division_name: Business of the House (Today) &#8212; European Union (Withdrawal) Act
motion: <p class="indent" pid="c208.2/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House approves for the purposes of section 13(1)(b) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 the following documents laid before the House on Monday <phrase class="date" code="2019-03-11">11 March</phrase> 2019:</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c212.0/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the United Kingdom records its understanding that nothing in the Withdrawal Agreement would prevent it from instigating measures that could ultimately lead to disapplication of obligations&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c225.3/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;to be replaced with alternative arrangements&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c225.3/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a legally binding time limit&#8230; a legally binding unilateral exit clause&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c225.3/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the ideas put forward by the Alternative Arrangements Working Group&#8221;.&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2019-02-12">12 February</phrase> 2019; Vol. 654, c. 731.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c227.0/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the legally binding joint instrument... reduces the risk the UK could be deliberately held in the Northern Ireland backstop indefinitely&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c227.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I will not change my opinion unless we have a text that shows the risk has been eliminated.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c227.0/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the legal risk remains unchanged&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c228.0/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;legal force in international law".&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2019-01-14">14 January</phrase> 2019; Vol. 652, c. 833.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c234.0/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;This vast area&#8212;the largest seat in Europe&#8212;really must have a Scottish voice to speak up for it, with no priorities like the London parties and no diktats from London, just simply to speak up for the vast area and all the industries, all of which are under threat&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c238.4/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;clearly remaining in the European Union would be a better outcome for the economy&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c238.6/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the Brexit deal could reduce UK GDP per capita by between 1.9% and 5.5% in ten years&#8217; time, compared to remaining in the EU.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c238.6/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;If the Government&#8217;s proposed Brexit deal is implemented, then GDP in the longer term will be around 4% lower than it would have been had the UK stayed in the EU.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c239.1/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;What I am talking about is not a further exchange of letters but a significant and legally binding change to the withdrawal agreement. Negotiating such a change will not be easy. It will involve reopening the withdrawal agreement&#8212;a move for which I know there is limited appetite among our European partners.&#8221;&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2019-01-29">29 January</phrase> 2019; Vol. 653, c. 678.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c239.1/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Very hard to see what&#8217;s really new in all of this. It&#8217;s the Withdrawal Agreement served with a side order of &#8216;this doesn&#8217;t mean what it doesn&#8217;t mean anyway&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c239.1/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Not only did she fail to get any changes to the Withdrawal Agreement. But she was also made publicly to agree that there are no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c239.1/13" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;come nowhere close to ensuring existing rights are protected. And they won&#8217;t stop workers&#8217; rights in the UK from falling behind those in the rest of Europe.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c242.1/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;There is no&#8230;treaty in the world&#8230;where a sovereign nation&#8230;can only leave when the other side says so. So that&#8217;s the key point, the ability to get out when we need to.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c242.1/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c246.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;no internationally lawful means of exiting the Protocol&#8217;s arrangements&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c252.0/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the legal risk remains unchanged&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c267.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;From Carrickmacross to Crossmaglen,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c267.1/3" pwmotiontext="yes">There are more rogues than honest men.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c267.1/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I have been clear throughout the process that my aim is to bring the country back together.&#8221;&#8212; [Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2019-02-26">26 February</phrase> 2019; Vol. 655, c. 167.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c277.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We cannot live in glorious isolation. Talk to the Swiss and to the Norwegians&#8212;they live in a permanent state of negotiation with the EU.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c281.6/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a substantive and binding reinforcement&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c285.0/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;are part of the same negotiated package.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c287.0/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration&#8230;are part of the same negotiated package.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c290.6/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;can only inform&#8230;a political decision&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="c290.7/2" pwmotiontext="yes">The House divided:</p>
  
  <p pid="c290.7/3" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 242, Noes 391.</p>