Ministers should reconsider UK-EU scrutiny from ‘sunbeds’ this summer, says MP

Reform UK’s deputy leader has urged ministers to reconsider “from the sedentary position of our sunbeds” their move to ditch the Commons European Scrutiny Committee.

Richard Tice suggested the committee should be kept in place to scrutinise UK-European Union (EU) negotiations which take place in the future.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to “reset” relations with the UK’s European allies, while also noting negotiations on trade arrangements will not involve re-joining the EU or freedom of movement.

On Tuesday evening, MPs agreed to scrap the European Scrutiny Committee which was previously tasked with assessing the legal or political importance of EU documents and directives lodged with the Westminster Parliament pre and post-Brexit.

Before the vote, Mr Tice said: “We’ve heard from the Government before the election, during the election and since the election about the importance of our relations with our friends in the European Union and how negotiations may take place on a whole range and raft of important issues.

“And surely the whole point of our debate about our relationship with the European Union, people will remember – do you remember that slogan, ‘take back control of our borders, our money and our laws’?

“And this, of course, is the place where we debate and legislate for laws on behalf of the people.

“So if we’re going to take back control of our laws, then surely, those laws, those negotiations proposed by this Government on behalf of the people, should be scrutinised in detail and in earnest.”

He urged the Government to reconsider its proposal to scrap the committee and “to reflect on it from the sedentary position of our sunbeds over the next month, and then bring it back to the House in September”.

Intervening, Labour MP Stella Creasy said: “Those of us who won’t be on a sunbed but will be within our constituencies do recognise the point.

“He and I will take a very different view as to the benefits of what this Government is doing to reset our relationship with Europe, to finally get the trading benefits sorted now that we’ve left the European Union, to sort out the mess left by the last government with the border tax.”

The Walthamstow MP raised the prospect of “a lacuna where people may question where this debate will happen and what role parliamentarians may play in it”.

Mr Tice replied that it is the House’s role “to scrutinise the negotiations that the newly elected Government will have in multiple areas with Brussels, with the European Union, and with European nations.”

Responding to Mr Tice, Commons leader Lucy Powell said: “I look forward to watching his race with his towel to the sun lounger. I’m sure he will be beaten by many other Europeans on that race.

“Anyway, I have to say I am a little confused by his plea to keep a select committee that was a function of our membership of the European Union when he has spent his life and all his efforts getting us to leave the European Union, which we now have done.

“And, therefore, this committee whose principal job it was to examine the documents produced by the EU institutions that the Government would then automatically take on board, that job of that committee is no longer required.”