The British people voted in a free and fair referendum to leave the EU, including a majority of people here in Redditch. That's why I voted in favour of invoking Article 50 and backed the EU Withdrawal Bill at every stage on its journey through the House of Commons.
The UK’s vote to leave the EU was in no way a rejection of European values. The UK’s dedication to ensuring the continued prosperity of the European people remains resolute and it is unconditionally committed to maintaining the security of the continent. The UK may be leaving the EU but it is not leaving Europe. The Government will always work with our international partners to defend democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The Government has now reached agreement with the European Commission on citizens’ rights, Northern Ireland and the financial settlement. Talks are now focusing on the implementation period before moving onto the second phase on the UK and the EU's future relationship.
Implementation Period
The UK will leave the EU and its institutions on 29 March 2019. It will no longer be in the European Council, the Council of the EU or in the European Parliament. Membership of the single market will also end on this day.
I want a long-term partnership with the EU that will be of mutual benefit to all our people but a future trade agreement will take time to agree and ratify. It can also only be concluded after the UK has left the EU. This is why an implementation period is necessary. It would create instability and uncertainty if there were one set of changes after the UK left the EU and another of set after a trade agreement was reached. People and businesses should only need to adjust once to the changes.
I expect the implementation period to last around two years. During this time access to one another’s markets should continue on current terms. EU citizens will continue to come to the UK to live and work but will need to register. Elements of our future partnership, could of course, be brought in before the end of this period.
I want to emphasise that the implementation period will be strictly time-limited and that there should be no doubt that the UK is leaving the EU. The UK will regain its sovereignty over laws, our borders and trade. This creates a double lock guarantee by providing certainty for voters that the implementation period is time-limited and stability for businesses that they will only have to adjust once to the changes.
The UK's future relationship with the EU
On the 2 February 2017, the Government released a white paper entitled ‘The United Kingdom’s exit from and new partnership with the European Union’. This paper built on the 12 principles set out in Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on 17 January 2017 at Lancaster House. It sets out a comprehensive plan for how the UK will forge a strong new partnership with the EU and underpins the UK’s withdrawal negotiations. The principles remain unchanged following the Prime Minister’s speech on 22 September 2017 in Florence. The principles are set out in summary below and in more detail on the following pages.
Repeal Bill
In order to provide legal certainty over our exit from the EU, I can confirm that the Repeal Bill will remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book and convert all EU law into UK law. This will mean the immediate conversion of EU law into domestic law on the day of the UK’s departure from the EU. It will also mean that the UK has a functioning statute book when it leaves the EU. Parliament will be free to keep, amend or repeal any law as it sees fit. All workers’ rights will continue to apply after we leave the EU as they did before.
Northern Ireland
I share the Government’s view that maintaining our strong and historic ties with Ireland is a priority. The UK and Irish economies are deeply integrated and both the UK and the EU have committed to protecting the Belfast Agreement. In recognition of the Belfast Agreement, the people of Northern Ireland will still be able to identify themselves as British, Irish or both. They will continue to be able to hold the citizenship that they choose to hold. The EU and the UK have already agreed that the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, which has existed since 1925, will be maintained.
The Government and the EU have said explicitly that there will not be any physical border infrastructure or a hard border. This will be avoided by the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU that will be discussed in phase 2 of the negotiations. If agreement is not reached the Government will seek specific solutions for the Northern Irish border.
If either of these outcomes is not achieved the UK will maintain full alignment with the rules that support north-south cooperation under the Belfast Agreement. This means sharing the same policy goals even if they are achieved by different means. I am confident, however, that it will not come to this.
Ending Free Movement of People
I welcome the contribution that migrants have brought and will continue to bring to our economy and society. A sovereign nation is, however, able to control the numbers of people coming to the country. Leaving the EU will mean that the free movement directive will no longer apply and the migration of EU nationals will be subject to UK law. During the implementation period, EU citizens will continue to be able to live and work in the UK but they will need to register. The implementation period is expected to last for around two years and this will provide the time necessary to set up the new border control systems. After leaving the EU, the United Kingdom will be able to decide its own immigration policy.
Reciprocal Rights of UK and EU Nationals
The UK and the EU have secured reciprocal rights for British citizens in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK. The rights of EU citizens in the UK will be upheld by UK law in the Withdrawal and Implementation Bill rather than by the ECJ as initially requested by the EU.
UK and EU Trade
I want the best possible trade agreement possible between the UK and EU. The Prime Minister will not be pursuing a deal that retains membership of the single market but will instead seek to achieve a bold and ambitious new free trade agreement. I'm sure this agreement will be mutually beneficial to both the UK and the EU.
I recognise that by leaving the EU not everything in our trade relationship will stay the same. We will not be able to have all of the benefits of the single market with none of the obligations. In seeking a new economic partnership, however, the UK is starting from a position of strength. We are the EU’s largest trading partner and, unlike external partners seeking a trade deal, we start trade discussions with the same product standards and the same core beliefs in consumer protection, workers’ rights and fair competition. Negotiations will be about how we agree to changes not about how we bring two divergent systems together. Since we begin discussions from the same starting point, I also do not see any need to impose tariffs where we have none now.
My colleagues in Government are not looking for an off the shelf deal such as a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit or a Norwegian, Canada or Swiss model. The new model the will reflect the UK’s unique, existing trading relationships with EU member states. It will be an agreement between an independent, sovereign United Kingdom and the European Union. I want that relationship to reflect the mature, cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy.
