 6 months ago)
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David Duguid
Well, I voted against Brexit, but as a democratic country, we moved on and left the EU. As the hon. Member for Edinburgh South said, to leave the EU without voting for a deal—[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)
Order. I completely understand that there are a lot of interventions, but I am conscious that many other people want to speak. Some of those who are standing now wanting to intervene have not put in to speak. It is quite a long time since the hon. Gentleman started his speech and he has taken a lot of interventions.
David Duguid
Thank you for your clarification, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for bringing me a glass of water. I was glad of it because, as hon. Members will have noticed, I have a bit of a frog in my throat today.
To finish, I will repeat some of the main issues that are often misrepresented in our ongoing relationship with the EU. Compared to 2018, when the UK was in the EU, we are about even on trade exports to the EU—a fraction below in goods, but considerably higher for services. The biggest factor in any fluctuations in UK trade exports to the EU in the intervening years was due to coronavirus.
UK trade exports to the EU have increased year on year by 24%, which is part of the post-covid recovery that demonstrates that covid was the biggest factor in those trade issues. That was 24% year on year for UK trade exports, but Scotland’s exports to the EU have increased by 28%, including record exports in whisky and salmon—other fish are available, as I often remind people—so Scotland is actually doing better than the rest of the UK in the ongoing trade with the EU.
It is crucial for Scotland and the UK’s interests to increase exports, not only in the EU but around the whole world, and not focus solely on Europe. We could not commit to both EU and non-EU free trade agreements when we were a member of the EU. Outside the EU, there is a huge opportunity and presence to increase trade exports with Latin America, including Chile, as well as with India, Mexico and Malaysia, and other states in the CPTPP. Going to non-EU countries seizes more untapped market space and more export growth than going to any EU country, where we already have, and continue to have, a significant presence.
With that, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will finish my remarks, with great disappointment, but I really have to have another drink of water.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)
Order. We are now down to about nine minutes for each speech.