Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Strengthening the Union

Thursday 1 October 2020 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government introduced 190 billion worth of measures to protect jobs throughout the UK.
  • The Government are taking steps to ensure the free flow of trade.
  • Joint statements reaffirming unity among the devolved nations were issued on 25 September.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sally-Ann Hart
Economy Brexit Local Government
Context

The question arises from a broader context of measures taken by the government to protect jobs and economic stability across the UK, especially after EU exit.

Question

What steps the Government are taking to strengthen the Union. The Chancellor has introduced £190 billion worth of measures to protect jobs throughout the UK. How is the free flow of trade being ensured? What steps are taken for powers returning from the EU directly to devolved Administrations?

Answer from Chloe Smith

The Government have an unwavering commitment to our Union, as demonstrated by the £190 billion of measures that the Chancellor has already introduced to protect jobs throughout the UK. We are strengthening our Union even further by taking steps to ensure the free flow of trade and ensuring that powers return from the EU directly to the devolved Administrations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific mechanisms for free trade and power transfers were not detailed.

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Q2 Sally-Ann Hart
Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The question arises from the need to reaffirm the unity of the United Kingdom, especially in political, social and economic contexts post-pandemic.

Question

The rich tapestry of our precious Union is woven together by the threads of our individual cultures, languages, traditions and values, creating the most successful political, social and economic Union in the world. So what steps is my hon. Friend taking to reach out to the devolved nations to show how much we value them as part of our great United Kingdom, on a cross-party basis?

Answer from Chloe Smith

My hon. Friend makes the point extremely well. We have confronted the recent pandemic as one United Kingdom and have achieved more together than we could have done as individual nations. That unity has been reaffirmed through the joint statements of 25 September. As I said, we have taken significant steps to protect the economy, providing billions of pounds to protect lives and livelihoods in all parts of the UK. As I mentioned in my earlier answer, the way in which we are taking our intergovernmental relations forward will show how committed we are to those relationships and to making sure that they are positive today and tomorrow.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific cross-party initiatives or detailed outreach strategies were not provided.

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