European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Debate between Lord Adonis and Lord Spicer

Wednesday 14th March 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Spicer]

I am not quite sure what credence the noble Lord gives to the referendum. He did not mention it in his speech.

[Lord Adonis]

We are debating these issues precisely because of the referendum. However, the referendum is not the last word on parliamentary democracy; nor is it the last word, crucially, on a treaty which the people did not even see two years ago when they voted. They could not see it because it had not been negotiated.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Spicer]

My Lords, I was not intending to speak until the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, spoke. As I understand it, the position of the anti-Brexiteers until recently has been that they accept the verdict of the referendum—we should come out—but that the referendum did not pose the difficult question of how to do so and the whole debate was to make sure that the electorate understood how we will do this very complex thing. The noble Lord, Lord Adonis, put the proposition that the referendum was of no account at all and we had to go back to the question as to whether we stayed in the European Union. I have not heard him say that before, I must say.

[Lord Adonis]

My Lords, I did not say that the referendum was of no account at all.

[Lord Spicer]

Giving an option to stay in is saying that we will go over the whole question again.