Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Carol Monaghan Excerpts
Wednesday 23rd October 2019

(4 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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James Cleverly Portrait James Cleverly
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Ministers at the Dispatch Box answer questions on behalf of the Government, not civil servants. The point I would make is that preparing for a no-deal Brexit is the pragmatic and sensible thing for the Government to do. If the hon. Gentleman is so concerned about a no-deal Brexit, he could and should have voted in a way that ensured we left on 31 October with a deal that works for the whole of the UK. He chose not to.

Carol Monaghan Portrait Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)
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T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

Michael Gove Portrait The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Michael Gove)
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It is my responsibility to prepare this country for Brexit. I am delighted that so many democrats across the House voted for the Second Reading of the withdrawal agreement Bill last night, and the universal cry from across this country is: please, get Brexit done.

Carol Monaghan Portrait Carol Monaghan
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It depends on which nation of this country we are talking about. At a recent meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster confirmed that, as part of his Government’s deal, Northern Irish businesses would have easier access to the European single market than Scottish businesses. Can he confirm how much this clear competitive disadvantage will cost Scottish business?

Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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Scotland’s businesses benefit from being part of our United Kingdom. I gently remind the hon. Lady, as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General pointed out earlier, that more Scots voted to leave the European Union than voted for the Scottish nationalist party at the last general election.