EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Lord Davies of Brixton Excerpts

Friday 8th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Brixton (Lab) [V]]

My Lords, I would like to make two points to the Minister—first, a response to his wish to end the argument on our role in Europe and then a question. In his winding-up speech last week he said

“I agree with those who say that we should close the book … on 47 tempestuous years in which the European question bedevilled British politics.”—[Official Report, 30/12/20; col. 1920.]

I do not know which book he has been reading, but he is very much mistaken if he thinks the treaty has brought an end to our debates about the European question. My two daughters cried they heard the result of the referendum. They, along with millions of other young people, will not forget or forgive the wanton vandalism of the Brexiteers. Rest assured—the book is far from closed on this issue.

I also do not understand how he can say that the book is closed when many crucial issues are unresolved. Discussions will inevitably continue for many years. For example, as has just been mentioned, there is inadequate provision for mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The treaty simply provides a framework, with the practice to be agreed through the Joint Partnership Council along the lines of the CETA treaty. This really is not good enough. Judging by the slow process of recognition under CETA, it means years of uncertainty. This not only leaves UK professionals at a competitive disadvantage, but it will make matters worse for our hard-pressed health and education sectors, where EU nationals provide so much essential support. It also poses an additional challenge for delivering the world-class academic research that underpins much of the UK’s competitive advantage. Can the Minister and his colleagues offer any concrete hope of expediting action in this area?