Summary

  • MPs debate private members' bills

  • House of Lords sits from 10am

  1. 'This is the worst of all possible scenarios'published at 15:14 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and Border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sheryll MurrayImage source, HoC

    Conservative Sheryll Murray says that when she speaks to people on the doorstep they are angry that the UK could remain in the customs union. She says it will continue the EU Court of Justice jurisdiction over the UK.

    She says that "this is the worst of all possible scenarios", being "ruled by the European Union", but "we have no say".

    She adds that remaining that in a customs union could keep EU payments the same as they currently are.

    "Brexit means Brexit, Leave means Leave," she says. "Let's get on with it," she adds, to groans from some MPs.

  2. More discussions to be had?published at 15:13 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

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  3. Ireland has a 'backlog of VAT receipts'published at 15:07 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and Border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Ruth GeorgeImage source, HoC

    Labour's Ruth George says that there is a backlog of VAT receipts for the Republic of Ireland because so many companies are considering moving to Ireland and registering there in event of the Brexit negotiations not going the way they planned.

    "They certainly didn't vote to give British companies a competitive disadvantage to companies based in Europe," she says.

  4. I learn something new 'every day' about Brexitpublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and Border debtte

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Ed VaizeyImage source, HoC

    Former minister Ed Vaizey says he learns "something new" every day from the EU exit process.

    He says, jokingly, that he has learnt that everything spoken against the EU is "betraying the people", to laughter from the Commons.

    He says Parliament must be able to make the decision on whether or not to leave the customs union without being accused of "betraying the British people".

    "I want to make a decision based on what is best for my country," he states.

    He finishes by asking how Germany can export increasingly to China "while anchored and shackled to the EU".

  5. Committee chairs are in the best position for this debatepublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and Border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Meg HillierImage source, HoC

    The chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier, uses her speech for to call for "evidence-based debate" on Brexit. She says that she and the four other committee chairs are in a "position" to take evidence in a cross-party manner.

    She says her committee has produced "a series of reports" which "highlight the practical challenges for this country".

    The volume of customs declarations could increase to 200m from 55m per year, and there will be further increased work for the UK Border Agency, she adds.

    She says that committees must work together in order to see the costs to all government departments from Brexit.

    HMRC has said it has no extra border infrastructure; meanwhile the Netherlands and Ireland have hired hundreds of new border agents to work for British arrivals and imports. One Dutch parliamentarian she has spoken to has said that if the Dutch need "hundreds" then the British will need "thousands".

    She calls for the government to be more transparent so the Commons can scrutinise. "We need to call it out, wishful thinking is not enough," she says.

  6. Rudd: 'I'm the person to put it right'published at 14:40 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Home Secretary Amber Rudd rejects calls to quit after being forced to admit the existence of immigration removal targets.

    Read More
  7. 'Result has to be respected' - Conservative MPpublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Matt Warman reminds MPs that his constituency voted more strongly than anyone else to leave the EU.

    He says that the result of the result "has to be respected" by defining it; by ending free movement and being able to strike trade deals around the world.

    He says that can only be achieved by leaving the single market and customs union.

  8. 'Huge risks' of leaving customs union - Reevespublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee says that she recently visited Norway, which shares a border with Sweden.

    She says that trade there "is not frictionless" and tells MPs that there is infrastructure on the border between the two countries.

    "There are huge risks, and I believe that there are huge costs of us coming out of the customs union."

  9. Soubry: 'Put country first'published at 14:27 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Conservative Anna Soubry says that the debate that is taking place now should have taken place before the referendum happened.

    "It is imperative that we put our country and the best interests of our constituents first and foremost", she says, responding to an intervention from her colleague Kevin Hollinrake, on whether she supported single market, as well as customs union membership.

  10. 'Clear to most' that border is inevitable - Labour MPpublished at 14:08 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour's Seema Malhotra says that it is "clear to most" that there isn't a solution to achieving no hard border in Northern Ireland without infrastructure.

    She says that a border is "inevitable" between the north and south of Ireland without membership of the customs union.

  11. 'Regressive customs union'published at 13:59 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Quote Message

    The expectation of the public when they voted to leave... was that if we voted to leave, we would be regaining our trade policy. I don't think we can do that inside the regressive customs union"

    Kate Hoey, Labour

    Kate HoeyImage source, UK Parliament
  12. Parliament doing 'exactly what it should do' - Morganpublished at 13:59 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Treasury Committee chair Nicky Morgan says that Parliament is doing "exactly what it should do" by "teasing out these issues".

