European Council: December 2016

Lord King of Bridgwater Excerpts

Monday 19th December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

My Lords, I think I have been very clear. Our objectives are extremely clear: to deliver the best deal for the British people.

[Lord King of Bridgwater (Con)]

Is not the reality that there should be discussion in Cabinet about these very serious issues? What actually matters is that we come to a clear conclusion at the end of it, and I do not expect it to be rushed in five minutes, although I certainly endorse what the noble Lord, Lord Kinnock, said. I saw a German Minister quoted as saying that Germany would not be able to concentrate on these negotiations until after the German election, which is a singularly unhelpful thought.

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

Perhaps I can further reiterate on the deal that we want. We want to give companies the maximum freedom to trade with and co-operate in the European market and allow European businesses to do the same. We want to deliver the deepest possible co-operation to ensure our national security and the security of our allies. We want to ensure that we are a fully independent sovereign state and therefore able to make decisions of our own, such as how best to control immigration, and we want to make sure our laws are once again made in Britain. All members of the Cabinet agree on those issues.