EU (Withdrawal) Bill - Amendments 7, 120, 124, 131

I appreciate your concerns regarding the process of leaving the EU, and to take each of these amendments in turn:

Amendment 7 (Parliamentary approval of the final deal) 

The Government has promised that there will be frequent reports to Parliament during the negotiations and that the final deal will be put to a vote in the House of Commons and the House of Lords before it is concluded. Parliament will be able to accept or reject the deal and I expect this vote to take place before the European Parliament votes on the agreement. The Government has also made clear that there will be a significant amount of legislation passing through Parliament during the process of exiting the EU. Parliament will be able to debate, scrutinise and vote on these important decisions meaning that MPs will have their say at every stage.
 
I do not believe, however, that giving Parliament the power to send Britain back to the negotiating table would be helpful. It would undermine the country's negotiating position and deliver a worse deal.

Amendment 120 (Second Referendum) 

The referendum campaign was fought, turnout was high and the public gave its verdict. There will be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the EU and it is the duty of the Government to make sure we do just that. As stated above, parliament will get a vote on the final Brexit deal, however any attempt to reverse the result of the June 2016 referendum would pose a threat to faith in our democracy.

Amendment 124 (Single Market) 

Leaving the EU cannot mean membership of the EU's single market. This would involve accepting its four freedoms: the movement of goods, services, capital and people. It would also mean complying with the EU's rules and regulations with no say over them. By remaining a member of the single market, the UK would effectively not be leaving the EU at all, and most importantly it would mean less control for the UK not more.

Amendment 131 (Rights of EU citizens) 

The Prime Minister has said on numerous occasions, that we want EU citizens to stay. They have made their lives here, and contributed to our national life, and the Government wants to secure their status and that of UK nationals in EU member states at the earliest opportunity. Therefore I am glad that the Prime Minister has said that the UK and the EU are now within touching distance of an agreement on citizens' rights. The agreement on citizens' rights will be incorporated into UK law and UK courts will be able to refer to it and uphold it.