Speeches by Thomas-Symonds.

“Just one correction in the question, first of all. You said the UK wants a veterinary agreement, but it is actually an SPS agreement, which is a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, so it is broader than what you suggest. I would suggest that what we have is a manifesto that contains the elements that I described in t…”

“Of course we have had discussions, as you would expect, Chair. However, it was never going to be the case that we would get into a more formal steep negotiation into the summit until the European Commission was formally in place, which, as you know, was at the start of December.”

“That is fine. I will just pick up on a really important point that you have made about the Windsor framework, because the Windsor framework taskforce is also within the Cabinet Office, as part of the European Union relations secretariat. I work extremely closely, across Government, with the DEFRA Secretary, and the Nor…”

“Well, we will see where we get to in terms of what they actually mean by it. I will obviously pursue the UK national interest. I will pursue the objectives and the examples that we have a democratic mandate for—that are in the manifesto. What I cannot ultimately say at this stage is, first, what precisely the nature of…”

“I am open and pragmatic on these matters. I understand from reading the media that in a previous set of negotiations it was raised and rejected, but I am open and pragmatic on reducing trade barriers—a very nice note on which to end our session.”

“What I have said is, first, that we are very committed to high standards and, secondly, that—as I am sure you understand, Chair—the bespoke nature of the arrangements that we need on SPS will be beneficial for the United Kingdom. What New Zealand has on equivalence is suitable for it; what there is on alignment for the…”

“All I would say is within the mandate that we have from the British people—we are not going to rejoin the single market or the customs union or go back to freedom of movement—I reassure your Committee that we are ambitious. In particular, if we were to secure an SPS agreement, it would be of significant economic value.”

“Of course circumstances change—I will not get into how they might or might not—but irrespective of where different issues move, we are very ambitious within the framework of the manifesto. You mentioned the Centre for European Reform. There are many organisations that have been asked what the value of an SPS agreement …”

“It is more that you have this perverse incentive for, essentially, dumping. For example, the EU will go ahead; it already has its date for the introduction of its carbon border adjustment mechanism. If we were not to consider linkage, we would open up our industries to the possibility of cheap dumping from overseas. Yo…”

“I have a very brief point of clarification for Antonia on the carbon border adjustment mechanism, although I do not think it changes the substance of my answer. Having just re-read the wording of article 392 of the TCA, it is actually about linking our emissions trading system, but CBAM would very much be part of that.”

“Absolutely. It is to do with linking our respective systems—that is what the ambition is.”

“That is something that is already in the trade and co-operation agreement with the European Union. For reference, it is article 392, which states that “The Parties shall co-operate on carbon pricing. They shall give serious consideration to linking their respective carbon pricing systems in a way that preserves the int…”

“There are a number of creative ways that we can do that, but it is a real priority for us in the negotiation, as I have made clear. It is really disappointing when you look at the number of tours. We have a brilliant, vibrant cultural sector and it is a real source of soft power for us, but what is necessary for a tour…”

“On the customs union we have, again, a mandate for a reset with the European Union. In our manifesto, the contract we were elected on was that we will not rejoin the single market or the customs union, or go back to freedom of movement. That is the democratic mandate we have, and that is the framework that the negotiat…”

“It is the Secretary of State—”

“On the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill—which is a live Bill, I would just caution, in the House of Lords at the moment—the guiding principle is the UK’s national interest. It is a matter for the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in each and every case, to take a decision in the national interest—”

“That is a matter for the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. The other thing I would caution as well is—”

“I would like to make a distinction. First, there is the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill and its very specific provision about the Secretary of State’s power, to which Douglas referred. Then there is an entirely separate question, which in fact, Chair, I think you have written about, on a sanitary and phytosanitar…”

“They have been conversations about positives; they were constructive conversations, rather than conversations about barriers. It is well known that our democratic mandate in the manifesto is based on not returning to the single market, not going back to freedom of movement and not going back to the customs union, so it…”

“We haven’t got to what I would call the steep bit of the negotiation. That goes into the summit. I think we will be—I hope—setting a date for the summit, and we will then see, as it were, the hard edge of the negotiation as to where we get to.”