Finance (No. 3) Bill (Fifth sitting)

Vicky Ford Excerpts

Tuesday 4th December 2018 Public Bill Committees

To look at the issue in the round, we ask for analysis to be done for each country of the UK—England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland—and for each region of England, so that we know the differential impact on each. The published cross-Whitehall analysis that explained the consequences of Brexit on each region was very illuminating, particularly with respect to north of England issues. The north of England is one of the places that could see the biggest productivity gains, because of its excellent levels of manufacturing, but if that part of the economy is the most drastically hit by Brexit, it will create real problems for the UK Government. Without increases in productivity feeding through into the economy, we will all be poorer.

[Vicky Ford (Chelmsford) (Con)]

I would like to drill down a little on the point about the customs union. As I read the withdrawal agreement and the future framework, the Government have negotiated single market access that is tariff-free and quota-free and that carries no rules of origin checks. Effectively, the benefits of the customs union are in that package. What more does the hon. Lady want?

[Kirsty Blackman]

The other day, I was talking about the benefits of being in the customs union to a trade expert, who explained to me in quite simple—but incredibly useful—terms the difference between being in a customs union and not being in one. Within a customs union, the starting point is the assumption that the appropriate tariff has already been paid on every good, whereas outside the customs union the assumption is that that has to be proved. Even without rules of origin checks, we would be starting from a different point of view. However, I am not clear that the withdrawal agreement has agreed that there will not be rules of origin checks. I do not understand how the UK Government can say in their financial analysis paper that they will have a free trade agreement with China but no rules of origin checks for goods travelling between the UK and the EU.

[Vicky Ford]

The Government negotiating team have offered briefings on this deal to every Member of the House from every party. Establishing the answer to those rules of origin—

[The Chair]

Order. That has nothing to do with what we are discussing today.