Caution urged over rushed legislation following Letwin amendment
Following the passing of the Letwin amendment at the weekend by MPs the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, appears set to try and have a meaningful vote on his renegotiated Brexit deal this week. Two major trade bodies have urged caution about rushing legislation.
NFU president, Minette Batters, said: “These developments will no doubt be deeply frustrating for many farmers, who are keen to move on from the current Brexit impasse. However, while it is crucial that our departure from the EU is an orderly one, the terms of our future relationship will have a lasting impact on the future of UK farming for decades to come.
“We have some significant concerns with the terms of this new agreement, and it seems sensible that Parliament will be able to scrutinise the details in the coming days before deciding whether to give its seal of approval.”
Ian Wright CBE, chief executive, Food and Drink Federation, said: “Everybody has had enough of the Brexit debate. It is, though, vital that we didn’t allow the fact that the nation is exhausted to mean we sleepwalk into mistakes that will haunt the UK economy for a generation. We welcome the Letwin amendment. The most urgent priority for the food and drink industry has been to prevent a no-deal exit from the EU on 31st October 2019. The Letwin amendment does that job.
“We welcome more time to scrutinise the new Brexit deal and the legislation designed to enact it. We must also make sure the implementation period is adequate to pass the necessary UK legislation and for businesses to fully adapt. It is important that all of the consequences – including the damaging loss of frictionless trade and regulatory divergence with the EU that the new deal heralds – are properly understood before MPs make their decision.”
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