a speaker, and they begin their work. live coverage at noon eastern time sunday. watch the house, and the senate on c-span two. watch online at c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app. announcer: on tuesday, the balance of power in the senate will be decided by the winners of the two georgia runoffs. david perdue and kelly leffler are defending their seats and the gop control of the senate. the challengers are jon ossoff and rev. raphael warnock. c-span,erage on c-span.org, and the free c-span radio app. announcer: today, british lawmakers voted to approve the brexit trade agreement, and the country will begin emerging from its brexit transition period with the european union. the new trade agreement will be implemented on new year's day. we take you to the british house

of commons for debates and votes on the agreement. >> second reading. >> members will know that there will not be time. nonetheless, i should report that there are new schedules to be moved with the whole house. they will be accepted up to a time, to maintain social distance, and members are asked not to bring members to the table but to send them to the public office. the public office will circulate earlier this afternoon a notice taper of the amendments received

by 10:30. i now call the prime minister. prime minister? you, mr.ister: thank speaker. let me begin by thanking you and the house of authorities in all of your staff, their hard work in allowing us to meet today, and can i also welcome the outstanding news that astrazeneca is rolling out a new u.k.-made vaccine approved by the nhra that will be helpful to millions in this country and around the country. mr. speaker i move that the bill , be read a second time. and having taken back control of our money, our borders, our laws , and our waters by leaving the european union on january 31, we now seize this moment to forge a fantastic new relationship with , our european neighbors based on free-trade and friendly cooperation. in a minute, mr. speaker. at the heart of this bill is one

of the biggest free-trade agreements in the world. a comprehensive -- a comprehensive -- i will be happy -- >> mr. speaker, seeking your clarification, i'm just wondering if the prime minister can talk about taking back control of waters, with scottish fishermen who are going to have less fish to catch as a consequence of this deal. >> we are very limited -- can we try to keep to a tight agenda to allow everybody the time to contribute? prime minister? prime minister johnson: mr. speaker, i must nonetheless correct, as that was not a valid i must correct him on what he point. said. under this deal, we have taken back control of our waters and scottish fishermen from the get-go will have that. mr. speaker, and from the end of

the transition period, as he knows full well. >> it is important we get on the record, it is more important to get the leader whether he would like the number of times he wants to stop an intervention. to give way straightaway, please, let's just get through the debate. at least before you disagree. prime minister? prime minister mr. speaker, with : great respect, i must correct him. not only will we take back we willof our waters, increase scottish emission share of all of the relevant stocks, going up by 47% by 57%. that is just next year, mr. speaker, and in five-and-a-half years time we take control of the entire spectacular -- only the scottish national party, mr. speaker, that would hand back control of the waters of this country to the u.k. the spectacular topography.

mr. speaker, and having said -- no, mr. speaker. having said -- >> a point of order. point of order. >> can i say to the prime minister that the name of my party is the scottish national party. >> in fairness, i have pointed this out in the past. national scottish party. prime minister johnson i am : using the word nationalist with a small n. and i don't think he would disagree with that which is semantically justifiable, i think, under the circumstances. and yet, and yet, in spite of that, mr. speaker, they would hand back control of scotland's waters and go back into the common fisheries policy. what this bill does, what this bill does come mr. speaker is , take back control. take back control of the spectacular marine wealth of scotland and the rest of the u.k. >> just on a moment.

in the heart of this bill is one of the biggest free-trade agreements in the world. as we have discussed in this chamber many times come mr. speaker a comprehensive canada , style deal worth over 660 billion pounds, which should allow companies to do even more business with our european friends safeguarding millions of , jobs and livelihoods in our u.k. and across the continent. than 40, we will leave the eu single market, as we promised, and yet, british exporters will not face a sudden the thicket of trade barriers. but rather for the first time in the history of eu agreements, zero tariffs and zero quotas, just as we have avoided trade bars. we have also -- i have already taken plenty of interventions and points of order. just as we have avoided trade barriers, we have ensured the

u.k.'s full control of our laws and regulations. there is a vital symmetry between these two achievements. because the central purposes of this bill is to accomplish something that the british people always knew in their hearts could be done and yet which we were continually told was impossible. we were told we could not have our cake and eat it. you remember how often we were told that, mr. speaker? namely that we could trade and incorporate as we would with our european neighbors with friendship and goodwill while retaining sovereign control of our laws and our national destiny. and that unifying thread runs through every clause of this bill. this embodies our vision, shared with our european neighbors of a new relationship between britain and the eu as sovereign equals, joined by friendship, commerce, history, interest, and values while respecting one another's freedom of action and recognizing that we have nothing to fear if we sometimes choose to do things differently.

