G20 and Leadership of EU Institutions

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I wish the hon. Lady’s son Alexander a very happy birthday today.

I am sure we are all concerned about the deeply shocking images that we have seen from the US-Mexico border. Obviously, countries are responsible for their own border policy, but we all, I think, have the responsibility of ensuring that we address migration issues humanely. Concerns about what has happened on that border will continue to be raised.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Following on from the question asked by the hon. Member for Henley (John Howell), the Prime Minister will be aware that during the G20 the Russian Federation returned to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. With respect, there are questions about the Government’s approach to its return, but they are perhaps for another time. Given Crimea, given Georgia, given Moldova, given Chechnya, given MH17, given, of course, the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, and given the opportunity that the Prime Minister had to meet President Putin, how does she feel the future of our relationship with the Russian Federation will go now?

[The Prime Minister]

The point was made, which I reiterated in my statement, that I have been consistently clear: we have no argument with the Russian people. It is possible for us to have a different relationship with Russia, but for that to take place Russia has to change its behaviour and to follow a different path. We will not be able to normalise our relations until it does.

European Council

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Thursday 11th April 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend makes a very important point. I believe that a second referendum would be divisive, rather than healing.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

The deal will require ratification by the European Parliament. The current European Parliament will sit for the last time a week from today, and then after the elections it will meet just once in July to sort itself out. It will not really meet properly until October or November. Is an earlier leaving date not actually an impossibility, because the deal cannot be ratified?

[The Prime Minister]

No, it is not an impossibility. It is possible for the European Parliament to ratify in advance of the United Kingdom ratifying.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I say to my right hon. Friend that I was absolutely right: no deal is better than a bad deal, but we have got a good deal. We had a chance last Friday to ensure that we would leave the European Union on 22 May, and I am grateful to all colleagues who supported that motion, some of whom, I know, doing so with a very heavy heart. But I want to ensure that we deliver Brexit. I want to ensure that we do it in an orderly way, as soon as possible, without fighting European elections, but to do that we need to find a way of this House agreeing the withdrawal agreement and agreeing the way forward. It is on that basis that I have been sitting down with Members across the House and will continue to do so in order to ensure that we can find a way forward that this House can support.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Q9. Grace Warnock is a young East Lothian constituent of mine who has Crohn’s disease. Using accessible toilets, she has faced negative comments and abuse from adults, but this has inspired her to create Grace’s sign to remind everyone that there are people with invisible disabilities, who have every right to use accessible toilet facilities, and that society should have a heart. Will the Prime Minister join me in endorsing Grace’s campaign to standardise toilet signage to ensure that anyone—anybody—with a disability feels able to use accessible toilets without abuse?

[The Prime Minister]

I commend Grace for the work that she has been doing on this issue—sadly, coming out of her own personal experience. I think the hon. Gentleman has raised a very important issue. We want to make sure that people with invisible disabilities are able to access public toilets and can do so in a way that does not lead to the abuse that, sadly, Grace suffered. I fully recognise the campaign that she is fighting, and I think it is an excellent campaign.

Leaving the European Union

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Tuesday 26th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

I am very grateful, Mr Speaker. I know the Prime Minister has talked about addressing the things immediately before us first, but can she put her mind to the fact that the spring statement is due on 13 March? How will today’s statement affect that?

[The Prime Minister]

The spring statement will still go ahead.

Leaving the EU

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Tuesday 12th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

The Prime Minister has spoken about how she wants a country that works for everyone and in her speech she talked about the damage that would be done to the public’s faith in our democracy. What is her message to the 48.1% who voted remain, who did not get a mention in her statement?

[The Prime Minister]

The deal that the UK Government have been pursuing is one that respects the result of the referendum but does so in a way that protects jobs, protects our security and protects the Union of the United Kingdom. I believe that that is the deal that is right for everyone across the United Kingdom.

European Council

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 17th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I have answered the question on extending article 50. I believe it is important for us to deliver on the vote that people took. We have it in our legislation that we will leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Who does the Prime Minister think will be held responsible if there is a no deal: the Executive, Parliament or the people who voted in 2016?

[The Prime Minister]

Members of this House will have a decision to take in relation to the deal and whether they want to leave the European Union with a deal.

Exiting the European Union

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 10th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The no-deal preparations will continue, as I said earlier in my statement.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Donald Tusk has just tweeted that he “will not renegotiate” anything, “including the backstop”, but will discuss how the UK can facilitate ratification. Given that a no deal would be a disaster and the article 50 ruling this morning stated that we could revoke it, is it not in the Government’s power, if we reach a point where we risk no deal, to revoke article 50?

