Leaving the European Union Potential Benefits 2022-02-24
2022-02-24
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The MP inquired about discussions between the Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and industry bodies as well as devolved Administrations regarding potential benefits of the UK leaving the EU.
What discussions the Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities has had with (a) industry bodies and (b) the devolved Administrations on the Government's assessment of the potential benefits of the UK leaving the EU?
Last week, I met port industry representatives to discuss Brexit opportunities, and I intend to meet a wide range of interested parties across different sectors and industries. Ministers and officials from each Department regularly engage with the devolved Administrations on specific policy areas, and I intend to do so in areas of common interest.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP highlighted the UK's annual tax loss of £38 billion due to evasion and avoidance, questioning whether this represents another Brexit harm.
Annual tax loss to evasion and avoidance in the UK stands at £38 billion, which represents more than 14% of the world's total tax loss and £570 per UK citizen per year. The EU is implementing new tax evasion rules to clamp down on it, but the UK refuses to act similarly. Does the Minister accept that this is yet another Brexit harm? Or does he see the evasion of tax by wealthy individuals and companies as a Brexit opportunity?
Actually, the Government have a very good record in clamping down on the tax gap and ensuring that people pay the tax that is owed. Fraud, within the whole system of government, is something that must be borne down on. Every element of fraud is taking money from other taxpayers. Therefore, the Government have a strong drive to bear down on it, and have introduced over the past 12 years a number of measures to reduce the opportunities for any tax fraud.
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Assessment & feedback
The evasion issue as a Brexit harm
Does Not See It As A Harm
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP questioned the effectiveness of the Brexit freedoms bill in cutting red tape, citing HMRC estimates that new customs rules could lead to increased costs for businesses.
The Government have touted their so-called Brexit freedoms Bill as a means of cutting up to £1 billion-worth of red tape, yet Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs estimates that new customs rules resulting from Brexit could lead to increased costs for businesses of up to £15 billion each year. Is it not the case that the only cuts to red tape that have been made since Brexit have been the repeated cutting of red tape lengthways to create many more miles of the stuff than ever existed when we were part of the EU?
The hon. Gentleman conjures up images of origami; I am waiting to see what creatures he will create with the papers he cuts up. It is fundamentally important not only that we cut red tape that was imposed by the European Union but that we do not, as a country, impose red tape on ourselves.
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Assessment & feedback
Repeated Cutting Of Red Tape
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP asked about the legal challenges to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act and suggested that devolved administrations would have better served their populations by working collaboratively with the UK Government on levelling up.
Two weeks ago, the courts again threw out the Welsh Labour Government's legal challenge to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. Does my right hon. Friend agree that instead of spending the past five years expending an enormous amount of time, energy and taxpayers' money on fighting a democratic referendum result, the devolved Administrations would have served their populations far better by working collaboratively with the UK Government on the great national mission of levelling up our one United Kingdom?
I entirely agree with my right hon. Friend. It is noticeable that the hard-left Administration in Wales, backed up by separatists, is not acting in the interests of the people of Wales. It would be much better to accept the democratic result of the Brexit referendum.
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Assessment & feedback
Hard-Left Administration
Response accuracy