Lords debate report on possibility of post-Brexit UK-EU security treaty

15 Jan 2019 01:00 PM

On Wednesday 16 January 2019, the House of Lords will debate the EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee's report on Brexit: the proposed UK-EU security treaty.

• Letter from Lord Boswell of Aynho to Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP on the Government's response to the security treaty report, 14 November 2018 ( PDF 56 KB)
• Government's response: Brexit: the proposed UK-EU security treaty ( PDF 297 KB)
• Report: Brexit: the proposed UK-EU security treaty (HTML)
• Report: Brexit: the proposed UK-EU security treaty (PDF)
• Inquiry: Brexit: the proposed UK-EU security treaty
• EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee

Background

The Committee’s report, published on 11 July 2018, examines the feasibility of the Government's ambition to negotiate a single, comprehensive security treaty with the EU. The Committee called on the Government and the EU to make pragmatic compromises on security matters to achieve the over-riding objective of protecting the safety of UK and EU citizens after Brexit. Among other things, the report concluded that insufficient progress has been made in negotiating a comprehensive security treaty, an abrupt end to cooperation in March 2019 would seriously undermine the security of the UK and EU, and that serious difficulties are posed by the constitutional restrictions of some Member States on the extradition of their own nationals.

The Government’s response was received in September 2018. Although the Government gave full consideration to the majority of the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations, there were still outstanding areas of concern. The Committee wrote to Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP, Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service, in November 2018 seeking clarification on the Government’s ambition to reach a single security agreement relatively quickly and on its preparations for what could be an operational cliff-edge at the end of the transition period.

Speakers

The debate is being moved by Lord Jay of Ewelme and Baroness Williams of Trafford will respond on behalf of the Government. Speakers will include Lord Browne of Ladyton, Baroness Ludford and Lord Ricketts.

Other Members of the House of Lords who are due to speak in the debate can be viewed on the Government Whips' Office Speakers' Lists.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees