Tag: gibraltar

EU (Withdrawal) Bill – Bishop of Leeds speaks on amendment on Gibraltar

On 26th March 2018 the House of Lords continued with its consideration of the Government’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill in committee. Baroness Butler-Sloss introduced an amendment after clause 11, regarding the maintenance of status quo rights and arrangements in Gibraltar. The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, spoke during the debate on the amendment: 

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I do not want to repeat what has been said but the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, seems to have asked the key question. Amid all the detail perhaps we might precis the fundamental question. Continue reading “EU (Withdrawal) Bill – Bishop of Leeds speaks on amendment on Gibraltar”

Bishop of Leeds asks Government to stress test all scenario outcomes for Gibraltar in leaving the EU

Leeds160620On 21st March 2017, Lord Boswell of Aynho asked Her Majesty’s Government what their response is to the Report from the European Union Committee Brexit: Gibraltar (13th Report, HL Paper 116). The Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, spoke in the debate, asking whether the Government were stress testing the outcomes of leaving the European Union on Gibraltar.

The Lord Bishop of Leeds My Lords, I endorse all that has been said so eloquently. The report is excellent, but for me it raises a number of questions. The main one concerns the fact that throughout the referendum campaign, and subsequently, we have repeatedly heard statements such as, “We will get a good deal”, and, “We will do this and we will do that”, when in fact we do not hold the power in a lot of this—it will have to be negotiated. Despite urging that we get the best for Gibraltar, I want to be assured that the Government are stress-testing all the scenarios, including the worst-case ones. We owe it to the people of Gibraltar to do that because it was not done in preparation for the referendum itself. Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks Government to stress test all scenario outcomes for Gibraltar in leaving the EU”