Leaving the EU: Economic Analysis

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Tuesday 30th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Baker]

Over the long course of the history of the European Union, and indeed of the referendum campaign, people have not shown a particular willingness on a very wide scale to engage in the details of trade policy. This is an area where they do expect the Government—[Interruption.] The hon. Lady says something about our duty. Our duty is to get on with the job that the people have given us to do not only in answering the referendum question telling us that they wish to leave the EU, but in voting at the general election for a range of parties, all of which, including her own, said that we should leave the European Union. And to leave the European Union, we need to leave the customs union and the European economic area and restore democratic control and political power, and that is what we will do; that is our duty.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

The naysayers who are talking this up are some of the same people who said that on 24 June we would drop off a cliff, exports would be down, foreign direct investment would be down, and jobs would be lost—the list goes on—but the opposite is true. Does my hon. Friend agree that it will not always be plain sailing—there will be difficulties along the way—but the end destination is worth getting to, and people up and down this country in increasing numbers are just saying, “Get on with it”?

[Mr Baker]

I agree with my hon. Friend that we do need to get on with it, and, yes, the end destination is worth getting to, although, hopefully, there will be no end to this journey. We will journey out into a new life of prosperity and self-government, which will give us the dignity of self-control.

Leaving the EU: Sectoral Impact Assessments

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Tuesday 28th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Walker]

As I made it very clear on the day we debated this issue, the documents did not exist in the form that was requested. We took the motion of the House extremely seriously, and that is why we have made sure that a great deal of information has been provided to the Select Committee.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

Has any formal protocol been put down by the Committee and conveyed to Ministers about how it would handle this information, because that is pertinent in all this?

[Mr Walker]

Not that I am aware of.

Exiting the EU: Sectoral Analysis

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Tuesday 7th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Baker]

The hon. Gentleman refers to an exercise in party management, but I have to tell him that, over the past two years, I have very much enjoyed working with members of Labour leave—and, indeed, Liberal leave. Right across this country, people of every party allegiance have wanted to resolve this question. He refers to businesses: of course, we continually engage with businesses—indeed, I met representatives of the chemical sector yesterday. He asks whether three weeks is reasonable. The answer is yes, for the reasons that I have given.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

Given all the outrage that we are hearing in the Chamber today and further to the question of my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham), is my hon. Friend aware of any requests from the Opposition for those EU sectoral documents?

[Mr Baker]

No, I am not aware of any such request.

Leaving the EU: Parliamentary Vote

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Thursday 26th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

Will I be signing somebody else’s amendment? I am not sure—I think not. The processes we are going through are designed to give the House a great deal of input into this process. That includes, as was said earlier, the sequences of statements, appearances before Select Committees, urgent questions and the like. In addition to that, as I said—it was ignored, of course—the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 gives the House the outright ability to reject out of hand, if it chooses.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

The truth is that we run a £70 billion trade deficit with the European Union. Does my right hon. Friend believe that that will help to focus minds and keep these discussions and deliberations on timetable?

[Mr Davis]

My hon. Friend is right, in that it drives the views of the member states in terms of what they want out of this negotiation. One of the things that is happening between now and December is that the Council will lay down its guidelines for this process, and particularly about future trade arrangement. In those guidelines, it may well be that the Council actually says something about the timetable, which will relate to the issues in front of the House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Thursday 27th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The Department has carried out an in-depth assessment right across 50 sectors of the economy. We have made it clear, however, that it is not in the national interest for us to produce a running commentary on the way in which we are developing our negotiating position, and that will remain the case.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

15. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on support for farmers after the UK leaves the EU.

[The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union (Mr David Jones)]

It is me again, Mr Speaker. We are working closely with colleagues across Government to assess the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have across a number of sectors in cross-cutting areas. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the best possible options for a future agricultural land use policy that specifically benefits British farming, the countryside and the environment.

[Tom Pursglove]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the last-day-of-term test earlier.

I am very grateful to the Minister for his answer. The UK’s exit from the European Union clearly provides many new and exciting opportunities for our farmers, but in order to get the policy right, what work is going on alongside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to engage fully with our farmers and the sector more generally? Of course, Ministers would be very welcome at any time to come and engage with my farmers in Corby and east Northamptonshire.

[Mr Jones]

We are presented with an unprecedented opportunity to redesign agricultural policies to suit the British agricultural industry. We are, indeed, meeting a number of interested parties and stakeholders from the agricultural sector. I have had meetings with all the British farming unions, the National Pig Association, the Country Land and Business Association and the International Meat Trade Association, to name but a few.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Thursday 9th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

The fact that the oil and gas industry is a high priority for the Government was shown by the Chancellor’s announcement yesterday. Frankly, rather than talking bleakly about the future of the industry, the hon. Gentleman should urge his colleagues in the Scottish Government to work strongly with the United Kingdom Government to ensure that arrangements can be made that are satisfactory for the industry.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

One of the advantages of our leaving the European Union is that we will be in a position to design our own package of trade defence instruments, which I would think Opposition Members would welcome. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the ongoing cross-Government work on that?

