Debates between David Davis and John Baron during the 2017-2019 Parliament

Wed 20th Jun 2018
Tue 5th Dec 2017

European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Debate between David Davis and John Baron
David Davis Portrait Mr Davis
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The hon. Lady can be sure that we will not be gambling with the status of the border. I shall come back to the issue of no deal in a moment, because it is central to much of the issue of the amendability of motions.

John Baron Portrait Mr John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)
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Is not the importance of the position that the Government are taking that, if a “no deal” option is ruled out, that will guarantee a worse deal in any negotiation? Anyone who has been party to a negotiation will understand that.

David Davis Portrait Mr Davis
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My hon. Friend is right, and I shall come back to that point in a second.

EU Exit Negotiations

Debate between David Davis and John Baron
Tuesday 5th December 2017

(6 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Davis Portrait Mr Davis
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I refer the right hon. Lady to the speech that the Prime Minister made in Florence, because in it she dealt with—[Interruption.] Clearly, if Opposition Members cannot read, that is not a problem. I refer the right hon. Lady to that speech, because in it the Prime Minister made a very plain case for the sorts of divergence that we would see after we left. She said that there are areas in which we want to achieve the same outcomes, but by different regulatory methods. We want to maintain safety, food standards, animal welfare and employment rights, but we do not have to do that by exactly the same mechanism as everybody else. That is what regulatory alignment means.

John Baron Portrait Mr John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)
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The Secretary of State is absolutely right to remind the House that the only way of respecting the result of the referendum is by leaving the customs union and single market, which are part and parcel of the EU. Does he accept that in any negotiation there will be ups and downs, and that we should remember that both sides in this negotiation have agreed to the principle that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed?

David Davis Portrait Mr Davis
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My hon. Friend is right, and that was part of the text that we discussed yesterday. Of course there will be ups and downs and pressure points—that is what negotiations are like. I have to tell the House that yesterday it was not London but Brussels that forecast an instant outcome. We had said that Monday’s discussion was a “staging post”, and we want to get to the outcome by 15 December—full stop.