Lords begins consideration of Commons changes to Lords amendments to EU Withdrawal Bill - minister Lord Callanan says customs union already repeatedly considered
Baroness Smith of Basildon "The Lords should not engage in ping pong lightly" - Lords performing constiutional role
"When Dutch Govt is advising its manufacturers not to buy components form UK because our future customs relationship with EU is unclear, we know there is a problem that needs to be addressed urgently," says Baroness Smith re Sky News #rulesoforigin story news.sky.com/story/european…
Lord Newby suggests that the Lords hold seminar for journalist on how ping pong works...
"My Lords I'll speak very briefly because like everyone else I want to watch a football game this evening," says Lord Grocott... fellow peer shouts: "Speak for youself" incredulously
OK - so Lords now considering meaningful vote amendments including Douglas Hogg’s late one this morning that restates what MPs say PM promised last week... Baroness Evans saying that deadlines would make it hard to negotiate, and impractically change constitutional role of Govt
Viscount Hailsham on meaningful vote: “Grieve 2 Amendment reflects the agreement Mr Grieve thought he agreed with the Solicitor General, which was then repudiated”...
Hailsham now explaining to the Lords how the Commons were given promises: - “The PM herself gave personal assurances that their concerns about a no deal Brexit would be addressed...”
“Grieve 2 amendment sets out the agreement he thought he agreed with the Solicitor General..” says Hailsham...
Criticised for consulting with Opp front benches Hailsham: “This is the High Court of Parliament and we are not party hacks..perfectly true I don’t believe in Brexit..a national calamity but what I believe above all is that the Commons shd have decisive say one way or another”.
“This Government has sought to prevent a meaningful vote in every possible way, and What I want to ensure is that Parliament has a meaningful vote and I do not want its left to chance..:
“The Government’s amendment is far worse - The Government is seeking to make the promised meaningful vote impossible... deliberately removing the possibility, and is moved at least in part” says Hailsham, refusing to give way...
“Was it wise? Was it prudent? Was it responsible to start the A50 negotiations without a firm collective agreement about where we wanted to go? Was it a serious error of judgement?.... in event of No Deal, Commons should have power to intervene. PM’s promise as yet not honoured”
Lord True who wants to amend Hailsham amendment to guarantee Brexit won’t be reversed or delayed, says Hailsham “just indulged some Disraelian oratory on a Gladstonean scale” - says people are getting tired of this - wonder if Govt will put this amendment in Commons?
“My noble friend Viscount Hailsham is acting as Dominic Grieve’s representative here on earth” says Lord True - getting quite personal here
Former Tory leader Lord Howard: “This is not a debate about the integrity of Mr Dominic Grieve, and for my part I will do my best to avoid mentioning his name again”. Grieve is standing just behind him, observing alongside other MPs
Lord Lamont says that Lord Dobson has plenty of material for new House of Cards chapters after Chief Whip in Commons seen “crawling on his knees like a courtier in the Court of the King of Siam, a role played by the Right honourable and learned Dominic Grieve”
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NEW: First Minister of Scotland @NicolaSturgeon tells me at SNP conference “it would be my position “that Northern Ireland backstop on single market being negotiated right now should also apply to Scotland
The First Minister tells me she is “not going to stand in the way of NI having a solution to its issues” but that a NIO-only backstop raises “profound concerns on my part” for the competitiveness of Scotland and losing investment to Northern Ireland
I suggested to FM that surely that would imply checks on the England-Scotland border...
She said “I don’t want checks ... lets wait and see how this all plays out”
The border checks acknowledged by @simoncoveney to @SophyRidgeSky are east-west GB->N Ireland ones on food/farm produce, not North-South ones. not sure how much further that gets us, when senior DUP sources have said they would not accept any increase in what is checked...
salient fact here: offer indicated by PM amid her demand for “respect” after Salzburg was such extra NI checks/ regulatory alignment with Ireland could only be contemplated if approved for NI by Stormont - as of last week had been rejected by EU/IE, & DUP said wd veto there
nothing on paper yet though, and there is of course, no NI Assembly to reject anything...
There is some potential wriggle room, however, for example, if any further east-West checks required, could be one way ie not west-east, enabling NI produce free access to U.K. AND EU
Ministers are well aware of this case, I’ve been told that its significance may be being underplayed, I had been told that the Government would seek to appeal the Court of Session’s reference to the ECJ, but apparently didn’t, or haven’t at the most appropriate opp this week...
This is the actual reference from Scotland’s highest court directly to the European Court of Justice asking for a clarification on whether EU Law (ie Article 50) allows for unilateral revocation dropbox.com/s/3sq5dvjh8ruc… via one of the petitioners @JolyonMaugham
It could have got rather interesting constitutionally if the UK Gov had asked the Supreme Court to overrule Scotland’s highest court asking the EU Court whether a UK Govt had theoretical option to revoke A50 without negotiation, options it says it does not want.
Johnson calls the PM’s Chequers proposals
“Not pragmatic not a compromise.. this is not democracy, not what we voted for... it is a constitutional outrage” to cheers...
Says to fudge it now and fix it later “is a total fantasy”
“Chequers will only embolden those calling for a second referendum” says Johnson...