9 February 2017

* Molly Scott Cato MEP: “While the government is moving us towards the hard Brexit cliff edge, it is Labour that seems willing to push us off.”

* Keith Taylor MEP: “As Greens, we believe the British people should have the final say on the Brexit deal, once it is clear what the outcome of the negotiations are.”

* Jean Lambert MEP: “How bizarre that, as an MEP, I am guaranteed a right to vote on this but my MP has to plead for the privilege.”

UK Green MEPs, Molly Scott Cato, Jean Lambert, and Keith Taylor have issued a stinging condemnation of British MPs after Theresa May’s Brexit bill denying Parliament any real say in the process sailed through the Commons.

The Prime Minister rejected calls for MPs to have a meaningful role in shaping the proposed divorce deal. The government, instead, confirmed that the parliamentarians elected to represent the British and Northern Irish people will only be offered a ‘take it or leave it’ vote on the final deal.

UK Green MEPs, who will get an opportunity to play a part in the EU’s negotiating process and cast a significant vote on the final terms of the deal, hit out at the Government for undermining the sovereignty of the UK Parliament.

Molly Scott Cato MEP, the Green Party’s Brexit spokesperson and MEP for the South West, said:

“I am delighted that 122 MPs voted against the Brexit bill. With Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, and Plaid Cymru MPs joining Green MP Caroline Lucas to reject the Bill unamended, we have seen a progressive alliance against the government’s plans for an extreme Brexit.

However, while the government is moving us towards the hard Brexit cliff edge, it is Labour that seems willing to push us off. The Party has shown itself hopelessly divided and the failure to oppose the government on this the most critical of issues has played straight into the hands of the Tory Right.

Greens have been clear throughout: we cannot support triggering a process that will see the UK leave the single market and customs union and threatens to turn us into Europe’s biggest tax haven. We need clear guarantees on worker and consumer rights and assurances there will be no weakening of environmental protections.”

Jean Lambert, the Green MEP for London, said:

“It’s outrageous that MPs appear grateful to be offered a vote on the final deal, rather than demanding this as a Parliamentary right. How bizarre that, as an MEP, I am guaranteed a right to vote on this but my MP has to plead for the privilege. And if my elected representative in UK Parliament has to plead, what say will the public get? The sidelining of Parliament and the British people is unacceptable.

The UK Parliament has chosen to set out little clear guidance for the Government on content or process: on what basis will MPs judge the final deal?”

Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for the South East and a plaintiff in so-called ‘Dublin Case‘, said:

“Theresa May has justified her riding roughshod over Parliamentary democracy by claiming the British people have united to back Brexit. They haven’t. Far from it. The mandate for an extreme Brexit is non-existent. According to the latest polls, just 39% of the British public support the Prime Minister’s vision of an extreme Brexit. Meanwhile, 48% of people want Britain to either remain a member of the EU or, at least, maintain a close relationship with our European neighbours.

Yet the Government has confirmed that it will only offer MPs a Hobson’s choice: the UK either leaves the single market and negotiates a new deal with the EU or ends up with no deal at all, in which case the Government promises to make the country a tax haven outside Europe.

I know we can do better than this. Which is why I am fighting in the courts for the British people to be given the choice they are being denied. The EU referendum should have been the start of a democratic process, not the end of one. As Greens, we believe the British people should have the final say on the Brexit deal, once it is clear what the outcome of the negotiations are.”

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We intend to publish a draft spaceflight bill later this month, dedicated to commercial spaceflight in the UK. This legislation will be fundamental to enabling small-satellite launches and sub-orbital flights from the UK, ensuring the UK is well placed to take advantage of a growing global market. The government’s intention is to introduce this Bill formally early in the next session, following a period of scrutiny and engagement with industry and other interest groups.

The space sector is vital to the future of the UK economy, with a strong record of creating high-value jobs and generating wealth across the country. To help the creation of the space launch market in the UK, the UK Space Agency is inviting commercial space consortia to apply for grant funding to take the action that will make our ambitions a reality.

Together, the proposed legislation and grant funding announced today will have the potential to enable commercial spaceflight from a UK spaceport by 2020.

The minister will be updated by Dafydd Evans, CEO Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Dr Ian Rees, Grŵp Executive Director Business Development on how the college is progressing in its mission to ensure local people are equipped with the skills to benefit from opportunities in the Energy Sector.

The update will be followed by a tour of the college’s Construction and Energy Centres and an energy sector round table involving Bangor University, Snowdonia Enterprise Zone and Orthios Eco Parks before the minister moves on to the Wylfa Newydd Site.

A myriad of opportunities are expected to come to Anglesey in wake of the anticipated Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power station and other energy based projects, such as wave power and a biomass plant at the former Anglesey Aluminium site.

A likely topic of conversation during the visit is the work already undertaken with Horizon Nuclear Power.

Just this week in a launch event at Coleg Menai (06/02/2017) Horizon Nuclear Power announced that they would recruit another 12 Apprentices to join their training scheme, bringing the number of Horizon Nuclear Apprentices already in training to 22.

The college has also submitted a planning application for the development of its Llangefni campus that would see college’s Engineering provision relocated to a new £15m Engineering Training Centre in Llangefni.

We look forward to a constructive meeting this morning at Llangefni with Guto. It essential we update our representatives in Westminster on the work that’s being done here in North West Wales to develop Engineering and other Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills. With Brexit looming large it’s essential that we have these talks now so that we can prepare for the future.

Guto Bebb, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, said:

I’m delighted to visit Coleg Menai and Wylfa today to see the innovative technology that is set to make a positive impact to Anglesey’s economy. It’s important to hear from Welsh institutions and businesses about the issues and opportunities that they face following Brexit, and continue the conversations that we’ve been holding throughout the summer.

The UK’s Industrial Strategy provides a joined up approach to policy, aiming to deliver a highly skilled and competitive economy that benefits people right across the country. Coleg Menai is a fantastic example of an institution in the North West of Wales working to ensure that young people have the essential employability skills for the global market and to work in an industry that is being developed within their local area.

Greg Evans, Safety & Generation Director at Horizon said:

Coleg Menai and Horizon have already shown how we will work together through paving the way for the new Engineering Training Centre and providing Horizon apprenticeship opportunities for local young people. We will continue to move forward in partnership, with the active support of both the UK and Welsh Governments, to deliver the huge benefits Wylfa Newydd will bring for Anglesey and North Wales for many decades.