i give way with pleasure to the honorable gentlemen. >> thank you for giving way. the devil is in the details of anything we have before us today. can the prime minister confirm, as i hope it is, as we see the evidence of this in the conferences away, the fishermen's association are dismay with the republic of ireland, will the u.k. quotas be shared with northern ireland? will there be tariffs? and will the hundred million pounds of the fishing organizations, will that be shared equally across the united kingdom? those are practical issues for us. thank you. prime minister johnson: you are right. the rightful to honorable gentleman, and want to ensure that the entire u.k. will share from the program of investments in our fishing industry. to get ourselves ready across the whole of the u.k., for the

uplift in fish that we will obtain even. of thefore the end transition, i think the right honorable gentlemen should know that we will fishing another 130 thousand tons more of fish in the u.k., more than we are at present. currently, that is an opportunity that we must work to seize. we have much to gain. no. we have much to gain from the healthy stimulus of competition. and this bill demonstrates that, how britain can be at once european and sovereign. i think you will agree, mr. speaker, that our negotiations were published that astonishing speed. it took nearly eight years for the trade talks to produce a deal, five years for the eu to reach a trade agreement with canada, six for japan. we have done this in less than a year, in the heat of a pandemic. and we have pressed ahead with this task, resisting all of the

calls for delay, mr. speaker, because precisely creating certainty of our future provides the best chance of beating covid and bouncing back even more strongly next year. and that was -- that was our objective. i hope the house will join me in commending my noble friend, lord frost. >> hear, hear! prime minister johnson: and every member of his team for their skill, their mastery, and their perseverance in translating our vision into a practical agreement. let me also pay tribute to leyen,nt ursula von de bernier, and all of our european friends for their understanding that it is in the interest of the you to live alongside a prosperous, contented, and sovereign united kingdom. the house understands the significance of the fact that

this agreement is not eu law but international law, so there is no direct effect. i have already given way quite a few times. jurisdiction is no for the european court. >> order. >> mr. speaker, i feel i have to point out to the house that the historic principal with scotland as established by law is it is the people of scotland that are sovereign, and it is the people of scotland that will determine to take them back into the european union with independence. >> prime minister. >> just to say, it does not point of order, and i am desperate to see what he has to say on this contribution. why doesn't he just say -- prime minister? prime minister: mr. speaker, he

is quite right. it remains in the u.k. it is a once in a generation decision that is highly unlikely that the people will cast away their newfound freedom and their newfound opportunities, not least over the marine wealth of scotland. we will be able -- we will be able to design our own standards and regulations. and, mr. speaker, the laws that this house of commons passes will be interpreted, and i know this is a keen interest to the right honorable members, solely by british judges sitting in british courts. we will have the opportunity to devise new ways to spur and encourage flourishing sectors in which this country leads the world from green energy and life sciences to synthetic -- yes, i give way to my right honorable friend. >> i'm thankful to the prime minister. others of us have different views on brexit.

but those debates are now for the history books, and anyone in this house of the country should recognize the benefits of the agreements that beyond a free-trade agreement. from science, to energy, to security. but will the prime minister capitalize on the excellent news that we have had today on the vaccine by pursuing an industrial strategy that puts science and technology at its so that we can grasp of the opportunities that come as the world bounces back from covid during the pandemic? >> can i just tell people, intervention and those who rely on the speaker will understand that they will get put down by continuous interventions, because i want to get as many people in as possible. so, please. thank you, sir bernard. [laughter] johnson well, i'm : grateful to my right honorable friend. i remember well working with him on his industrial strategies, and his ideas for championing a

green technology and biosciences. i can tell him that those ideas remain at the heart of this government's agenda. we will certainly be using our newfound legislative freedom to drive progress in those sciences and in those investments across the whole of the u.k. we will be free, mr. speaker, of eu state aid rules. we will be able to decide where and how. we will level up across our country with new jobs and new hope, including with free ports and new green industrial zones of a kind i'm sure he would approve of. and if, and this will make an important point, if i may, mr. speaker. if in news it using our new freedom, if britain or the eu believes it is being unfairly undercut, then subject to independent, third-party arbitration, provided the measures are proportionate, either of us can decide of sovereign equals to protect our consumers. but this treaty explicitly

envisions that any such action would be infrequent and it banishes the old concepts of uniformity and harmonization in favor of the rights to make our own regulatory choices and deal with the consequences. and, mr. speaker, every modern free-trade agreement includes reciprocal commitments designed to prevent distortions of trade. and the true significance of the agreement embodied in this bill is that there is no role for the european court of justice, no ratchet clause on labor or environmental standards, no dynamic alignment with the eu aid regime, or the any other aspect of eu law. in every respect, we have recovered our freedom of action , and i give way with pleasure to the honorable gentleman who has been rising up and down, mr. speaker, many times. >> thank you very much. but many honorable members would be facing a dire dilemma because they will feel our country has