[Mr Jones]

Clearly, any arrangements we strike will have to be WTO-compliant, but my hon. Friend is entirely right. British industry has recently experienced many difficulties, not least in the steel industry, in which he has a particular interest. He will know about the support the Government have given to that industry.

European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Tuesday 31st January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

It is a privilege to speak in this historic debate. We have heard many passionate contributions, including from the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green), who has clearly thought about this issue a lot and clearly takes a principled position. I do not share it, but I do respect it. Many of the contributions mirror the exact debate we had out in the country last June, when people put their arguments passionately on both sides of the debate. It was a privilege to go up and down the country, engaging with and talking to people on both sides—about their concerns and reasons for voting to leave the EU and about the argument for voting to remain. I recognise, therefore, that there are sincerely held points of view, not just in the House but across the country.

The word “judgment” has been used a lot this afternoon, and there have been many references to Burke in 1774, but my judgment is plain for all to see. I used my judgment in standing on the manifesto I stood on in 2015, I used my judgment in voting for the referendum and I used my judgment in advocating that my constituents and people across this great country vote to leave.

[Stephen Gethins]

Did you use your judgment when it came to standing on a blank piece of paper and putting that to the people in terms of the leave vote?

[Stephen Gethins]

I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Does the hon. Gentleman consider it a lack of judgment that he campaigned on a blank piece of paper in terms of voting leave?

[Tom Pursglove]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, but it has probably detained the House long enough already. The leave side stood on a platform that was clear for all to see, but I have no intention of raking over that ground, as time is short.

As Members of Parliament we have responsibilities, and the order of these things is well established: we have to put the national interest first. In the interests of balance, I will talk about two things said so far. First, my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) is right that all those Members who voted for the referendum have a duty to deliver on the verdict. On the remain side, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve) made a powerful point when he said that every Member had a duty to end the uncertainty. Let us be clear: the debate was had, the engagement was high and the turnout was the highest that we have seen for nearly 25 years. In my constituency of Corby and East Northamptonshire, the verdict was clear as well. In Corby, 64.25% voted to leave; in East Northamptonshire, the majority of which I represent, 58.75% voted to leave.

Members in all parts of the House have set this train in motion. We used our judgment, not just in voting for the referendum, but in choosing a side and making the arguments, but in doing that we also judged that we were going to let the people and the country decide, and that is exactly what they did. I believe that we have a duty to live up to our responsibilities, because we abdicate and tamper with our democratic principles at our peril.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Thursday 26th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Mr Robin Walker)]

We need to engage with the university sector and work with it on a vision for a global Britain that continues to make the UK one of the most attractive places in the world for key talent to come.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has rightly been very clear that this Government will do nothing to damage our industries. I believe that leaving the European Union will be a good thing for our steel industry. This week, the all-party parliamentary group on steel and metal-related industries published its “2020 Vision” report. Would he like me to send a copy to him so that he can look at its recommendations as part of the ongoing policy debate?

[Mr David Jones]

Yes, we would be delighted to receive it.

New Partnership with the EU

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Tuesday 17th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

As the right hon. Lady knows, I have history in this area. They are completely separate entities, and the latter has nothing to do with this.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

I wholeheartedly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement and that of the Prime Minister. Steel production is hugely important in Corby and east Northamptonshire, so will he pledge to continue to consult widely on the future of the steel industry to make sure we get these arrangements right, because this is a vital and strategically important industry for our country?

[Mr Davis]

The short answer is yes.

Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Pursglove Excerpts

Thursday 1st December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Walker]

There is no change for those who are currently participating in, or about to start, Erasmus+. Erasmus+ offers a range of programmes to countries across Europe and beyond. Post-exit access to Erasmus+ will be a matter for the negotiations that will follow the triggering of article 50. The Erasmus+ programme has proved to be a valuable tool that helps organisations and citizens to achieve their potential through international education, training and collaborative opportunities. As part of our vision for the UK as a global nation, I am sure we will want to look at how such an approach can be perpetuated in the future.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

The Secretary of State was absolutely right to say earlier that we only get one chance at this, so the Prime Minister is absolutely right to make sure that we have listened to all the representations, including those from universities, before invoking article 50. Does he agree that it is far preferable to have a full, hearty Brexit than a rushed, messy, unsatisfactory dog’s breakfast?

[Mr Walker]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and it is important that we listen to and take on board the evidence from the university sector.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Preserving the habits of a lifetime, I feel sure.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

The agricultural and food sectors are incredibly significant in the Corby and east Northamptonshire economy, employing thousands of local people. What steps are Ministers taking to engage fully with these sectors to make sure that their needs are totally understood?