EU Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Changes

Maria Caulfield Excerpts
Monday 11th March 2019

(5 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Robin Walker Portrait Mr Walker
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The hon. Lady knows that negotiations often go to the wire, and I think it is absolutely right that the Government should fight for the best possible outcome to those negotiations, especially when we have been instructed to do so by this House. That is what we are doing.

Maria Caulfield Portrait Maria Caulfield (Lewes) (Con)
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Does the Minister agree that the intransigence of the EU on making legally binding changes to the backstop, whether to the time limit or an exit mechanism that would enable many of us to support the deal, justifies our concern that, if we ever enter the backstop as it stands now, the EU would never let us leave?

Robin Walker Portrait Mr Walker
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My hon. Friend clearly expresses the concerns that have been raised on both sides of the House about the backstop, which is why we are seeking to address those concerns through a legally binding change.