Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 15 November 2018, Official Report column 454, what the meaning is of the legal term best endeavours.

The reference to best endeavours in Article 184 of the Withdrawal Agreement is a legally binding commitment that requires the UK and the EU to conduct themselves so that negotiations on the future relationship are meaningful. It prohibits inflexible or obstructive behaviour and obliges the parties to pay reasonable regard to the interests of the other party.