Today, the Prime Minister made a Statement about the invoking of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The chamber was packed. I sat on a step at the back. None of us wanted to miss what has been a historic day in Parliament. The Prime Minister rose to the ocassion, speaking with dignity and seriousness. Regrettable others didn't. Anyway, here is her statement.
Today the Government
acts on the democratic will of the British People. And it acts, too, on the
clear and convincing position of this House.
A few minutes ago in
Brussels, the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the EU handed a
letter to the President of the European Council on my behalf, confirming the Government’s
decision to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
The Article 50 process
is now underway. And in accordance with the wishes of the British People, the
United Kingdom is leaving the European Union.
This is an historic
moment from which there can be no turning back. Britain is leaving the European
Union. We are going to make our own decisions and our own laws. We are going to
take control of the things that matter most to us. And we are going to take
this opportunity to build a stronger, fairer Britain – a country that our
children and grandchildren are proud to call home.
That is our ambition and
our opportunity.
That is what this
Government is determined to do.
Mr Speaker,
At moments like these –
great turning points in our national story – the choices we make define the
character of our nation.
We can choose to say the
task ahead is too great. We can choose to turn our face to the past and believe
it can’t be done.
Or we can look forward
with optimism and hope – and to believe in the enduring power of the British
spirit.
Mr Speaker,
I choose to believe in
Britain and that our best days lie ahead.
And I do so because I am
confident that we have the vision and the plan to use this moment to build a
better Britain.
For, leaving the
European Union presents us with a unique opportunity. It is this generation’s chance
to shape a brighter future for our country. A chance to step back and ask
ourselves what kind of country we want to be.
My answer is clear.
I want this United
Kingdom to emerge from this period of change stronger, fairer, more united and
more outward-looking than ever before.
I want us to be a
secure, prosperous, tolerant country – a magnet for international talent and a
home to the pioneers and innovators who will shape the world ahead.
I want us to be a truly
Global Britain – the best friend and neighbour to our European partners, but a
country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe too. A country that goes out
into the world to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.
That is why I have set out
a clear and ambitious plan for the negotiations ahead.
It is a plan for a new
deep and special partnership between Britain and the European Union. A
partnership of values. A partnership of interests. A partnership based on
cooperation in areas such as security and economic affairs.
And a partnership that
works in the best interests of the United Kingdom, the European Union and the
wider world.
Because perhaps now more
than ever, the world needs the liberal, democratic values of Europe – values
that this United Kingdom shares. And that is why, while we are leaving the
institutions of the European Union, we are not leaving Europe. We will remain a
close friend and ally. We will be a committed partner. We will play our part to
ensure that Europe is able to project its values and defend itself from
security threats. And we will do all that we can to help the European Union prosper
and succeed.
So Mr Speaker, in the
letter that has been delivered to President Tusk today – copies of which I have
placed in the library of the House – I have been clear that the deep and
special partnership we seek is in the best interests of the United Kingdom and
of the European Union too.
I have been clear that
we will work constructively – in a spirit of sincere cooperation – to bring this
partnership into being.
And I have been clear
that we should seek to agree the terms of this future partnership alongside
those of our withdrawal, within the next two years.
I am ambitious for
Britain. And the objectives I have set out for these negotiations remain.
We will deliver
certainty wherever possible so that business, the public sector and everybody
else has as much clarity as we can provide as we move through the process. It
is why, tomorrow, we will publish a White Paper confirming our plans to convert
the ‘acquis’ into British law, so that everyone will know where they stand. And
it is why I have been clear that the Government will put the final deal that is
agreed between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before
it comes into force.
We will take control of
our own laws and bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of
Justice in Britain. Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be
made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. And those laws will be
interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg, but in courts across this country.
We will strengthen the
Union of the four nations that comprise our United Kingdom. We will negotiate
as one United Kingdom, taking account of the specific interests of every nation
and region of the UK. When it comes to the powers that we will take back from
Europe, we will consult fully on which powers should reside in Westminster and
which should be passed on to the Devolved Administrations.
But Mr Speaker, no
decisions currently taken by the Devolved Administrations will be removed from
them. And it is the expectation of the Government that the Devolved Administrations
in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will see a significant increase in
their decision-making power as a result of this process.
We want to maintain the
Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland. There should be no return to
the borders of the past.
We will control
immigration so that we continue to attract the brightest and the best to work
or study in Britain, but manage the process properly so that our immigration
system serves the national interest.
We seek to guarantee the
rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain, and the rights of
British nationals in other member states as early as we can. This is set out
very clearly in the letter as an early priority for the talks ahead.
