Future Relationship with the European Union Committee Meeting

30 Sep 2020

Stephen Kinnock: Many thanks to our witnesses for really useful and informative presentations. I wanted to ask a couple of questions about the role of various EU institutions in this, focusing specifically on the agencies and then on the European Court of Justice. Regarding the agencies, could all three of…

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Internal Market Bill Is Fundamentally Flawed

29 Sep 2020

In Parliament I stood up for the UK’s global reputation, and for Welsh devolution in the debate on the Internal Market Bill. I warned of Tory plans to channel the Shared Prosperity Fund (former EU cash) direct to Tory seats – pork-barrel politics at its worst! Here is my speech:…

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Israel-Palestine conflict must be seen through prism of securing peace, justice & security for all

24 Sep 2020

I led a debate on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and set out why the Trump plan is not a basis for peace and security in the region. The UK government must: 1. Recognise annexation IS continuing; thousand more settlements 2. Take Trump Plan off table (breaks international law) 3. Recognise…

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Future Relationship With The EU Committee – Internal Markets Bill

23 Sep 2020

Stephen Kinnock: I have a question about the role of the European Parliament in all of this. On 11 September, the European Parliament issued a pretty unequivocal statement saying that the provisions in the UK Internal Market Bill that seek to override the legally binding withdrawal agreement were a breach…

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Holidays And Local Lockdowns

20 Sep 2020

A number of constituents have contacted me about holidays they are no longer able to take because of the local lockdown restrictions and some travel companies and insurers are refusing to give refunds or pay out. I was therefore please to join with colleagues in sending this letter to the…

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Steel Adjournment Debate

14 Sep 2020

My colleague Jessica Morden MP secured an Adjournment Debate in the House on the steel industry. During the debate I raised the issue of unlocking the stalemate around the trade defence measures and the critical role Tata steel will play in the future of our manufacturing sector. I also reminded…

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PM is undermining trust at home and trashing our reputation as trustworthy and reliable

14 Sep 2020

The Prime Minister appears to be hell-bent on re-opening old wounds and ‘Getting Brexit Undone’, whilst undermining devolution and creating a race to the bottom on standards which will result in chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef on our supermarket shelves. This is my speech on the fatally flawed Internal Market…

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Trump’s completely unrealistic and unreasonable section 232 tariffs on UK steel must be removed

14 Sep 2020

Donald Tump’s Section 232 tariffs have severely hit UK steel companies’ exports to the US. I reminded Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Trade, that any UK-US trade deal must exempt the UK from Section 232 tariffs, or else the government must walk away from the negotiating table. She agreed,…

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Chaos In Kent – Future Relationship with the European Union Committee

09 Sep 2020

In the Commons Future Relationship with the EU committee I asked three customs experts what the percentage likelihood is of ‘chaos in Kent’ in January. Their responses were 80%, more than 50% and 75%. I hope they are wrong. Stephen Kinnock: Many thanks to the panel for joining us today.…

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Our Future Relies On The Steel We Make Here In The UK. Britain, We Need Our Steel

22 Jul 2020

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin) and hear a detailed update on the work of the IPU. As we head back to our constituencies this evening, we will reflect no doubt on an extremely challenging period for our country and our constituencies.…

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Future Relationship with EU Committee – Protecting The Security Of Our Citizens

21 Jul 2020

Stephen Kinnock: Many thanks to our panel for some really insightful analysis and views today. I wanted to ask you to do a bit of blue-sky thinking. I know that might be slightly unusual for this sort of session, but we are in uncharted waters. My point is that the…

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Future Relationship with the European Union Committee: Money Laundering

20 Jul 2020

Stephen Kinnock: I am conscious of time, so I would like to fire in a couple of quick questions on money laundering. Our entire panel will be aware of paragraph 82 of the political declaration, which explicitly commits both the EU and the UK to finding modes of co-operation on…

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Port Talbot steelworkers in my constituency make the best steel that money can buy

25 Jun 2020

Port Talbot steelworkers make the best steel that money can buy but the pandemic has seen demand for steel fall off a cliff. The Government need to back our steelworks with the emergency loans it needs to survive the pandemic. Steel will underpin the economic recovery, but first, we need…

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Government’s response to the impact of Coronavirus on steel industry is not acceptable

16 Jun 2020

The UK Government need to recognise the vital strategic importance of steel and support the industry. To date their record on this has been poor: while steel makers in France and Germany received funds from their respective governments to help them through the crisis in just ten days, steel makers…

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Steel industry must underpin manufacturing renaissance

04 Jun 2020

If  something positive is to come out of the coronavirus crisis, I hope that the UK Government will finally recognise the need to support industries of vital strategic, foundational importance, such as the steel industry. So far their record on this has been poor: it took French and German governments…

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We cannot allow arbitrary lines to divide our communities

02 Jun 2020

The Government has brought forward legislation for future constituency boundary reviews. Although it is welcome that they have dropped the arbitrary figure of 600 constituencies, the legislation is still flawed and if it proceeds unchanged then it risks severely weakening our democracy. Stephen Kinnock: I start by thanking my hon.…

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Michael Gove and David Frost answer question from the Committee on the Future Relationship with the EU

27 May 2020

On 8 November 2019 the Prime Minister vowed that there would be no checks on goods being transported from Great Britain into Norther Ireland. Last week the UK govt confirmed there *would* be checks. In the Committee on the Future Relationship with the EU I asked Michael Gove if boris…

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Social care staff deserve to have their ‘thank you’ payment in full

04 May 2020

I was delighted to sign this letter calling on the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions to make an exception in these exceptional circumstances, and ensure that the £500 payment to social care staff is not subject to tax or benefit deductions. Welsh…

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Steel APPG Letter To Chancellor Industry Liquidity

01 May 2020

I’m pleased to be one of cross-party group of 25 steel MPs and peers who’ve signed this letter urging the Chancellor to replace current £50m loan ceiling with one linked to total company turnover. There can be no post-pandemic economic recovery without a strong & healthy steel industry

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My Letter To Rishi Sunak Urging Him To Back British Steel

27 Apr 2020

Following on from my question to the Acting Prime Minister in Prime Minister’s Questions about government support for the British steel industry, I’ve written to the Chancellor urging him to back British Steel. It is the backbone of our entire manufacturing sector, it underpins everything from automotive to life-saving NHS…

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Michael Gove Answers Questions On The Impact Of Coronavirus On UK-EU Negotiations

27 Apr 2020

In a meeting of the Future Relationship with the EU Committee Michael Gove told me that 47 civil servants have been taken off EU negotiations to deal with Covid-19. This is rightly so, tackling the virus must be the Government’s number one priority.  But the re-deployment raises concerns over whether…

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