Brexit: Single Market

Lord Hannay of Chiswick Excerpts

Monday 24th October 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Stamford (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

My Lords, after a number of unsuccessful attempts, it is the turn of the noble Lord, Lord Pearson.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Kramer]

My Lords—

[Lord Hannay of Chiswick]

My Lords—

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches and then the Liberal Democrats.

[Lord Hannay of Chiswick]

My Lords, will the Minister tell us whether the word “access” he used in his original Answer was access, special access or membership of the single market? Could we in future perhaps distinguish between those and stop using the ambiguous and slippery word “access” to mean absolutely anything we want it to mean?

[Lord Bridges of Headley]

I think the noble Lord is accusing me of being Humpty Dumpty and saying that the word,

“means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less”.

However, I will not add further to what I said or breach the Prime Minister’s commandment and start issuing running commentaries.