been sold short. on the one hand, we have the prime minister's thin, terrible burden of a deal, and on the other hand, we face the prospect of a more damaging and destructive no deal brexit. can the prime minister advise, given that services account for almost 80% of our economy, why is there so little for that sector, and in particular, why couldn't he negotiate an equivalent for the all important services sector? >> hear, hear. prime minister johnson: mr. speaker, it was not clear from an intervention which way the labour party is going to go on this. whether he is going to go with it, his right honorable friend, or whether he is going to join other members of the labour party and continue to dither and delay. we on these benches are going to get on. we will be free of those strictures of the agricultural

policy. we will be able to conserve our landscapes and support of our farmers exactly as we choose. on friday, coming to a point that has already been raised several times, mr. speaker, but i repeat, because it is a wonderful for the first time in point. 50 years, the u.k. will be recognized as independent coastal state, regaining control g --ur waters, righin righting the wrong that was done by the common policies throughout our e.u. membership. >> the voice of britain should be heard up and down. it is entirely a point that might be registered with advantage by the gentleman. i have always recognized that this was going to be a difficult period for our european friends and partners because they see

fishing in these moderate, they have been fishing in this, in these waters for decades if not centuries. they sought an adjustment. of 14 years, our negotiators have whittle that down to 5.5 years, during which case the u.k.'s share, in those five 1/2 years, the uk's sharers of our fish and waters will rise from over half today to around two thirds. of course, we would have liked to have done this more quickly. it is also true that once the adjustment period comes to an end, there will be no limit, no limit other than the limits that are placed by the needs of science and conservation to make

use of our marine wealth. 15%, 15% of the eu's historic catch from our waters will be returned to this country next year alone. as i say, to prepare our fishing teams for that moment, we will invest 100 million pounds in a program to modernize their fleets and the fish processing industry, restoring, the right honorable gentlemen should listen, restoring a great british industry to the eminence it deserves, particularly and including scotland, mr. speaker where it has been neglected for , too long. i do find it extraordinary that on the eve of this great opportunity, the declared position of the scottish national/nationalist party, is to hand control of the very

waters we have just reclaimed straight back to the eu. if that is their policy, if that is their policy, and they plan to ensnare scotland's fishing of then the dragnet common fisheries policy all over again. guess what they are going to do today? they are going to vote today for a no deal brexit. or perhaps the gentleman will tell me he will vote for the deal. >> thank you. the is -- [inaudible]

prime minister johnson: we will take back control from the first years, we, but in 5.5 will be able to claim every single fish in our waters if we so choose. that is the reality. in the meantime, i don't think i heard him deny that the scottish national party is going to vote against the deal. they will vote for no deal after which they have campaigned against and denounced, proving once and for all that the interest of scotland, england, wales, and northern ireland are eaten best served by a one servedparty are better one united kingdom. mr. speaker this deal was , negotiated by a big team, and he should know this, from every part of the united kingdom. and it serves the whole of the u.k., not least by protecting

the integrity of the united kingdom single internal market. and northern ireland's place within it, a point based immigration system and give us full control of who enters the country. on that point, i want to thank the work that he did to protect the interest of northern at the same time, the deal provides certainty for airlines who have suffered grievously during this pandemic. it guarantees the freedom of british citizens to travel to and from the eu and retain access to health care. it provides certainty for our police, for our border forces, our security agencies, who work alongside our european friends. it provides certainty for partnerships on scientific research, because we want our country to be a science superpower, but also a collaborative science

superpower. it provides certainty for business, from financial services to manufacturers including our car industry safeguarding of highly skilled , jobs and investment across our country. as for the leader of the opposition, mr. speaker, i'm delighted he has found yet another position on brexit and having thrown down every blind alley and exhausted every possible alternative, he has come to the right conclusion. namely to vote for this agreement which this government has secured. i hope the honorable gentlemen will tell us that he too is going to join his right honorable friend and vote for this agreement. is that the case? >> i'm very happy to confirm for the prime minister that i will be voting for it. he mentioned several times of the leveling up agenda.

but financial services and those working in the sector have been left entirely out of it. does he not agree with me that every city, every town that is dependent on the services, from leads, manchester, to edinburgh, to many in between, they have been left out from this? prime minister johnson: it is great to hear a member from the labour party who are backing the bankers, backing financial services. but also backing this deal. he is quite right. this deal does a great deal for services, for financial services. for the legal professions, and many other professions. but alas, the good news about the labour party stops there, mr. speaker, because i'm told that the right honorable gentlemen intends to ask the british people for a mandate to rewrite the deal in 2024.

