European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and Extension Letter

Debate between Steve Barclay and Angela Eagle
Monday 21st October 2019

(4 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts

Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Steve Barclay Portrait Stephen Barclay
- Hansard - -

My hon. Friend has always stuck to his principles; the reality is that the Leader of the Opposition cannot even stick to his own manifesto.

Angela Eagle Portrait Ms Angela Eagle (Wallasey) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Does the Brexit Secretary not agree that the Prime Minister has a problem with veracity? He told us that he would rather be dead in a ditch than sign the letter, and signed the letter. He told us that there would be no border in the Irish sea, and then he negotiated a border in the Irish sea. Why on earth should we ever believe a single thing this Prime Minister says?

Steve Barclay Portrait Stephen Barclay
- Hansard - -

The Prime Minister did not sign the letter, so I think the issue of veracity was actually in the question.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

Debate between Steve Barclay and Angela Eagle
Tuesday 29th January 2019

(5 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Angela Eagle Portrait Ms Angela Eagle
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Will the Secretary of State give way?

Steve Barclay Portrait Stephen Barclay
- Hansard - -

Unlike the shadow Secretary of State, I am happy to give way.

Angela Eagle Portrait Ms Eagle
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I thank the Secretary of State. I wonder whether he could enlighten the House about the phrase in the amendment tabled by the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Sir Graham Brady). What are the “alternative arrangements” that they are going to barrel off to the EU to renegotiate in the next couple of weeks?

Steve Barclay Portrait Stephen Barclay
- Hansard - -

If the hon. Lady had read the political declaration, she would know that the alternative arrangements are referred to in paragraph 19, but what she has drawn attention to is the stark difference between Labour and the Conservatives.

The amendment tabled by the Leader of the Opposition has barely been referred to today. Members on his own side did not even want to mention it as they referred to amendments tabled by Back Benchers. They did not seem to want to engage with it. That is because the Leader of the Opposition starts from a position of calling for unity, but cannot adopt the unified position of accepting an amendment from his own Back-Bench colleagues.