Customs Agreements
On leaving the EU, the UK will not be bound by the EU Customs Union, the Common External Tariff or participate in the Common Commercial Policy. In its place, the Government will seek a new customs arrangement which will enable us to make the most of trade with others and for trade to continue to be frictionless between the UK and the EU. The Government is particularly committed to minimising administrative burdens between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Strengthening Trade with the World
On leaving the EU, the UK will have the opportunity to make free trade agreements with countries across the world. An independent trade policy gives us the opportunity to make deals better suited to the UK and to make quicker progress with new partners and in growing markets.
No Deal Scenario
The Prime Minister has said that she is certain that a positive withdrawal agreement can be reached with the EU. A good deal for Britain and a good deal for Europe are not competing alternatives and they are not mutually exclusive. Not reaching a deal would be a damaging blow for the future security and prosperity of the UK and Europe. For that reason, I do not want or expect an outcome with no deal but the Government is preparing for all eventualities as a responsible government ought to do.
Brexit Impact Assessments
I am aware that various concerns have been raised with me recently about the analyses which have been carried out on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
It is my understanding that my ministerial colleagues at the Department for Exiting the EU and across Government are working to ensure that the referendum result is delivered and that the UK's exit from the EU is a success. As part of its work, the Government has analysed 58 sectors, as defined by the Office for National Statistics, and a list of these has now been published.
At this time it is important to understand, however, that the sectoral analysis is not a series of 58 discrete impact assessments. It is instead a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analysis that is contained in a number of different documents. The analysis ranges from general analysis to detail on specific product lines. It has never been a series of impact assessments on the quantitative impact of exiting the EU.
As everyone is aware, Parliament has voted to ensure that the Government should not publish anything that might undermine the country's negotiating position or that is not in the public interest. I believe that this is a sensible and reasonable approach to take. In some cases, there may also be confidential or commercially sensitive information and it is right that such information should remain private.
I also want to confirm that the UK will be leaving the EU in March 2019, which includes the single market and the customs union at this point. There will be no reversal of this position. More people voted in the referendum than in any election in the last 25 years and as the Prime Minister has explained, the electorate must trust its politicians to put in place the decision that they have taken.
Consulting the devolved administrations
The Government is working with the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to deliver an outcome that works for the whole of the UK. The Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations), chaired by the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, David Davis, is also providing the leaders of the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland governments with the opportunity to help shape the UK's exit from the EU. I welcome this approach, but it is important to understand that although the devolved administrations and other stakeholders will be consulted, the UK will negotiate and leave the EU as one country.
Future of Devolution
I am encouraged by the steps that the Government is taking to ensure that any decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations remain in place after the UK leaves the EU. After leaving the EU, legislation on devolution settlements will be set here in the UK by democratically elected representatives and the role of Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly will be strengthened.
Future fisheries policy
It is vital that we make the most of the opportunity leaving the EU offers us to take back control of our waters. I am disappointed the EU would not accept the UK Government’s proposal that, during the implementation period, we would sit in annual quota negotiations alongside other coastal states as an equal partner. The Government made that case after full consultation with fisheries industry representatives, and pressed hard in trying to secure it.
The negotiating team’s hard work did, however, secure the reassurance that the UK’s share of quotas will not change during the implementation period, and that the UK can attend international negotiations and be consulted. There is also an obligation on both sides to act in good faith, which any EU attempts to act in a way that harmed our fishing industry would breach
We must not lose sight of the fact that these arrangements will only apply to negotiations in December 2019, when fishing opportunities will be decided for 2020. The following year we will be negotiating fishing opportunities as a third country and independent coastal state, deciding who can access our waters and on what terms for the first time in over 40 years.
The implementation period will allow us to make a proper transition to a future outside the Common Fisheries Policy. It will give us time to prepare ourselves to take full advantage of the opportunities for our coastal communities to revive economically, and for our marine environment to be managed sustainably. That is a significant prize, and I believe we must keep our eyes on it.
Brexit and the NHS workforce
I appreciate that leaving the European Union poses uncertainty to our country’s future, and our public services. I would like to pay tribute to the 62,000 EU nationals who work in the NHS, and commend the care and compassion they provide.
I believe we must do all we can to support the NHS, and I have the utmost confidence in my ministerial colleagues in their efforts to ensure that the UK not only concludes an excellent deal with our European partners, but also maintains this country’s reputation as a fantastic place to live and work.
I read with concern reports that the numbers of EU nationals working in the NHS has recently fallen. However, I understand that in the year following the EU referendum, the number of EU nationals working in the NHS actually increased by 5.6 per cent. I note that, unfortunately, there was a small fall in the number of nurses and health visitors from the EU during this time, however there are a variety of factors which could account for this, notably the introduction of a new English language test for NHS staff from the EU, and falling unemployment in countries such as Spain and Poland, which had previously contributed many nurses to the NHS.
The Government has been embarking on one of the largest recruitment drives in the NHS. Today, there are over 14,000 more nurses and over 11,000 more doctors in NHS wards than in 2010, as well as a further 50,000 nurses in training. Furthermore, the Government recently announced an extra 1,500 training places for doctors, and over 5,000 more trainee nurses, a 25 per cent increase. I believe that these efforts will significantly support NHS staffing, and safeguard the NHS for the future.
