Business of the House

Debate between Lucy Powell and Barry Gardiner

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I recognise the issue the right hon. Member raises. Of course, temperatures are very cold at the moment right across the country. She will know that, in addition to the support that is there for pensioners—the increased state pension this year; the record increase in applications for pension credit, which are being processed at pace; the £150 warm home discount; and the extra money being distributed by councils to many pensioners, which in some cases is £200 and above—people will be eligible for the cold weather payments over this cold period. She can be assured that pensioners who are eligible are getting the support they need in this cold weather.

[Barry Gardiner (Brent West) (Lab)]

The Government have said that by June, they intend to ratify the agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions, more commonly known as the global oceans treaty. They have also said quite correctly, and highly unusually, that before they do so, they intend to take steps to put in place the measures to implement the agreement. That will require primary legislation. Can the Leader of the House tell us when such legislation may be brought forward and what form it might take?

[Lucy Powell]

I am well aware of this issue and the legislative time that would be required. The Government are completely committed to ratifying the BBNJ agreement, and work is already under way to implement provisions in the agreement before we can ratify it. My hon. Friend will be aware that we have a heavy legislative agenda—one of the most ambitious of any incoming Government. The legislation about the treaty will come forward in due course.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act

Debate between Lucy Powell and Barry Gardiner

Monday 14th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Barry Gardiner]

I am delighted to say that the rest of my speech will be doing precisely that; I hope it will satisfy the right hon. Gentleman.

Alignment of standards is key to trade. That was properly recognised by the Minister for Trade Policy himself—sadly, he is not in his place at the moment—when he said:

“If we come out of alignment with EU regulations in this area, then there is a penalty to be paid in terms of frictionless trade with Europe.”

Of course, the idea that this particular American President is not going to demand greater access for American healthcare businesses into our NHS is simply a fantasy. So yes—I would love to do more business with the USA. It is already our major bilateral trading partner as a country rather than a bloc, but whatever benefits a trade agreement with it may bring must be weighed against the corresponding losses in our existing or any future trade agreement with the EU.

[Lucy Powell]

Is my hon. Friend aware that, before the referendum, the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) said that staying in the single market was “essential and deliverable”?

[Barry Gardiner]

I am glad to say that the one thing that I can honestly claim I have no responsibility for are the words of the right hon. Gentleman.

When listening to some of the more extreme proponents of Brexit, it has often amused me to hear them say that trading with the European Union on World Trade Organisation terms would not be the slightest problem for us; in the same breath, they insist that to achieve our destiny we cannot possibly trade on WTO terms with the United States—and that that is why we need to break free from the EU.

The simple truth is this—I hope it answers the right hon. Gentleman’s question: it makes good sense to have good trade agreements with everyone, but to have the best trade agreements with our closest trading partners. For us, that is the EU, with which we do 53% of our trade and which takes 44% of our exports.