Oral Answers to Questions

Julia Buckley Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Joe Morris (Hexham) (Lab)]

2. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU trade agreement announced on 19 May 2025 on the economy in Northern Ireland.

[Julia Buckley (Shrewsbury) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU trade agreement announced on 19 May 2025 on the economy in Northern Ireland.

[Becky Gittins (Clwyd East) (Lab)]

10. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU trade agreement announced on 19 May 2025 on the economy in Northern Ireland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Hilary Benn]

I can happily give my hon. Friend that assurance. He will have noticed how in another context—the trade agreement reached with the United States of America—we said that we would uphold our food standards in that agreement, and that is exactly what we have done.

[Julia Buckley]

Which of the sanitary and phytosanitary and agrifood requirements does the Secretary of State expect to be removed on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as a result of the SPS agreement with the EU?

[Hilary Benn]

Once we have negotiated the legal text and put our rulebook in line with current European arrangements, there will be: no need for SPS paperwork; no mandatory identity checks or physical checks on goods moving; no need for Northern Ireland plant health labels; an end to the ban on chilled frozen meats moving; an end to the ban on movements of products of animal origin imported to GB and then moved to Northern Ireland; and no onward paperwork or checks on agrifood moved for onward processing. That is why the SPS agreement in outline has been so widely welcomed in Northern Ireland.

Oral Answers to Questions

Julia Buckley Excerpts

Wednesday 21st May 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

The right hon. Gentleman knows the very limited impact of the inheritance tax, only on farmers at a very high level. He will also know the record amount of money in the Budget that we put into farming and the measures taken yesterday with the EU deal, which will massively help farmers who sell their product into the EU market.

[Julia Buckley (Shrewsbury) (Lab)]

Q8.   The Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway is on track to link north Wales and my Shrewsbury constituency directly to London, with five trains daily, strengthening cross-border travel and fuelling this Government’s mission to drive economic growth. With 15 Members from constituencies along the route already on board, will the Prime Minister support our journey and urge the Office of Rail and Road to give WSMR’s open access application the green signal?

[The Prime Minister]

Our plan for change will see the railways reformed to deliver more reliable and better value services for passengers right across the country. My hon. Friend has been a champion for better railways and easier journeys for her constituents. Open access operators have huge potential to offer passengers more choice. I will be delighted to ensure that she and other interested MPs meet the Rail Minister to put their case forward.