that is what he wants to do. i think frankly, mr. speaker, we got brexit done. let's keep brexit done. let's keep brexit done. and let's press ahead with this governments mission to unite and level up across our whole country and the opportunities before us. because as i've always said, mr. speaker, i will make some progress, i have always said that brexit is not the end, but the beginning. it is up to us to make the best use of the powers that we have regained and the tools we have taken back into our hands. we are going to begin by maintaining the highest standards of labor and environmental regulations. no characters should be inaccurate in the idea of bargain-basement, kenzie and written that the enlightened , eu regulation has been our only salvation from squalor. our national standards have always been amongst the very

best in the world. and this house can be trusted to use its new freedom to keep them that way without any outside individuation. we are going to open a new spec, -- a new chapter in our national story, striking friede tree dales around the world, free -- free trade deals around the world. outward looking force for good. detaching ourselves from the eu is only a prelude to the greater task of establishing our new role in this country, contributing more than any other to vaccinate people across the world against covid, leading the way and preventing future pandemics, and we will continue to campaign for 12 years of equality, education, for every girl in the world. i thank my right honorable friend for what he is doing on that. we will continue to lead the drive toward global net zero as

we host that next year. i hope and believe i think , actually the tone this morning has given me encouragement in this belief. the mood in the house this morning, it seems to be on the whole to be positive. i hope in spite of the as usual synthetic and confected indignation that we hear from some of the offices, i believe this agreement will also serve to end some of the rancor and recrimination we have had in recent years. allow us to come together as a country, to leave old arguments, old desiccated tired super masticated arguments behind. move on and build a new and great future for our country. because those of us, mr. speaker

who campaigned for britain to , leave the eu never thought a a rupture with our closest neighbors. we never wanted to sever ourselves from our fellow democracies. beneath whose soil lies british war grades, cemeteries, often, tended by local schoolchildren. testament to our shared struggle for freedom, and everything we cherish in common. what we wanted was not a rupture, but a resolution. a resolution of the old, tired, vexed question of britain's political relations with europe, which has bedeviled our postwar history. first we stood aloof. then we became a halfhearted, sometimes abstract of member of -- somewhat obstructive member of the eu. now with this bill, we will become a friendly neighbor. the best friends and allies that the eu could have. working hand in glove whenever our values and interests coincide. while fulfilling the sovereign wish of the british people to live under their own laws.

made by their own elected parliament. that is the historic resolution delivered by this bill, and mr. speaker i commend it. the question is does the bill go a second time or will the house bill want to be aware that i have accepted the request from the government for an additional statement from the secretary of state of education on an education returning in january. this will be the second statement after the covid-19 update and before the business statement. the balance is already up. i now call the leader of the opposition, the right honorable. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it is often said there is nothing simple about brexit. but the choice before the house today is perfectly simple. do we implement the treaty that has been agreed with the eu, or do we not? that is the choice.

if we choose not to the outcome , is clear. we leave the transition without a deal, without a deal on security, on trade, on fisheries, without protection from our nine this doctrine -- our manufacturing sector, for countless his misses, and without a foothold to build a future relationship with e.u, . anyone choosing that option today knows there is no time to renegotiate, there is no better deal coming in the next 24 hours, no extensions, no humble addresses, no s o 24's. choosing that option leads to one place, no deal. or we can take the only other option that is available. implement the treaty that has been negotiated. this is a deal that has got many

flaws. a thin deal is better than no deal. not implementing this deal would mean immediate quotas with the eu which will push up prices and drive businesses to the wall. it will mean huge gaps in security, a free-for-all of workers rights, environmental protections, and less stability for the northern ireland protocol. leaving without a deal would also show that the u.k. is not capable of agreeing the legal basis for our future relationship with our eu friends and partners. and that matters. because i want britain to be an outward looking, optimistic, and rules-based country. one that does deals, science treaties, and abides by them. it matters that britain has negotiated a treaty with the eu commission and the 27 member states. but it matters ultimately for the u.k. that has not gone down the blind alley of no deal.

it means our future relationship starts on the base of agreement, not acrimony. i give way. >> thank you for setting up the position of the labour party. any brexit deal he would be willing of supporting. only one choice today, which is to vote for implementing this deal, or to vote for 1 -- no deal. no, aree that vote voicing for no deal. i am going to give way to the honorable gentlemen. does he wantng no, know to succeed? him.e way to afraid the party has

waypted -- says a lot of about things have changed in recent weeks. >> mr. speaker, this is the nub of it. wantsvoting no today others to save them from their own vote. they want others to save them from their own vote. that is the truth of the situation. that is why my party has taken a different path. i give way. i congratulate the right honorable gentlemen, i think it butd be interested to know, there would he have negotiated? . -- the reasons i am about to

lay out. i will go into some of the detail. the prime minister just said about financial services. is not a mark of how pro-european you are to reject implementing this treaty. it is not in the national interest to duck a question, or to hide in the others -- knowledge. this is a simple vote with a simple choice. do we leave the transition. -- we leave the transition per iod with the treaty that has been implemented, or do we vote no. --outlining how, that is