    She says Commons select committee's have gathered "hours and hours" of evidence, adding that "it's right the select committees have called this debate today".

    "The dishonesty is not fronting up to the issues we are facing," she says, explaining that it's best not to have a debate like this during "the heat of amendments", and says that she hopes that exchanges will be calm.

  13. Questions about NI border raisedpublished at 13:52 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Independent MP Lady Hermon intervenes during Kate Hoey's speech, to say that Sinn Fein will exploit any harder border in Northern Ireland and agitate for a border poll.

    Ms Hoey says Sinn Fein would love a border poll, but there are regulations laid down about one.

    "I find this attitude...as if we are being blackmailed by Sinn Fein and those who were responsible for violence in the past," she says.

    Such views should not be allowed to influence the UK's economic policy, she says.

    She says that these arguments are being used to change the fact that the people of the UK voted to leave the EU.

  14. Staying in customs union 'transition to remaining' - Hoeypublished at 13:41 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Kate HoeyImage source, hoc

    Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey says that she feels "alone" as she begins her contribution to the debate.

    "There are a lot of people here today who are using the issue of the customs union to start the process again of wanting to stay in the European Union."

    She argues that if the UK stayed in the customs union, this would be a "transition" to remaining, and would not allow Britain to "take back control" of its trade.

    "I think the public who voted to leave understood that a vote to leave was to give up the treaties of the European Union," she says, explaining that customs union membership is part of those treaties.

  15. Warning from veteran Conservative MPpublished at 13:36 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Quote Message

    You will damage the economy of this country... if you suddenly decide to erect new barriers at the border between the UK and our major trading partners"

    Ken Clarke, Conservative, Father of the House

    Ken ClarkeImage source, UK Parliament
  16. Call for Amber Rudd to make another statementpublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

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  17. It's remarkable 'how little attention' Parliament has paid to eventspublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    Customs and Border debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Kenneth ClarkeImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Ken Clarke says "it is remarkable how little attention Parliament has been allowed to pay" to the events currently taking place which will have "profound effects" on the economy for the years ahead.

    He says he believes the Commons should be able to have more time to put in its views on the Brexit process. He says he is not sure he has ever heard a speech from Ms Cooper, the opener of the debate, in which he agreed with virtually everything she said.

    "You will damage the economy of this country," he says, if the UK continues on its course to leave the EU.

    The government will not be able to recreate the existing customs arrangements with the EU after the UK leaves, which will leave the country poorer.

    Labour's Chuka Umunna asks if he can think of any time when a government has taken a decision which would make the country poorer.

    "Not deliberately, only accidentally," he says, to laughter from the Chamber.

  18. Political will needed to fund the NHS properly - Labourpublished at 13:17 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    NHS sustainability report

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    HuntImage source, HoL

    Labour spokesman Lord Hunt of Kings Heath says an NHS set up to deal with short-term illnesses is now responsible for "a patient population with more long-term conditions and increasing complex care needs".

    He says successive Conservative governments "chose to cut adult social care and pare NHS spending down" and the government's response to the committee report was "underwhelming".

    He acknowledges he can see the attraction of a ring-fenced hypothecated tax to fund the NHS, before going on to explore the option of a rise in National Insurance which he highlights would have "some drawbacks".

    "You need a government with the political will to make the investment," he adds.

  19. Time limits don't apply...published at 13:13 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

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  20. Plea for political consensus on reforming the NHSpublished at 13:07 British Summer Time 26 April 2018

    NHS sustainability report

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    PatelImage source, HoL

    Crossbencher Lord Patel is opening a debate on a select committee report , externalon the long-term sustainability of the NHS.

    The report found evidence of "a culture of short-termism" in the health service and adult social care and made recommendations including:

    • a medium-term plan to deliver "sustained service transformation" at a local level
    • radically reshaping the acute hospital inpatient sector, with secondary care services reflecting the needs of the local population
    • the establishment of an independent body, the Office for Health and Care Sustainability, to assist the government in safeguarding the long-term sustainability of an integrated health and adult social care system for England

    Lord Patel says the current state of the NHS is indicated by "daily headlines about bed-blocking, queues at A and E, operations being cancelled and clinical commissioning groups rationing care".

    "Despite all this, a dedicated workforce tries to cope," he continues, but what's needed is "a policy rethink, a consensus, a long-term settlement".

    He notes the government's response to the report was "a little short on addressing policy recommendations" but he expresses hope that it can work to bring in meaningful reforms.