Withdrawal Agreement: Proposed Changes

Ged Killen Excerpts

Monday 7th October 2019 Commons Chamber

[James Duddridge]

Work is going on in Northern Ireland at a number of levels. I have been involved more at a business level, looking at the detail of the arrangements. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has been involved on a more political level, as have a number of members of the Cabinet. This is obviously the big issue remaining: the Northern Ireland-Ireland border within the withdrawal agreement. All of the Government are working towards solving that. I am more than happy to discuss this issue with the hon. Gentleman in more detail, because I know he has a high level of expertise on it. I personally very much respect his position, and his thoughtful comments on this issue and many others.

[Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

The Minister wrongly says that the backstop threatens power sharing. The Government’s solution is to hand a veto to one side, undermining strand 2 of the Good Friday agreement. What assessment has been made of the economic harm all this uncertainty presents for the promotion of business and investment in Northern Ireland?

[James Duddridge]

The whole idea of Brexit is to reposition the economy not only of Northern Ireland but of the whole United Kingdom around the growth areas of the world. That is not to say that we are turning our back on our European friends, whose trade is very important, but global growth in the longer term is with the rest of the world. It positions Northern Ireland alongside the UK in a much better place for long-term economic growth.

Leaving the European Union

Ged Killen Excerpts

Monday 1st April 2019 Westminster Hall

[Catherine McKinnell]

It is a strong point. I have been clear about the potential ramifications of the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal and my concerns about exiting with no deal, but I am prepared to accept that many people in my constituency voted to leave and want to leave the European Union. That is why, if this Brexit deal is the best deal available—the only deal available, as the Prime Minister and the EU have told us—the Government should have the courage of their convictions and put it back to the people for them to have the final say.

[Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

My hon. Friend is making an excellent point about people who still want to leave the European Union. Is it not the case that, given all the water that has gone under the bridge, if we do not put it back to the people, the deadlock that we in Parliament are trapped in will continue through the next stage of the negotiations? It will never be over unless we give it democratic legitimacy. Even if people want to leave, at least they can confirm it.

[Catherine McKinnell]

Absolutely. So much has become evident since the referendum vote in 2016 and we all, including the public, those in Parliament and those in the European Union, know more about what Brexit means. If the Prime Minister is confident that her deal is the best deal available for the country, we must surely go back to the public to ask if it is what they want for their families and communities, and for our country.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ged Killen Excerpts

Thursday 28th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

6. What recent discussions he has had with EU officials on extending article 50.

[Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on extending article 50.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

10. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on extending article 50.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Barclay]

We are clear that we want to secure a deal and that we do not want to extend. The hon. Lady should really come clean, because she says that she wants to extend but what she really wants is to go back on the largest vote in our country’s history and revoke Brexit entirely. She does not want to extend in order to secure a deal; she wants to stay in the EU and go back on the deal. She is praying in aid an extension when that is not really her policy.

[Ged Killen]

If there is a vote on 14 March, will the Secretary of State vote to extend article 50?

[Stephen Barclay]

We have already had this question twice, but I am happy to refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave a moment ago. We are committed to securing a deal; that is the Government’s objective.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ged Killen Excerpts

Thursday 14th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Walker]

As the hon. Lady knows, we are committed to ensuring customs arrangements that allow for no physical infrastructure at the border. As she also knows, we have put forward our own proposal for a backstop in the EU negotiations, which is an important element of that. We want to secure this for the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

[Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

3. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on future customs arrangements as part of the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU.

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

16. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on future customs arrangements as part of the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Mr Robin Walker)]

The Secretary of State and I regularly discuss exit issues with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues, including customs. The Prime Minister is clear that we are working towards a customs solution that keeps trade with the EU as frictionless as possible, avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and establishes an independent trade policy.

[Ged Killen]

Can the Minister tell us how many times the Government’s two working groups on future customs arrangements have met, and how close are they to finally reaching a conclusion between the Government’s two unworkable and undesirable customs options?

[Mr Walker]

Those working groups are meeting regularly to advance the work on both of the options. As agreed yesterday, the Government will provide by 31 October a statement to Parliament on the steps taken to negotiate a customs arrangement with the EU.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ged Killen Excerpts

Thursday 1st February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Suella Fernandes]

The customs infrastructure is going through the upgrade that the hon. Gentleman mentions, and that is on track and on target. I am looking forward to the opportunity to build on our customs regimes so that we have a customs and excise framework that sets the standard for the world.

[Ged Killen (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

9. Whether the Government plan to accept the EU’s guidelines for phase 2 of the negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.

[The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Mr David Davis)]

It is not for the UK to accept or reject the European Union’s directives. This is its mandate for negotiations, and we have our own set of objectives. In my speech last Friday, I set out our position on what we would like to see in the implementation period, and we look forward to continuing the discussion with our European Union counterparts. Let me be clear: that work has not stopped. Following the declaration of insufficient progress in December, officials have continued technical discussions on separation issues, Northern Ireland and governance arrangements. I will shortly meet Mr Barnier to continue to the process.

[Ged Killen]

For workers who arrive during the transition period under existing freedom of movement rules, what arrangements will the Government make to ensure that workers who are crucial to industries in Scotland, such as fisheries, social care and hospitality, and who do not meet tier 2 visa requirements, are not simply sent home at the end of the transition period?

[Mr Davis]

We will be discussing in some detail with the European Union the treatment of people after our actual departure from the Union. The hon. Gentleman must take it as read, as I have said several times, that they will be treated properly, that we will not do anything to undermine our economy, and that we will do everything possible to ensure that the industries he talked about are supported.