[indiscernible] member of the scottish parliament will vote against the deal, and members of the westminster parliament will vote for it. very relatively different. it is completely different votes on a different issue. i give way to the honorable never again, with my question. when he votes no this afternoon, does he want the bill to fail? is that the intent? does he want the result to go the way he is hoping? [indiscernible] >> i have absolutely identified the point. he is going to vote in the hopes

that others will go to the other way to save him from the consequence of his own vote. that is the truth of the situation. hoping others will do the right treaty, weement the fought against no deal forever. four months and years. and now those voting no are going to vote for no deal. nothing is going to happen in the next 24 hours to save this country for no deal. he wants to vote for something but he does not want the boat to succeed. he wants others to save us from no deal. i'm going to make some progress. it is of course completely unacceptable with this debate happening now, one day before the end of the transition. . the prime minister said he had a deal that was up and ready. then it was supposed to be ready in july, then september, then november, and finally it arrives on christmas eve. that matters.

businesses have had no chance to prepare for the new regulations. talk to businesses about their concerns. they have real difficulties, many of them already making decisions about jobs because of the uncertainty. that has made worse by the pandemic. let me go into the deal itself. let's start with the prime minister, but he said on christmas eve in his press conference. he said this about the deal. there will be no nontariff barriers to trade. his words. it wasn't being straight with the british public. that was plain wrong. it's worse than that. it was a scripted speech. there will be no nontariff barriers to trade. every member of this house knows it is not true. i will give way to the prime minister to correct the record.

will he take this opportunity to correct the record? prime minister johnson: zero tariff, zero quoted deal. perhaps he could tell us if you would have remained. tell the house a little bit about how he proposes to renegotiate this deal or build on it? and take the u.k. back into the eu? let's get on with the debate. >> the prime minister told the british public.

as answer now is not an answer to that. it is not true, the prime minister knows what he said is not true. he won't stand up and acknowledge it today. that speaks volumes about the sort of prime minister that we have. the truth is this. there will be an avalanche of redtape for british businesses. every business i have spoken to says this, knows this. that is what they are talking about. it is there in black and white. farmers,l be tape for manufacturers, safety and security. plant and animal health, and much more. 90 british exporters will have to go through to regulatory processes. in order to keep tariff free trade, businesses will have to approve enough of their parts come from the eu are the u.k..

there will be significant and permanent burdens on british businesses. it is somewhat ironic that for years, the conservative party has railed against eu bureaucracy, but this treaty imposes far more redtape on british businesses than there is at the moment. >> the leader to this brexit deal has been a levitate -- let me of broken promises. also, amongst other things, make grand statements about taking full control of our fish and waters. we agreed that despite the politics, it is not only the british fishermen that are accusing the prime minister of betrayal. >> these are examples of the

prime minister making promises he does not keep. the hallmark of this prime minister. candy leader of opposition in --e way just join leaders join labor voters for the remarkable achievement that the prime minister -- deal.m glad there is a it is far better than no deal. it is the right thing to do. is to pretend that the deal what it is is not being honest. are noend there nontariff barriers when there are is just not true. he will get up and do that -- he won't get up and do that. >> at least he has read it.

says iprime minister don't know what i am talking about. he said there will be no nontariff barriers to trade. will there be? yes or no. mr. speaker. let me turn to services. because whatever the prime minister says, there is very little protection for our services in this deal. it is a gaping hole. we are primarily a services economy. we have a trade surplus in the you in services. but we have in this text, beyond what was agreed with canada or japan, the luck of our fishermen are striking. no mutual recognition of professional qualification.

how they will practice and other eu states. state has separate terms and conditions. anyone who thinks that as an improvement really needs to look again at the steel. it will make it hard to sell services into the eu. there has been agreements on business travel. it will make it much harder for artists and musicians. answers, notknow just comments from the bench. the deal does not go as far as we would like. pretending it is a brilliant deal is just wrong. that is the reality.

wonder, if we are not even trying to get a strong deal, or he tried and failed. which is it? let me turn to security. the treaty does offer important protections compared to no deal. for example, dna and fingerprints. i know how important that is. the treaty does not provide what was promised, which was a security partnership of unprecedented depth. it does not. anyone who thinks so has not read the deal. we will not have access to databases. anybody who thinks that not important, bear this in mind.

that is useful on a daily basis. it was accessed 600 million times by the u.k. police. 600 million times. that is how vital it is to them. the prime minister needs to explain how that is going to be plugged. let me then turned to tariffs" is. -- quotas. prime minister makes big deals talking of zero tariff and zero quotas. it does as long as british businesses meet requirements. it does as long as the u.k. does not step away from the plainfield. it's just rubbish. i have read it, i have studied it. i have been looking at nothing else for four years over this.

