Meeting of the Parliament 07 February 2017
Mr Stevenson is right. What the UK Government has published is nothing approaching the definition of a white paper. It certainly has nothing approaching the definition of satisfactory answers to the huge numbers of questions that not only we but the other Parliaments and Assemblies of this country, as well as businesses and citizens throughout the UK, have.
We are told that the UK Government’s Brexit plan will protect and strengthen workers’ rights. The same Conservative Government has just passed the most restrictive trade union legislation in living memory, which the Brexit minister, David Davis, described as fascist in nature and comparable to the dictatorship of General Franco. If the Brexit minister does not have faith in his Government’s ability to defend workers’ rights, why should we?
We are told that Theresa May will take a whole-UK approach to Brexit, but she refuses to work with the Scottish Government on its compromise proposals. We are told that the Brexit negotiations will provide certainty, but we have heard from European leaders and experts a deep scepticism that a deal could be reached within two years—and certainly not a deal on our future relationship.
We have seen no plans from the Conservative Government to prepare transitional arrangements. Only last week, Professor Sir David Edward, a former judge of the European Court of Justice, said before the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee that anyone who believes that all that can be sorted within a few years is away with the fairies.
Day by day, it becomes clearer that the Brexit plan is being made up on the go by hard-right Tory ideologues.