Speeches by Doughty.

“First, the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows that I am not going to disclose the full privileged legal advice to the Government, which the previous Government received, for very good reasons. We have set out very clearly that provisional measures could be brought forward that would immediately affect operations—wi…”

“I will happily give way to the former Attorney General.”

“To anticipate what the Liberal Democrat spokesperson might be about to ask me, I confirm to him that before ratification, there will be a ministerial statement. I will not give him the exact date, because I do not set the dates of business, but it will provide a factual update on resettlement eligibility and how the tr…”

“What a debate. I genuinely think there were some thoughtful contributions from all parts of the House, but some were simply rhetoric and, frankly, a lot of nonsense. I single out the Chair of the Defence Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi), and my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Peter Lamb). …”

“Absolutely. I confirm that we are happy to discuss that further. Such decisions are not for me, but for the usual channels and the leaders in both Houses. However, I want to confirm the commitment that was made previously. This comes down to one fundamental question: why did the Opposition start the negotiations if the…”

“I know how seriously the right hon. Gentleman takes these issues, and it is important for the House to understand this. I can confirm what I said to him previously, but also I draw his attention to article 3(2)(b) in the treaty and to annex 1. Article 3(2)(b) sets out clearly that “the Parties shall not undermine, prej…”

“indicated assent.”

“I am Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. I also cover the relationship with Gibraltar and a number of other related topics.”

“Perhaps I might add to that, Chair. Thank you and members of the Committee for holding this inquiry, which is hugely important. It is always a pleasure to be here alongside Nick. I can genuinely say that the way in which we work together between the two Departments and collectively on those shared endeavours is testame…”

“Very tangibly—to go back to what Nick was saying before—this is fundamentally about the costs that are being saved by what we have already agreed and about listening to businesses about the future. On that issue of export health certificates—this applies to the fishing industry, of course, and shellfish industry too—yo…”

“My understanding was that that it was published during the recess, but I will find out for you the exact date that it was provided. I can make sure that we get you a list of dates.”

“I totally agree with what Nick said, Chair, and you know the respect that I have for this Committee and for Parliament. I have appeared in relation to other treaties and will appear, I am sure, in due course in relation to others. Even despite that exceptional procedure, an explanatory memorandum was still provided and…”

“Like Nick, I was an optimist. There was a genuine spirit of co-operation and recognition that this is good for the economy in Gibraltar and Andalusia, for the UK-Spanish relationship and for our wider relationships, and that, ultimately, it does not cross any of the red lines set by us as the UK and by Gibraltar.”

“There is a relevant clause that you will see when it comes out. I absolutely assure you that it in no way impinges on the sovereignty of Gibraltar. The Gibraltarian Government are absolutely clear on that. I assure you that they would not have agreed to the agreement if they felt that was not the case.”

“I do not want to prejudge the treaty, but important guarantees were made. The crucial point to understand is that the sovereignty of Gibraltar was never on the table in these negotiations. This is very much about the technical arrangements that govern the relationship with the EU, trade across the border, individuals p…”

“No. Hopefully imminently. We are working at pace to get the final treaty text agreed, and then it can go into its relevant processes, but the political agreement that we reached between the UK and the EU and with Spain and Gibraltar was highly significant. It was historic, and it has genuinely been welcomed across the …”

“I haven’t got a detailed table of polling. I can genuinely say—this is anecdotal—that the response that we have had from Governments in all my engagements on different visits has been incredibly positive. They see the UK as a key partner. They understand that we have left the EU and that we are not returning, but they …”

“I do not want to prejudge the ongoing consultation processes. You will understand that it is important that those are done appropriately with staff and trade unions and others. It is right that we are looking to remove some of the top-heavy nature of the FCDO and to focus resources more on both doing diplomacy overseas…”

“In terms of individual relationships with EU member states?”

“To reassure the Committee, this forms a core part of every bilateral conversation that we are having, and it will form part of some of those other forums that we are discussing issues in. Whether that is in the EPC, or the Berlin process with some of the western Balkan countries and the Balkan routes that get used, thi…”