he is pretending that he has sovereignty and zero tariffs, and zero quotas. he hasn't. the moment he exercises the sovereignty to depart from a level playing field, the tariffs kick in. this is a negotiating triumph. it sets up the fundamental dilemma. [indiscernible] this deal sets up the fundamental dilemma that has already been at the heart of these negotiations. if we stick to the level playing field, there are no tariffs" is. if we don't, british consumers rebel the cost -- will bear the

cost. it poses the central question for future governments and future parliaments. do we build up from this agreement, to ensure the? u.k. has high standards? that are businesses are able to trade as possible -- or do we choose to lower standards and/protections. moreat way put some barriers for our businesses. for labor, this is clear. we believe in high standards. we see this treaty as a basis to build from. we want the close relationship with the eu that protects jobs and rights. that is where our national interest lies today and tomorrow. i fear the prime minister will take the other route. inhas used up so much time -- and negotiating capital and

doing so. he's put the right to step away at the heart of the negotiation. i assume you want to make use of that right as soon as possible. if he does, he has to be honest with the british people about the costs and consequences of that choice. on businesses and jobs in our economy. if he does not want to exercise that right, he has to explain why he has wasted so much time for a right that he is not going to exercise. speaker, after 4.5 years of debates, we finally have a trade deal with the eu. it is imperfect. it is thin. and it is the consequence of the prime minister's political choices. but we'll we have one day until the end of the transition. it is the only deal we have. it is a basis to build on in the years to come.

ultimately, voting to implement this treaty if the only way to ensure. we will vote for this bill today. i do hope this will be a moment where this country can come together and look to a better future. the u.k. has left the eu. on, ther side were divisions are over. we now have an opportunity to forge a new future. but workingthe eu, closely with our great partners, friends,, and allies we will always be european. we will always have shared values, experiences, and history. we can now also have a shared future. today's vote provides the basis for that. i am now introducing a four-minute limit. thank you, mr. speaker.

i welcome this deal and i will be supporting this deal today. i welcome the fact that the opposition will be supporting this deal. i have some incredulity as to what the leader of the opposition said. he said he wanted a better deal. he had an opportunity for a better deal in 2019, and he voted against it. no lectures on the leader of the opposition on this deal. mr. speaker, central to this deal the prime minister has said , that the trade arrangements are central to this deal. it would have been unforgivable for the european union given that they signed up for that in the political declaration signed in november, 2018. one of the reasons for supporting this deal is the security arrangements being put in place, which are very important.

i hope in practice we will see little change to the ability to investigate as a result of the good relationships that have been built up, but i think the eu has made a mistake in not this, butccess to that is something we should aim to try to find resolution about in the future, because it is an important database. it does help in our fight against modern slavery, child abduction, and identifying criminals across our borders. one area where i am disappointed in the deal is in services. it is no longer the case that u.k. service providers will have the automatic right of access to provide services across the eu. they will have to abide by the individual rules of a state. i understand if you are a lawyer

in the czech republic, you will , have to be resident. in austria, you will not, just as an example. the key area is financial services. said we wanted to work to get a financial services deal in the future treaty arrangement and that that would be groundbreaking. it would have been, but has not been achieved. we have a deal in trade, which benefits the eu, but not a deal in services which would have , benefited the u.k. negotiation in the future is possible. i hope the government will go to those negotiations with a focus on financial services. the whole structure set up under this tweety, what this does not like the partnership council will be able to amend this arrangement.

amendments without any formal reference to this parliaments. sovereignty has been underpinning the negotiations. sever tate not mean isolationism, does not mean exceptionalism. forwardportant as we go that we recognize we live and and it could to -- interconnected world. -- promoting the rules-based international order. ensuring that we promote the strengthenedvalue, multinational institutions like the wto. tomust never allow ourselves believe that sovereignty means isolation. i think all members. -- today is the time to put aside interests. interestthe national

for the whole of the u.k. and support this bill. it is a pleasure to follow the former prime minister, the right honorable member. if i may, can i just quickly reflect on the sadness of the event that took place on january 2, 1971 in glasgow, where young people, lost their lives to a disaster. i am sure the whole house will want to remember those that lost their lives at that moment. mr. speaker, when this bad brexit deal was published, one of the very first public image

s released show the premise or -- the prime minister raising his arms aloft celebration. when i saw the image, my thought went to the european nationals. because they are not celebrating. during this brexit mess, the main emotion they have felt is worried. worried about staying here. worried about their jobs and families. in scotland, these citizens are our friends. our family our neighbors. , before this tory government forced a deal that ripped us out of the eu, the single market, and the customs union, let us get this message out to scotland's eu citizens. scotland is your home. you are welcome.

