Leaving the EU

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:47 pm on 12 February 2019.

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Photo of Theresa May Theresa May The Prime Minister, Leader of the Conservative Party 12:47, 12 February 2019

The point that my right hon. Friend makes about the legally binding nature of the changes is important. This House has been clear about those issues, and, as I mentioned in an earlier response, I have raised with the European Union this question of the different legal force of the commitments that have been made so far and the concern that the withdrawal agreement in the international treaty would currently take precedence over the legal assurances that were given in the separate letter about the temporary nature of the backstop. It is the equivalence of that legally binding nature, to make sure that the withdrawal agreement cannot then trump anything extra, that is important.