Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeffrey M Donaldson and Theresa May

Wednesday 26th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my right hon. Friend for the tremendous contribution that he has made throughout his years as a Member of the House, not only on behalf of his constituents but during his time as a valued Minister in a Conservative Government. He has rightly highlighted the importance of the decision that was made last year by the people of the United Kingdom, and I commend him for the role that he played in the referendum campaign.

It is right that we get on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it, which means having a strong hand in negotiations. The only way to ensure that that is the case—for the people of Hitchin and Harpenden and for the whole UK—is to ensure that a Conservative Government is elected on 8 June.

[Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP)]

Q15. We do need a strong Prime Minister to lead this nation, but we need the countries of this nation to have a strong voice as well. Does the Prime Minister agree that those who abstain from taking their seats in the House—those who are denying the people of Northern Ireland the formation of a Government—are denying their constituents a say in the future of this country? We, however, will not allow that to happen.

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. It is, of course, important for the constituents who elect Members of Parliament to feel that those Members of Parliament are able to do their job—to bring their concerns to the House and to play a full part in the Chamber. The right hon. Gentleman is also right to stress that we want to ensure that every part of the United Kingdom has a strong voice, which is why it is so important that we continue to work for the restoration of the devolved Administration of Northern Ireland.

European Council

Debate between Jeffrey M Donaldson and Theresa May

Monday 24th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

At the risk of repeating yet again what I have said previously in this House, we want to get the right deal. I want to get the best possible deal with the maximum possible opportunities for British businesses to be able to trade with Europe: to operate within the single market and to trade with it in both goods and services. That is our clear aim—we want to be able to have that good trading relationship with the European Union—but there are other things that we will be doing at the same time, such as ensuring we can control the movement of people from the European Union into the UK.

[Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP)]

We welcome the Prime Minister’s meeting today with the First Ministers of the devolved Administrations, and we hope that that will continue to be a meaningful engagement. It is vital that we do everything we can to support industry. Would the Prime Minister care to comment on speculation that we are considering a cut in corporation tax? We would of course very much welcome that in Northern Ireland.

[The Prime Minister]

No, I have to say to the right hon. Gentleman that he should not believe everything he reads in the newspapers.