Financial Guidance and Claims Bill [Lords]

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

2nd reading: House of Commons
Monday 22nd January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. Before I call the next speaker, I want to suggest an informal time limit of between 10 and 12 minutes.

United States Tariffs: Steel and Aluminium

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Report stage: House of Commons
Monday 12th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Chris Leslie (Nottingham East) (Lab/Co-op)]

If the Secretary of State wants to rebuff Donald Trump’s claim that these tariffs are for national security reasons, he need only look at the President’s tweet from six hours ago, in which he starts off down the avenue of saying, “Oh, what about European farming tariffs or manufacturing tariffs?” It is quite clear that the Secretary of State and the European Union should be able to drive a coach and horses through the national security nonsense that the American President is putting up. Will the Secretary of State at least see this as an opportunity for us to work with our partners in the European Union and to use the leverage that we have in that alliance of 500 million customers to ensure that the Americans cannot walk all over us?

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. A load of constituencies are affected. May I suggest that we have short answers and short questions, so that hon. Members can get in?

[Dr Fox]

We will work with our partners in the European Union because we are under a duty of sincere co-operation and because it makes sense to do so, but many other countries that are not members of the European Union are affected, and they will also make their voices known.

--- Later in debate ---

[Hannah Bardell]

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Unfortunately points of order come at the end of the statement.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

In 2002, when the US Administration last did this, US economists estimated that it cost the US economy 200,000 jobs, and the Administration had to back down when the EU took them to the WTO. Will the Secretary of State reassure this House, and steelworkers in my constituency and elsewhere, that the UK will argue for the strongest possible safeguard measures within the EU’s response?

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr David Drew (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

Last but certainly not least, Dr David Drew.

[Dr Drew]

With regard to what the Secretary of State just said, will he do all he can to intercede with not just the US but the EU to make sure that agricultural products do not become part of a wider trade war? It is essential for the reasons he gave that less developed countries have continued access to all those markets.

[Dr Fox]

We can end on a note of perfect harmonisation, because there is no doubt that the more we can dismantle of the common external tariff that the EU currently has to the benefit of developing countries, the better. At last we have found a note of consensus.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

The Financial Guidance and Claims Bill will not be taken today, so we will deal with the next statement, and the rest of business will be completed. After the next statement, we will take points of order.