EU Trade Agreements: Replication Debate

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Department: Department for International Trade

EU Trade Agreements: Replication

Hilary Benn Excerpts
Wednesday 13th February 2019

(5 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Hilary Benn Portrait Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) (Lab)
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The past two and a half years have been a very painful process, as the wild and optimistic promises about what could be achieved from the Brexit process have collided with reality. That includes what the Secretary of State said to the Conservative party conference in the autumn of 2017. The question I wish to put to him is simply this: why does he think that it has proved so difficult to roll over all these deals, when he told that conference that it would be a very easy thing to do and he was confident of achieving it?

Liam Fox Portrait Dr Fox
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If we get an agreement via the withdrawal agreement with our European Union partners, that is exactly what will happen: those agreements will roll over. Let me explain to the House why: the United Kingdom will be deemed by the European Union to continue to be party to those agreements. We will get continuity, but we will not get the same continuity if we do not get an agreement with the EU. Those who continue, by their actions, to make no deal more likely will have to be responsible for the consequences.