[The Prime Minister]

Revoking article 50 means staying in the European Union. That was not what people voted for in 2016.

G20 Summit

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 3rd December 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Lady will be aware that we have developed a national shipbuilding strategy. This is an important step forward that will support shipbuilders around the UK.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

By 2030, each girl is guaranteed 12 years of education. Will the Prime Minister confirm the commitment from the G20—and particularly this country—to achieve this target by 2030?

[The Prime Minister]

We are already one of the countries that is putting significant funds from its international development funding into the whole question of girls’ education, and we will continue to do so.

Leaving the EU

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 26th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right; the European Union does consider the backstop to be a potential area of competitive advantage for the United Kingdom, which is why it is in the interests of both sides, were it to be invoked, to bring it to an end as quickly as possible.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for her statement. She told the House that the withdrawal agreement

“protects the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, and UK citizens living in the EU, so they can carry on living their lives as before.”

Does that mean that UK citizens in receipt of state pensions in the EU will have those uprated annually, as state pension holders in this country will, and will that continue after the transition period?

[The Prime Minister]

If the hon. Gentleman looks at the political declaration, he will see that it contains a reference to the need still to negotiate some of the arrangements in relation to certain benefits, such as pensions, under the future trading relationship.

Progress on EU Negotiations

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Thursday 22nd November 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am very happy to give my hon. Friend the commitment that that is absolutely our mission.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Breaking up is clearly quite hard to do, but at least the Prime Minister has a sum in mind to pay out, but what about our pan-European families where there is a break-up and the stress of that situation, where we have children who are trying to seek access to parents and where we have lone parents trying to get assets and payments for their children? Are we really only to explore options, confirmed in paragraph 58,

“for judicial cooperation in matrimonial, parental responsibility”.

Is that genuinely as far as we can go to make that helpful for families?

[The Prime Minister]

No, what we want to do is ensure that, when we have the legal text in place, we are able to see the co-operation, which I recognise is over a matter of concern—a matter of concern to the families to which the hon. Gentleman refers—and it is a matter that has been raised by the legal sector.

EU Exit Negotiations

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Thursday 15th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman talks about respecting the position that has been taken. Throughout this process we have respected the fact that we are negotiating on behalf of, and in the interests of, the whole United Kingdom. We have continued to do that, and we will continue to do that, and Scotland of course is part of the United Kingdom.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for your indulgence earlier today. I wish to ask the Prime Minister, why is no Brexit a “risk” to the United Kingdom and my constituency?

[The Prime Minister]

The people of this country voted to leave the European Union, and I believe that it is in their interests, and the duty of this Parliament, to deliver that. I said that there was a risk of no Brexit at all, and a number of Opposition Members have said that they would prefer to keep us in the European Union. I disagree—the British people voted to leave, and we will leave.

October EU Council

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 22nd October 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Of course people sometimes change their mind, but the Government were very clear at the time, and it was not just the Government. In the vote in Parliament, the overwhelming majority of Members of this House agreed that there should be a referendum and that the choice should be given to the British people. [Hon. Members: “Not us.”] So the SNP did not think that the British people should be able to decide their future?

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

If nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, is it possible that a successful amendment to the meaningful vote could send the Prime Minister back to renegotiate?

[The Prime Minister]

We are talking about coming to an endpoint in the negotiations, agreeing a withdrawal agreement and the future relationship, and then bringing that agreed deal back for this House to vote on.

EU Exit Negotiations

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 15th October 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. We are absolutely clear that we are coming out of the common fisheries policy and that we will be an independent coastal state. We will be able to decide and negotiate who has access to our waters.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

The Prime Minister has ruled out putting a date on the backstop. Can she also rule out an indefinite backstop with a notice period?

[The Prime Minister]

I am very clear that we are not going to have an indefinite backstop and that we will ensure that the backstop is a temporary arrangement. As I said in my statement,

“while I do not believe that this will be the case…if the EU were not to co-operate on our future relationship, we must be able to ensure that we cannot be kept in this backstop arrangement indefinitely. I would not expect this House to agree to a deal unless we have the reassurance that the UK, as a sovereign nation, has this say over our arrangements with the EU.”

UK/EU Future Economic Partnership

Debate between Baroness May of Maidenhead and Martin Whitfield

Monday 5th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

That particular Bill is, of course, a contingency Bill. Members on both sides of the House ask us to ensure that we make contingency arrangements for every scenario, and that is exactly what we are doing.

[Martin Whitfield (East Lothian) (Lab)]

Thirty-nine bottles of Scottish whisky are exported abroad every second. As the seconds tick by until our departure, can the whisky industry look forward to the same benefits as now, or will it be in a worse position?