Speeches by Thomas-Symonds.

“I always think there are more opportunities to do so, Claire. I have been looking carefully at what businesses have been saying. Last month, Evri, the parcel delivery company, announced the opening of a new £1.3 million EU gateway depot, creating 650 jobs. Evri itself said that the facility would allow it to avail itse…”

“Again, that is a very fair challenge. One of the things I have, again, tried to do is engage directly with business. To give a tangible example, I went to Belfast a couple of times last summer, when I first came into this job, and one thing that businesses in Northern Ireland raised with me was an issue about the parce…”

“That is a really good question and challenge. Not only do I lead the negotiations with the EU, but I chair the interministerial group with the devolved Administrations. While the Northern Ireland voice is obviously hugely important, those discussions are also about Scotland and Wales. So there is, Sorcha, a direct form…”

“I will come to that now, Sorcha; you are absolutely right to say that. They were good enough to meet me in opposition as well as in government, for which I was extremely grateful. When I went to Belfast last summer, I also met the co-chairs of the Democratic Scrutiny Committee. I have seen what Lord Murphy has said in …”

“Let me pick this up, because this is something where there are technical exchanges currently ongoing. You have the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Cyber Resilience Act. Both have been published. They have been notified at the moment; that is the situation under article 13(4), which is the process that Gavin was dis…”

“It is non-agricultural geographical indicators.”

“At the moment the level of confidence between the UK and the EU is very high. When I came into office, I promised a reset in the relationship. I have no doubt that has happened and you can see it, visibly, in the Prime Minister’s relations with European leaders, and in not just the work that I do but the work that is d…”

“The SPS agreement is one of the two mandates that the EU still has to agree, along with the linking of the emissions trading systems, which we may come on to in due course. I understand that that mandate and the SPS mandate will be agreed—I hope shortly, within a few weeks—by the European Union. That is the next step i…”

“Yes, of course they inform it. We have had three reports in recent months: the FSB’s report, which I have looked at very carefully, Lord Murphy’s report and the report by the Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee in the Lords. Broadly speaking, the first theme coming through is reducing trade barriers. That is exactly th…”

“First, let me say that it is very good to be here, Chair. On the latter part of the question, I would of course be delighted to come back in future. On the report, let me first express my gratitude to Lord Murphy. He was working within a particular envelope of putting forward proposals that were going to command cross-…”

“I always think there are more opportunities to do so, Claire. I have been looking carefully at what businesses have been saying. Last month, Evri, the parcel delivery company, announced the opening of a new £1.3 million EU gateway depot, creating 650 jobs. Evri itself said that the facility would allow it to avail itse…”

“I will come to that now, Sorcha; you are absolutely right to say that. They were good enough to meet me in opposition as well as in government, for which I was extremely grateful. When I went to Belfast last summer, I also met the co-chairs of the Democratic Scrutiny Committee. I have seen what Lord Murphy has said in …”

“Again, that is a very fair challenge. One of the things I have, again, tried to do is engage directly with business. To give a tangible example, I went to Belfast a couple of times last summer, when I first came into this job, and one thing that businesses in Northern Ireland raised with me was an issue about the parce…”

“Delivering the “Safeguarding the Union” commitment to lift the remaining bans on plants—that would actually be delivering the “Safeguarding the Union” commitment. By the way, I do note it very much in negotiations, Gavin, always. The point is that we support the structure of the Windsor framework, which you have been d…”

“We voted for the Windsor framework in opposition, when the previous Sunak Government negotiated it. We support it and have sought to implement it. However, what the SPS agreement can do—I will not go through all of it, but I will give some examples—is take away some things that are currently there. For example, SPS pap…”

“If I can just come in, there are two points. First, on the internal market guarantee and the 80% threshold within it, we have not yet had the report from the Independent Monitoring Panel to see what that percentage is. Obviously, I will look at it extremely carefully because we are very committed to the internal market…”

“Again, I am not suggesting perfection, but the fact that the impact on Northern Ireland was identified very early is of course a positive thing. Nobody would suggest that it is not, and I think it is really important. All I would say in respect of steel is that it is a foundational industry for the whole of the United …”

“Let me just say this, because this is hugely important issue for Northern Ireland, and indeed the rest of the United Kingdom. At the moment, the European Union has launched a consultation and they are looking at the issue of world overcapacity in the steel industry. They are looking at things around the tariff rates an…”

“I will certainly be visiting Northern Ireland again. However, on the diversion of trade, that is precisely what the independent monitoring panel is currently looking at. The panel is looking at it for the earlier part of this year, and I expect it to report shortly. Of course, when the panel makes recommendations, wher…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, I think for the first time, Dr Allin-Khan. I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister) on securing this debate, and I thank the other Members for their interventions. He has also asked me questions in the main Chamber a number of times, a…”