Visible Religious Symbols: European Court Ruling

John Bercow Excerpts

Wednesday 15th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Lefroy, what has happened? The feller was standing earlier. The House wants to hear him.

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

Mr Speaker, I apologise: my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) asked the question I was going to ask, and I did not want to detain the House any longer.

[Mr Speaker]

Extraordinary self-effacement; the hon. Gentleman is setting a very dangerous precedent.

[Dr Matthew Offord (Hendon) (Con)]

Although the judgment applies to men and women, does the Minister agree that it sends an appalling message, particularly to Muslim women in places such as my constituency? Will she reassure me that she will take tangible action to reassure specific faith communities that the United Kingdom certainly will not go down this route?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lady Hermon (North Down) (Ind)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

We tend to come to points of order after statements. We can hear from the hon. Lady at that point.

[Lady Hermon]

It pertains to this statement.

[Mr Speaker]

The spirit of generosity gets the better of me. If the hon. Lady is extremely brief, we will hear her point of order.

[Lady Hermon]

I am enormously grateful to you, Mr Speaker. This is a very important point. The great repeal Bill will incorporate all existing EU law at the moment of Brexit. It will therefore incorporate the two judgments of the European Court of Justice that we have just discussed. Will you seek confirmation from the Prime Minister and her Government, if possible, that the two judgments will not be allowed to remain part of our domestic law one moment past Brexit?

[Mr Speaker]

I am extremely grateful to the hon. Lady, but I fear she invests me with a power that I do not possess. It is not for me to ask the Government to take a position one way or the other. All I would say is that I have no reason to dissent from her interpretation of the legal and, in a sense, parliamentary position. However, the whole point of that upcoming Bill to be introduced by the Government is that it imports from Europe into our law a body of material with the option then to preserve, to amend or to repeal, case by case, as the Government propose and ultimately the House decides. On the basis of the hon. Lady’s expression of interest in this important matter, I feel certain that, when any such matter comes up for consideration, she will leap from her seat to acquaint the House with her views, and we all look forward to that.