Exiting the EU Committee published its Report on the future UK-EU relationship today, in which it sets out key tests by which any deal agreed by October 2018 must be judged.
Seema Malhotra MP, who is a member of Exiting the European Union committee, said of the report’s findings:
“David Davis promised that we would have the “exact same benefits” from a new deal with the European Union. Parliament must now hold the Government to that promise. In addition, Phase 1 of the Withdrawal agreement committed us to an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, delivering that means staying in the Customs Union, and that is the choice that the Government must now make.
“Over the next six months the role of Parliament will be crucial. We must see meaningful engagement as well as a meaningful vote. The Government must also bring forward an impact assessment of the deal it is considering so that MPs can consider in detail the effect of the deal on the economy and their constituencies. Parliament and the public must not be kept in the dark.
“People did not vote to be poorer and business did not vote for trade to be harder. Workers’ rights and young people’s rights must also be protected. Reality has now dawned in Number 10, DExEU and indeed increasingly across the country that Brexit is set to cost us billions and unless we address the risks, could have devastating consequences for our sectors, regions and nations.”