New Partnership with the EU

Martin Docherty-Hughes Excerpts

Tuesday 17th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

With great respect to my hon. Friend, I will not go into every single sector of the negotiation, but it is pretty plain that we have a very strong hand on fisheries.

[Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)]

It is a pity that the Secretary of State was unable to be present for the statement by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. If he had been present, he would have recognised that the White Paper—that is what the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union called it—is a catastrophe. Will he assure us that the Ireland Act 1949, which he has mentioned and on which I have pressed him several times, will not be revoked either before or after Brexit, and that the United Kingdom Government will confirm that they will not impose a hard border with their closest European Union member, Ireland?

[Mr Davis]

I think I have said that many times.