the value we place on european citizenship, that sense of belonging to the european union, cuts to the very core of this debate. scotland is at heart a european nation. it always has been. forcing our nation out of the eu means losing a precious part of who we are. because scotland did not become european when the united kingdom joined the ec 40 years ago. our relationship predates the united kingdom. an independent scotland has enjoyed centuries of engagement with european nations. scottish merchants traveled, traded, and settled on the continent. we shared citizenship with france. we appealed our nationhood to rome. scotland was european before it was british. the european history and

heritage goes back to our heritage in the hanseatic league and the 15th century. scotland was central to a trading alliance that forged connections between the netherlands, germany, scandinavia, and baltics. we were a unity in trading nation, right up until many of our privileges branded -- were ended by the treaty of union. three centuries later here we go , again. westminster ending free movement of people and access to labor that is so crucial to our economic system. westminster seeking to end our automatic right to live, to work, and to get an education as 27 member states of the eu, rights our generation had, rights to be taken away from our

children and our grandchildren. and for what? mr. speaker, it was way back on the 11th of july, 2016, that the former prime minister, the member from maidenhead first words, the infamous brexit means brexit. we all know what followed. the use of that foolish phrase , nearly four years of chaos and confusion. today, at least we have some clarity. we now finally know what brexit means. we have it in black and white. it means the disaster of a deal. it means broken promises. it means economic vandalism. it means an isolated united kingdom in the middle of a global pandemic. it means the worst of all worlds for scotland.

mr. speaker, this morning's proceedings are so critically decisive because of that clarity because with that comes a choice ,, it is a fundamental choice for scotland. a future defined by this disaster of a deal where the future the snp is offering to the scottish people, an independent nation at the heart of the european union. today, the contrast between these futures is clearer than ever. >> i am grateful to the gentleman for giving way. i'm wondering if i can put a same question, but the same question put to him by the prime minister. today, when the scottish national party votes against this deal, they are therefore voting for no deal. is it the determination that tomorrow, the u.k. would have no deal and would be in a worse situation? i am grateful to my friend

for the question because it is simple. this is a piece of legislation that has been put forward today. no deal is not on the order. the deal that we currently have, the deal that is meant to be is the best deal for us. we have argued many times in this house, as the right honorable gentleman knows, that we should have extended transition, and that offer was from the european union. it is not our choice to accept this shoddy deal. what we should be doing, i am grateful -- >> one second. you do not want to go down the list, i am sure. >> we will accept your guidance on these things although i was looking forward to this debate.

now that we see the scale of the bad brexit deal, the question before the scottish people is clear. what union does scotland wish to be part of? which future will we choose? this broken brexit written -- britain or the european union? if this was truly about sovereignty, then the scottish people would not be denied our sovereign right to that self-determination. no democrat should stand in the way of that. nobody in this house. the tory denial of democracy is a position that cannot and will not hold. scotland will have the right to choose its own future. mr. speaker now that the detail , of this deal is finally in front of us, people hope that brexit fictions are swiftly replaced with brexit facts.

judging by the prime minister's performance today, his government is still in delusion or putting on an act. for those of us who live in the real world, it is past time that reality finally burst the brexit bubble. in recent days, we have heard celebrations and claims from leading brexit cheerleaders about how this is the largest free-trade deal in history. i am sorry to inform them it isn't. the biggest and the best free trading bloc in the world is the one that this tory government is dragging scotland out of. it is made up of 27 nations and 500 million citizens. it is called the european union. in the middle of a pandemic and economic recession, scotland has been removed from a market worth 16 billion pounds in exports to scottish companies, a market which, by population, is seven times the size of the united kingdom.

leaving the european single market and customs union would be damaging any time, but in the middle of the current crisis, prime minister, it is unforgivable. it is an act of economic vandalism pure and simple. scottish government model says it could cut scotland's gdp by around 6.1%, 9 billion pounds by 2030. that will mean the people in scotland, the same people who 1600 poundsit, r poorer. that is the cost of the prime minister's brexit. >> perhaps you could tell us what estimates he has made?

really? really? i mean, the right of neural -- the right honorable gentleman seems to be threatening the people of scotland with lack of access. is this really the message he wishes to deliver to the people of scotland? shame on him. shame on him. shame on him. for all this tory talk of leveling up, this deal is leveling down on standards. in the last few days, the ippr board warned what many of us suspected all along. the environment is at serious risk of real erosion. mr. speaker, another brexit bubble that badly needs bursting is the notion that this will somehow make it easier for

businesses to trade. this is the first reindeer 2016, the light campaign including the claim that brexit would be removing redtape from business. since then, plenty of brexit redlines have disappeared, but none of the redtape. this bad deal means that businesses will be faced with more bureaucracy. if the prime minister wants to disagree with that. presumably, they think that is ok. means, you tell that to fishing businesses, that all of based on his ideology,

that's the answer. that means more delay, paperwork. if you want to deny that? knows that fishing businesses will pay additional costs as a consequence of what his government has done. it means more delay, paperwork. slowing trade and costing jobs. not onlyer, this deal inflicts economic self-harm and ignores economic reality, but there is barely a reference in this deal for the service sector. 80% of the entire u.k. economy. services have been left incomplete limbo. why is there no mention? it is not good news. confirms an end to financial passports and rights.

let me note on the biggest betrayal of all. the broken promises to scotland's fishing communities. there are no scottish tory mps in this chamber. -- we knowe here this brexit deal. -- this deal made to access the fish under the existing arrangement. let's access to the special -- less access to fish. one of the things that is missing, is we have special privileges. the so-called hate arrangements that give additional fishing rights to scotland.

