Brexit: European Commission Discussions Debate

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Department: Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: European Commission Discussions

Lord Tomlinson Excerpts
Monday 9th July 2018

(6 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Callanan Portrait Lord Callanan
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Of course, we share the noble Lord’s desire to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland, and take on board many of the points that he makes. What is innovative about the Chequers proposal is that it delivers precisely that: it enables the UK to maintain our own tariff schedules, but also avoids the imposition of a hard border in Ireland between Northern Ireland and southern Ireland. We look forward to discussing those proposals with the Irish Government and the European Commission.

Lord Tomlinson Portrait Lord Tomlinson (Lab)
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If this is the Brexit that the Government have always wanted to put forward, can the Minister explain to the House, particularly to those with limited understanding, why the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union thought that the proposals were so divergent from past policy that he found it necessary to resign?