Written explanations of vote - 8th parliamentary term Molly SCOTT CATO

Today I voted for Parliament’s resolution to accept that sufficient progress has been made to move on to the next phase of the Brexit negotiations. It wasn’t an easy decision. While it is clearly the case that intractable issues such as questions around the Irish border and the Good Friday Agreement have been delayed, we really can’t make any progress on those or other issues until we have a clearer idea of what our future trading relationship with the EU will look like. We mustn’t forget that time is short and we would gain little by slowing down the negotiations. The incoherence and inconsistency of the UK Government has already caused too much delay.
However, it is clear that a number of issues are still outstanding that need to be addressed thoroughly in the next phase of talks – and this is clearly recognised in the resolution as well, especially the need to improve the situation for citizens in the UK and EU. To achieve this, I will keep fighting alongside my colleagues to protect those most vulnerable to the impacts of Brexit and to firmly anchor these rights in the next parliamentary resolution and the withdrawal agreement.