European Union: Trade

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne Excerpts

Thursday 30th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention is, as the noble Lord makes clear, not a customs union, nor is it an EU scheme. We are always looking at ways to reduce barriers to trade within our clear red lines, because having a smooth trading relationship with the EU is absolutely essential to driving growth at home. This is one of the options, and it is right and responsible that we are looking at it to determine what is in the UK’s national interest. But nothing has been agreed yet and, as ever, I am not going to give a running commentary on these talks.

[Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)]

My Lords, while I do not require the Minister to respond in song—wonderful though that might be—would she remember when she is in Brussels this week to focus very hard on the need for musicians and their instruments to be able to travel much more freely? Music is one of our most wonderful outcomes from the United Kingdom in the whole art field, and it is one that has been really damaged by the way in which movement is not allowed. That is hampering all sorts of things, not just the young. She can of course respond in song if she feels like it.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I genuinely think noble Lords would be very keen for me not to respond in song; they can all speculate on what type of song I would respond with. The question the noble Baroness raises around touring artists is a good one, and I look forward to talking about this in greater depth this afternoon.