Lords motion to take note of the first report of the European Affaors Committee on Unfinished Business: Resetting the UK-EU relationship (HL 202). Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the first report of the European Affaors Committee on Unfinished Business: Resetting the UK-EU relationship (HL 202). Agreed to on question.

My Lords, I am delighted to lead this debate on the report from the European Affairs Committee, which it was my privilege to chair until last month, when I handed the baton to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup. I am glad to see such a distinguished group of...

My Lords, I am delighted to lead this debate on the report from the European Affairs Committee, which it was my privilege to chair until last month, when I handed the baton to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup. I am glad to see such a distinguished group of...

My Lords, I add my thanks to all the witnesses who contributed to this report, to the committee staff who worked so hard to bring it together and, not least, to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his excellent chairmanship and clear and comprehensive introduction to the report. In the...

My Lords, I add my thanks to all the witnesses who contributed to this report, to the committee staff who worked so hard to bring it together and, not least, to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his excellent chairmanship and clear and comprehensive introduction to the report. In the...

My Lords, I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his measured, calm chairmanship of the European Affairs Committee, and I welcome his successor, the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, whose military experience will, I am sure, be up to dealing with the lot of us.

I served in...

My Lords, I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for his measured, calm chairmanship of the European Affairs Committee, and I welcome his successor, the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, whose military experience will, I am sure, be up to dealing with the lot of us.

I served in...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak after the noble Baroness, whose service in Brussels was so distinguished and whose experience of the Commission is so much more recent than mine. I believe

that this report has the potential to transform British politics. If the reset is successful, it...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak after the noble Baroness, whose service in Brussels was so distinguished and whose experience of the Commission is so much more recent than mine. I believe

that this report has the potential to transform British politics. If the reset is successful, it...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts. It is a credit to his diplomatic chairing skills, as well as the excellent committee staff, that we were able in the end to produce this excellent and comprehensive report. The committee began its work on this inquiry a little...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts. It is a credit to his diplomatic chairing skills, as well as the excellent committee staff, that we were able in the end to produce this excellent and comprehensive report. The committee began its work on this inquiry a little...

My Lords, I welcome the publication of this report, but the process in these negotiations is very uncertain and it remains to be seen whether the outcome will be in the best interests of the United Kingdom. The report suggests that the Government have made a good start but, for...

My Lords, I welcome the publication of this report, but the process in these negotiations is very uncertain and it remains to be seen whether the outcome will be in the best interests of the United Kingdom. The report suggests that the Government have made a good start but, for...

My Lords, I am very glad that the title of the excellent report we are discussing refers to a “reset”. Indeed, there seems general agreement in all the documents, including the Government’s response, that it is a reset, which we can define very widely. It is certainly “unfinished business” and...

My Lords, I am very glad that the title of the excellent report we are discussing refers to a “reset”. Indeed, there seems general agreement in all the documents, including the Government’s response, that it is a reset, which we can define very widely. It is certainly “unfinished business” and...

My Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, who has chaired the European Affairs Committee for the past three years. He skilfully led us to a consensus on most occasions, and all members of the committee are grateful to him.

The Government were elected on a manifesto to...

My Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, who has chaired the European Affairs Committee for the past three years. He skilfully led us to a consensus on most occasions, and all members of the committee are grateful to him.

The Government were elected on a manifesto to...

I welcome the Government’s emphasis on growth and I look forward to future debates when we can exchange positive ideas on how to get more people into work, have better-paid jobs and extend investment in these islands. However, I must say to the Government that the measures currently being discussed,...

I welcome the Government’s emphasis on growth and I look forward to future debates when we can exchange positive ideas on how to get more people into work, have better-paid jobs and extend investment in these islands. However, I must say to the Government that the measures currently being discussed,...

My Lords, it was a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, who had a difficult task indeed. His choice of title is apposite, first, because resetting our relationship is a continual process, not a single act, so it is rightly unfinished business, but, secondly,...

