Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Thursday 27 February 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • David Davis questioned the Government on the economic impact of the EU denying itself access to the UK market.
  • Bill Esterson inquired whether Andrew Sabisky was recruited for the defence and security review; the response was that Sabisky was dismissed before the review began.
  • Lloyd Russell-Moyle raised concerns about the voting rights of long-term UK residents, including those born or paying taxes in the UK; the Government's stance remains on enfranchised voters under current Acts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Davis Con Haltemprice and Howden
Economy Brexit
Context

The European Commission had recently engaged in bluster and sabre rattling regarding the UK-EU relationship.

Question

Given the ridiculous bluster and sabre rattling that we have heard from the European Commission in the past few days, what assessment have the Government made of the damage the European Union would do to its own economy if it denied itself access to the United Kingdom market?

Answer from Michael Gove

My right hon. Friend makes a characteristically acute point. It is the case that the European Union exports more in goods to the UK than we export to the EU. Were some voices—I stress that it is a minority of voices in the European Union—to prevail and were they not to progress these negotiations in the way that, I am sure, we would all want to see, there would be damage to the EU's economy, and that is the last thing that I want to see.

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Q2 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Defence
Context

Andrew Sabisky was previously associated with controversial views.

Question

Was Andrew Sabisky recruited to work on the defence and security review that the Prime Minister announced yesterday?

Answer from Michael Gove

Mr Sabisky was dismissed before the review embarked on its work.

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Q3 Lloyd Russell-Moyle Lab Ecclesall
Democracy & Elections
Context

Responding to the Minister's earlier statement, Lloyd Russell-Moyle points out that Portugal and some Scandinavian countries have arrangements allowing non-citizens to vote under certain conditions.

Question

Will the Minister reconsider our current system where people who may have lived in the UK for decades, pay taxes here, or even been born here cannot vote here?

Answer from Chloe Smith (Minister of State for Constitution)

To clarify, I said that was the case as far as I knew. The hon. Gentleman has added two further examples to our debate. While we should consider such cases and have discussions, the Government's stance remains focused on current enfranchised voters under Representation of the People Acts. Citizenship restrictions are common for national elections in the EU and most democracies.

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Q4 Stephen Doughty Labour (Co-op) Cardiff South and Penarth
Defence
Context

Mr Doughty questions the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster regarding Michael Gove's earlier response about his ignorance on whether Mr Sabisky met officials involved in the defence and security review.

Question

Stephen Doughty asks if the Minister can provide a clear yes or no answer to this question: did Mr Sabisky meet any civil servants working on the defence and security review?

Answer from Michael Gove (The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster)

I have no idea.

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