they were not even negotiated as part of this deal. assume, one can only from incompetence of the u.k. negotiators. says it was ay redline that must not be crossed. yet, here we are. this is exactly what has been done. everysingle tory promise, redline has been blown out of the water. countless broken promises. not even one resignation. apology, or a hint of humility. or of regret. i take no comfort in saying that this was predicted, because this deal represents the history of betrayal. our fishing industry, our scottish industry was so burnt 1973, itnservatives in

believes it has been sold out all over again. the scottish fishermen federation knows they have been stating it does not permit us to determine who can catch what, where, and when in our waters. -- that fishing minister,on, prime that does exactly what you have done to them. for scotland's fishing communities, lighting might not strike twice. but the tories definitely do. gave one of the more graphic performances, he said he would drink a pint rather than vote for ideal that gave you vessels access for two years. mr. speaker, this deal give them

five years access, and potentially much more. there will be plenty of scottish voters in the northeast who will be very interested in what he is thinking, and after he and his colleagues break every single promise. latest speechhe where my colleagues attempt to cover as much as they can, the effect of this bill on scotland's. it has to be said that this lack of scrutiny is not helped by the stance taken by the labour party. i am sad to see that the official opposition have been missing in action. hade was a time where labor -- in order for them to support any deal. has disappeared as quickly as tory promise. not principal.s

principal political is hard to manage when you cannot even get a position between scottish labor and u.k.. when it comes to position on this brexit deal, it is all over the place. labor will join with the scottish national party in refusing to grant a consent portion of this bill. i am grateful for that. butr will not only join us, the liberal democrats standing with us, scottish parliament united against the tories. united against this bill. it is up to others to explain the let me of broken promises that will stick with them in the next election. in the end, this is not so much about the brexit promise of political parties. it is about its impact on people.

it is about respecting the democratic decisions that voters make. when wales voted to leave the european union, they have decided their future lies elsewhere. let me make this clear. i do not agree with this decision, but i respected. and legislation respects it informs it for the future. the people of northern ireland remained in the european union due to efforts -- it means northern ireland stays in the european single market. i support that, and its protection. this deal respects that. that being said, scottish britain -- threatened to resign if scotland was not offered the same deal.

there is still time. we are still waiting. mr. speaker, the only nation, the only democratic decision that has been ignored, are the voices and votes of the scottish people. none of this deal respects the choice that we make. i genuinely asked members to reflect on that reality. imposing this brexit, imposing this deal, means imposing a future that scotland's people did not vote for, and does not want. that one oforget, the central claims of the better together campaign in 2014, was that if we stayed in the u.k., we will be staying in the european union. that is the promise that was made. we're also told if we stayed in the united kingdom, we could leave the united kingdom. on the day after the referendum, that has all changed. scott them was turned -- told to get back in its box.

scotland's voice has been ignored by westminster. compromise, at rebuffed at every opportunity. scott them was locked out of the key decisions affecting our future, ignoring our desire to retain our european citizenship. he knowsister johnson: i adore and love his country. does he not believe that scotland has the character to succeed? scotland is a great country. seems so -- why does he so gloomy. i think the honorable gentlemen, i love england, i love its people. what i want this for us to maximize our opportunity. what this deal does is it limits our opportunity. i want to unleash scotland's potential. that would be unleashed with an

independent scotland's. the prime minister's broken promise has been such an issue in the last few days. that betrayal denies our young people the opportunity european citizenship has given us. it denies them what they cherish, living, working and studying abroad. this also important to say, is not only about university students. it is about supporting youth works, sport, culture. it is why the scottish government is so committed to exploring every opportunity to keep it in place for our people. sickles aery name long-established european like. deposition of connection comes

right up to the modern day. when a former mother of the european parliament was chair of the u.s. education committee, that brought in the scheme. people at home will be watching this. utterly pathetic. utterly, utterly pathetic. mr. speaker, let me conclude by saying this. all of those links between europe and scotland's, and all of these opportunity. scotland's story is european. that story does not end today. and our is european, future must be european. as a nation, that is a choice we made in 2016.

i am confident it is a choice we make again. we cannot support this legislation because it does not sit best respect that choice. it does not provide for our future. scotland's course is not set. fromvery different course the decisions being taken in this western parliament -- west mr. parliament -- westminster parliament. is tow that the days become an independent state. that is the decision that the scottish people will make, and we have been given that today. it would be prolonged -- >>

the democratic challengers are f and raphael warnock. live coverage on c-span, c-span.org, and the free c-span radio app. announcer: coming up tonight on gives anovernor newsom update on california's coronavirus respond, joined by anthony fauci. onn, distribution around the country. followed by governor cooper on the response in his state. later, the u.s. coast guard effort to safeguard the arctic. california governor, gavin newsom, held a briefing on his state's coronavirus respond sam vaccine distribution, joined by anthony fauci.