Legislating for UK Withdrawal from the EU

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Thursday 30th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

Unusually for the hon. Gentleman, as an ex-Select Committee Chairman, he missed the fact that the Prime Minister made direct reference to the White Paper, which covers exactly that point.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

I know we can rely on my right hon. Friend to be an extremely robust negotiator, but just for the sake of absolute clarity on the role of the European Court of Justice, can he confirm that it will have absolutely no authority in the UK and that he will not in any circumstances water down that commitment during the negotiations?

[Mr Davis]

I was just going to say yes, but I will make very plain what we are saying: the European Court of Justice will have no reach into the UK. It is of course the case that when one sells a product in another country, one meets the rules of that country. If one does that in the United States, one meets the rules that reach up to the Supreme Court. The same will happen in Europe, but the ECJ will not reach here.

Exiting the EU: New Partnership

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Thursday 2nd February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

This is a negotiation, but if the hon. Lady reads the White Paper, she will see that it sets out that European exports of goods and services to us total £290 billion, whereas ours to them are worth £230 billion. So they clearly have a strong interest—as strong an interest as we do—in tariff-free goods access, because for them goods are a much bigger part of it as well. The disparity is more than £60 billion, so there is every reason to expect that we will succeed in what we are intending to do, which is protect the jobs of her constituents.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend will recall that at last week’s Brexit questions I asked about the seafood sector, and I can tell him that it will be particularly pleased with the comment in paragraph 8.16 giving it full support. However, he will also be aware of the long-standing grievance of the fishing communities up and down the country following their being sold out in the original negotiations. Will he reiterate yet again that that will not occur on this occasion?

[Mr Davis]

Yes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Thursday 26th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

These are certainly important matters and we are addressing them, but the hon. Lady will understand that we will not be publishing impact assessments that might be useful to those with whom we will be negotiating.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

The seafood processing sector is vital to the local economy in the Cleethorpes constituency. Will the Minister assure me that its interests will be at the forefront of considerations during the Brexit negotiations? Will he meet business leaders from the sector to pass on his assurances?

[Mr Jones]

My hon. Friend is entirely right that this is an important sector of the economy. Indeed, it may well be that I have already met those representatives, as we have been having extensive engagement with the agri-food industry.

Article 50

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Tuesday 24th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

We already have. That was the point that the Prime Minister was making when she said that we wanted barrier-free, most facilitated trade with the EU.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

Can my right hon. Friend assure the 70% of my constituents who voted for Brexit that he has a contingency plan to ensure that, if the upper House were to attempt to thwart or delay the Bill, we would meet the March deadline?

[Mr Davis]

From what I remember of my hon. Friend’s constituency, there are enough Members of the upper House in it for him to be able to tell them himself.

Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Thursday 1st December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr David Davis]

Those are two different things. As I said earlier, we give very high priority to both tariff-free access and access without tariff barriers, at least no more than there are already—there are plenty. That may or may not include membership of the single market, but it is achievable by a number of different methods.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

The fishing industry has never fully recovered from the sell-out in the original negotiations to enter Europe. Can Ministers assure me that the fishing industry will have a much higher priority in this set of negotiations?

Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Vickers Excerpts

Thursday 20th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr David Davis]

More important than me, the Prime Minister had a meeting with Nissan only this week, and the communiqué that came out after it was extremely positive on both sides.

[Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)]

Brexit has been widely welcomed by leaders of the fishing industry in the Grimsby-Cleethorpes area. The industry was badly let down in the original negotiations in the 1970s. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that that will not be the case on this occasion?

[Mr David Jones]

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The interests of the British fishing industry are at the forefront of the Government’s mind. Indeed, we have already had meetings with the Scottish fishermen and had round-table meetings at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.