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Government confirms intention to seek provisions for inter-parliamentary dialogue in negotiations with EU

11 September 2020

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has confirmed that the Government will seek to include a legal framework for dialogue with the European Parliament in any future UK-EU agreement

Background

In March 2020, the European Union published a draft agreement that included a provision for the establishment of a “Parliamentary Partnership Assembly” as “a forum for Members of the European Parliament and Parliament of the United Kingdom”. The Government’s draft texts contained no provisions for inter-parliamentary dialogue.

The Chair of the House of Lords European Union Committee, Lord Kinnoull, has repeatedly pressed the Government on this matter in public evidence sessions and on the floor of the House, and in July, alongside the Chair of the House of Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, sent a joint letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Speaker, expressing their support for a joint parliamentary structure, and urging the Government to ensure that provisions to this effect were included in any UK-EU agreement.

On 29 July the Lord Speaker replied, expressing his support for this initiative, and a similar letter was received from the Speaker of the House of Commons. On 14 August the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster responded, in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Commons, confirming that the Government will seek to “include provision that would allow for inter-parliamentary dialogue [in negotiations with the EU]”.

Further information

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