No-deal Brexit: Short Positions against the Pound Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

No-deal Brexit: Short Positions against the Pound

Bill Esterson Excerpts
Monday 30th September 2019

(4 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Simon Clarke Portrait Mr Clarke
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I have a great deal of admiration for the former Chancellor, but I am clear that in this case he is wrong.

Bill Esterson Portrait Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)
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A number of hedge funds expect to benefit as a result of their short positions on a number of sectors in the economy, including construction and shopping centres. It cannot be right that as a deliberate result of Government policy those hedge funds are going to cash in at the expense not only of those sectors but of the constituents of every single Member of this House.

Simon Clarke Portrait Mr Clarke
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Government policy is to leave the European Union with a deal, if at all possible, and that remains our central case. The hon. Gentleman’s question in many ways summarises the past few minutes, in so far as it does not get to the substantive point, which is that the only reason we are at risk of a no-deal exit is that we have not managed to persuade the Opposition that they should get behind our attempts to secure a better deal rather than seek constantly to undermine them.