European Council Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

European Council

Mark Francois Excerpts
Monday 23rd October 2017

(6 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Theresa May Portrait The Prime Minister
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The European Union raised a similar concept to the implementation period in its April guidelines, and that would be on the basis of the article 50 process.

Mark Francois Portrait Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) (Con)
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On the matter of North Korea, the Select Committee on Defence recently took evidence from a group of academics who argued that North Korea may already have an ability to reach the United Kingdom with a thermonuclear weapon. If that is true, does the Prime Minister agree that it would be the utmost folly to abandon our independent nuclear deterrent?

Theresa May Portrait The Prime Minister
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I absolutely agree that it would be folly to abandon our independent nuclear deterrent. There are many reasons why it is important for us to maintain and, as Parliament has voted, to upgrade our independent nuclear deterrent. It is also important because it is part of the collective defence of Europe that we provide as a member of NATO.