David Lidington Quotes

What's important is that we do this in the right timescale to get the right deal for the U.K. We shouldn't invoke Article 50 immediately.

Only the U.K. can trigger Article 50. And in my judgement, we should only do that when there is a clear view about what new arrangements we are seeking with our European neighbours.

Because Scotland and Northern Ireland want to remain part of the E.U., there is the quite real possibility that Scotland and even Northern Ireland might now choose to go their own way on membership within the E.U. and the 'United Kingdom' would suddenly effectively be only England and Wales.

Northern Ireland must, in future, be absorbed into the Irish republic. Wales and Scotland must advance from devolution to full independent status. The four nations of these islands must commit themselves absolutely to the project of a United Europe.

I will do everything in my power to keep the United Kingdom united.

A Canada-style deal for the whole of the UK results in a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For that reason, it has never been acceptable to the EU without a permanent hard border down the Irish Sea.

Brexit can be stopped.

We need to underline the need for Britain to depart from the European Union in an orderly fashion.

There will be no hard border from Dundalk to Derry in the context of it being a European border, and by that I mean customs posts every mile along the road.

As I have consistently argued, leaving the E.U. needs to be accompanied by a strong set of pro-enterprise policies to counteract any disruption: cut corporate taxes to make the U.K. an attractive destination for business and investment.

I campaigned for the UK to stay in the European Union but the country chose a different path.

The country is polarised between those who would pursue a hard Brexit, which is where the prime minister is, and Remain.

For all the brave talk of Brexiteers that the E.U. needs us more than we need them, the reality is that they hold all the cards, and they are going to punish us for leaving.

Like most MPs, I campaigned and voted to remain in the EU. I was concerned that extricating ourselves from a relationship built up over 40 years would be complex and challenging and that the economic cost of increasing friction in our trade with the EU would be high.

I do not doubt that there are many countries that will wish to trade with the U.K. post-Brexit, but understandably they will wait to see what the U.K.'s ultimate relationship with Europe will be.

I think that the European Union negotiators have gotten a shock. They were shocked when they realised the Brexit trade negotiations were not just going to be a continuation of those that happened under Theresa May.

The problem with article 50 of the Lisbon treaty is that it is not substantive in its content or conditions, and only concerns itself with procedural requirements.

As the U.K. prepares to leave the E.U., we have an opportunity to leverage our reputation for integrity and fair play as we establish new trading relationships.

The Brexit referendum showed us to be divided, and those of us who campaigned for remain have to accept that we lost. But that does not mean that we have to agree to the deal the prime minister has brought back - a deal that satisfies no one.

Once the country voted for Brexit, I wanted the prime minister to make a success of it, but I knew that unpicking 45 years of entwinement with the E.U. would be impossible without our elected lawmakers being fully involved.

I am a passionate, pragmatic, and positive believer in Brexit, and with my three-step plan, we can decisively leave the E.U.

What I would rather see, what I think would be the best outcome, is a very close relationship between the United Kingdom and the E.U.

It's an uncomfortable fact that leaving the European Union in a way that is true to the referendum result is becoming harder and harder to deliver.

The E.U. Withdrawal Bill fulfils an absolutely essential role in delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit.

If the U.K. wants to leave the E.U., we need to stay in the single market.