We will ensure that
workers’ rights are fully protected and maintained. Indeed, under my
leadership, not only will the Government protect the rights of workers, we will
build on them.
We will pursue a bold
and ambitious free trade agreement with the European Union that allows for the
freest possible trade in goods and services between Britain and the EU’s member
states; that gives British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and
operate within European markets; and that lets European businesses do the same
in Britain.
Because European Leaders
have said many times that we cannot ‘cherry pick’ and remain members of the
Single Market without accepting the four freedoms that are indivisible. We
respect that position. And as accepting those freedoms is incompatible with the
democratically expressed will of the British People, we will no longer be
members of the Single Market.
We are going to make
sure that we can strike trade agreements with countries from outside the
European Union too. Because important though our trade with the EU is and will
remain, it is clear that the UK needs to increase significantly its trade with
the fastest growing export markets in the world.
We hope to continue to
collaborate with our European partners in the areas of science, education, research
and technology, so that the UK is one of the best places for science and
innovation.
We seek continued
cooperation with our European partners in important areas such as crime,
terrorism and foreign affairs.
And it is our aim to
deliver a smooth and orderly Brexit – reaching an agreement about our future
partnership by the time the two-year Article 50 process has concluded, then
moving into a phased process of implementation in which Britain, the EU
institutions and member states prepare for the new arrangements that will exist
between us.
Mr Speaker,
We understand that there
will be consequences for the UK of leaving the EU. We know that we will lose
influence over the rules that affect the European economy. We know that UK companies
that trade with the EU will have to align with rules agreed by institutions of
which we are no longer a part, just as we do in other overseas markets. We
accept that.
However, we approach
these talks constructively, respectfully, and in a spirit of sincere
cooperation.
For it is in the
interests of both the United Kingdom and the European Union that we should use
this process to deliver our objectives in a fair and orderly manner. It is in
the interests of both the United Kingdom and the European Union that there
should be as little disruption as possible. And it is in the interests of both
the United Kingdom and the European Union that Europe should remain strong,
prosperous and capable of projecting its values in the world.
At a time when the
growth of global trade is slowing and there are signs that protectionist
instincts are on the rise in many parts of the world, Europe has a
responsibility to stand up for free trade in the interests of all our citizens.
With Europe’s security
more fragile today than at any time since the end of the Cold War, weakening
our cooperation and failing to stand up for European values would be a costly
mistake.
Our vote to leave the EU
was no rejection of the values that we share as fellow Europeans.
As a European country,
we will continue to play our part in promoting and supporting those values –
during the negotiations and once they are done.
We will continue to be
reliable partners, willing allies and close friends. We want to continue to buy
goods and services from the EU, and sell them ours. We want to trade with them
as freely as possible, and work with one another to make sure we are all safer,
more secure and more prosperous through continued friendship. Indeed, in an
increasingly unstable world, we must continue to forge the closest possible
security co-operation to keep our people safe. We face the same global threats
from terrorism and extremism. That message was only reinforced by the abhorrent
attack on Westminster Bridge and this Place last week.
So there should be no
reason why we should not agree a new deep and special partnership between the
UK and the EU that works for us all.
Mr Speaker,
I know that this is a
day of celebration for some and disappointment for others. The referendum last
June was divisive at times. Not everyone shared the same point of view, or
voted in the same way. The arguments on both side were passionate.
But, Mr Speaker, when I
sit around the negotiating table in the months ahead, I will represent every
person in the whole United Kingdom – young and old, rich and poor, city, town,
country and all the villages and hamlets in between.
And yes, those EU
nationals who have made this country their home.
It is my fierce
determination to get the right deal for every single person in this country.
For, as we face the
opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests
and ambitions can - and must - bring us together.
We all want to see a
Britain that is stronger than it is today. We all want a country that is fairer
so that everyone has the chance to succeed.
We all want a nation
that is safe and secure for our children and grandchildren. We all want to live
in a truly Global Britain that gets out and builds relationships with old
friends and new allies around the world.
These are the ambitions
of this Government’s Plan for Britain. Ambitions that unite us, so that we are
no longer defined by the vote we cast, but by our determination to make a
success of the result.
We are one great union
of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future.
And now that the
decision to leave has been made – and the process is underway – it is time to
come together.
For this great national
moment needs a great national effort. An effort to shape a brighter future for
Britain.
So let us do so
together.
Let us come together and
work together.
And let us together
choose to believe in Britain with optimism and hope.
For if we do, we can
together make the most of the opportunities ahead.
We can together make a
success of this moment.
And we can together
build a stronger, fairer, better Britain – a Britain our children and
grandchildren are proud to call home.
And I commend this
statement to the House.
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