My Lords, it was a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, who had a difficult task indeed. His choice of title is apposite, first, because resetting our relationship is a continual process, not a single act, so it is rightly unfinished business, but, secondly,...

My Lords, as I follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, noble Lords will get an encapsulation of the difficulties that the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, had in chairing our committee. He had a very difficult task, and the disagreements were very strong. As he noted, I could not endorse the...

My Lords, as I follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, noble Lords will get an encapsulation of the difficulties that the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, had in chairing our committee. He had a very difficult task, and the disagreements were very strong. As he noted, I could not endorse the...

My Lords, it is nearly a decade since 23 June 2016, when I voted to remain, and campaigned to stay in the European Union, partly

because I did not want to spend the next 10 years of my parliamentary career having to deal with all the issues that came about...

My Lords, it is nearly a decade since 23 June 2016, when I voted to remain, and campaigned to stay in the European Union, partly

because I did not want to spend the next 10 years of my parliamentary career having to deal with all the issues that came about...

My Lords, this is a full and comprehensive report from the European Affairs Committee, although perhaps controversial, as the noble Baroness has just said. I might also say that the noble Lord, Lord Frost, and I worked amicably together in the Foreign Office many years ago, and it is good...

My Lords, this is a full and comprehensive report from the European Affairs Committee, although perhaps controversial, as the noble Baroness has just said. I might also say that the noble Lord, Lord Frost, and I worked amicably together in the Foreign Office many years ago, and it is good...

My Lords, this is an important report, not least because we are the only committee with the bespoke role of looking at the relationships between the United Kingdom and the EU. There was mainly consensus in this report, notwithstanding appendix 9, as my noble friend Lord Frost said, which contains...

My Lords, this is an important report, not least because we are the only committee with the bespoke role of looking at the relationships between the United Kingdom and the EU. There was mainly consensus in this report, notwithstanding appendix 9, as my noble friend Lord Frost said, which contains...

My Lords, I join in the congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, on the excellent report he has produced, which is exactly what I would expect of a committee which he chaired. However, our debate today has shown the difficulties he had in producing a consensus, because there are...

My Lords, I join in the congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, on the excellent report he has produced, which is exactly what I would expect of a committee which he chaired. However, our debate today has shown the difficulties he had in producing a consensus, because there are...

I am finishing—and it is an advisory speaking time.

On defence, we face huge challenges. The transatlantic alliance now hangs by a very insecure thread, in my view. We have to be much closer to our European allies and partners and we have to get closer to Europe. We need to...

I am finishing—and it is an advisory speaking time.

On defence, we face huge challenges. The transatlantic alliance now hangs by a very insecure thread, in my view. We have to be much closer to our European allies and partners and we have to get closer to Europe. We need to...

My Lords, I will seek to be quick, not just because we were advised to be so but because I find myself in former permanent representative corner, and going first in this company is a bit dangerous.

I have a few quick points, not least as a new member of the...

My Lords, I will seek to be quick, not just because we were advised to be so but because I find myself in former permanent representative corner, and going first in this company is a bit dangerous.

I have a few quick points, not least as a new member of the...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for introducing this important debate. My thanks also go to the European Affairs Committee for producing such a comprehensive report.

For more than 40 years, the UK was part of the European Union. The famous soul music song “We Are Family” was...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for introducing this important debate. My thanks also go to the European Affairs Committee for producing such a comprehensive report.

For more than 40 years, the UK was part of the European Union. The famous soul music song “We Are Family” was...

My Lords, the Government’s EU trade reset has failed to achieve its three main trade objectives, on which I will focus. There has been no agreement on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and no end to the restrictions on UK touring artists, about which we have heard more today....

My Lords, the Government’s EU trade reset has failed to achieve its three main trade objectives, on which I will focus. There has been no agreement on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and no end to the restrictions on UK touring artists, about which we have heard more today....