Agenda item

7.1

It was moved by Councillor Joe Otten, and seconded by Councillor Mohammed Mahroof, that this Council:-

(a)       notes the ongoing impasse in Brexit negotiations, and the increasing risk of a "no deal" Brexit;

(b)       notes the opposition to the Chequers Plan in Parliament and among EU Heads of Government;

(c)        notes that agreement has not yet been reached on many of the issues arising from the Brexit referendum, including Government red lines, and both sides have stated that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”;

(d)       notes that whilst the principle of a Northern Ireland backstop has been agreed, the UK’s plan to temporarily avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland has not been agreed and there is still no agreement on a long-term solution;

(e)       notes that HM Treasury has stated that a no-deal Brexit could require the UK to borrow £80 billion more by 2033, the Government have begun releasing the 84 no-deal technical notes, and the UK health sector is stockpiling medicines in case of a no-deal;

(f)        notes that the 2016 EU referendum gave no clear destination for Brexit, as the terms of any deal were not yet known, but that many options were said to be possible including staying in the Single Market (the Norway model);

(g)       notes the resolution put to the Labour Party conference calling for a People's Vote to be considered, and strong support for a People's Vote among Labour Party members;

(h)       believes that there is no deal that could be negotiated through the Article 50 process that could be more beneficial than continued membership of the EU, and that leaving the EU would therefore be damaging to the UK's fundamental national interests, and the interests of Sheffield in particular, as a university and manufacturing city in a region which has received significant investment from the European Union;

(i)         believes that the recent shifts in global affairs, including the USA withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council, re-emphasise the vital importance of UK membership of the EU and the values upon which the EU was formed;

(j)         believes that promises of a stronger trading position in the world have been seen to be empty, as illustrated by the policy of Donald Trump’s USA Administration relating to air travel, which seeks to take advantage of the UK's weakened position as a non-EU member;

(k)        condemns the Government’s approach to Brexit negotiations, which this Council regards as disastrous, and urges MPs to work across parties in the national interest and allow the people to have the final say on the Brexit deal with the option to remain in the European Union and a chance to exit from Brexit;

(l)         supports the principle of extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds for the People's Vote and all other elections and referendums;

(m)      resolves to seek access to Government impact assessments of all Brexit options for all sectors that are significant to Sheffield, prior to any "meaningful vote" in Parliament; and

(n)       resolves to send a copy of this resolution to all Sheffield MPs and to the Prime Minister.

7.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Ben Miskell, seconded by Councillor Adam Hurst, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (g) to (k), the addition of new paragraphs (g) to (m) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (l) to (n) as new paragraphs (n) to (p):-

(g)       accepts that the public voted to leave the EU, but believes that when people voted to ‘take back control’ they were not voting for fewer rights, economic chaos or to risk jobs, and welcomes efforts to hold the Government to account on this;

(h)       believes that the Conservatives should not be given a ‘blank cheque’ to drive through a destructive Brexit deal and notes that workers in industries across the economy, in ports, food, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, chemicals, in our public services and beyond, are worried about the impact of a hard Brexit on livelihoods and communities;

(i)         believes we need a relationship with the EU that guarantees full participation in the Single Market, but the Brexit deal being pursued by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP, is a threat to jobs, freedom of movement, the NHS, and peace in Northern Ireland, and that a Conservative Brexit means a future of dodgy trade deals and American-style deregulation, undermining our rights, freedoms and prosperity, and notes that Labour has set six robust tests for the final Brexit deal and believes that Parliament should vote against any deal failing to meet these tests in full;

(j)         notes the Labour Party’s commitment to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, including no hard border in Ireland, and believes that there is no satisfactory technological solution that is compliant with the Good Friday Agreement, and resolves to oppose any Brexit deal that would see the restoration of a border on the island of Ireland in any form for goods, services or people;

(k)        notes that the recent Labour Party conference passed a motion that if Parliament should vote down the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, or the talks end in no-deal, this would constitute a loss of confidence in the Government and in these circumstances, the best outcome for the country is an immediate general election;

(l)         believes that if a general election is not forthcoming, then support should be given to all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote, and contends that if the Government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from, they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public;

(m)      believes that crashing out of Europe without a deal risks being, in the words of the Rt. Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, “a national disaster” and that the Government and EU officials must do all they can to avoid a no-deal outcome; which would be so damaging to jobs and living standards in both the UK and EU countries;

7.3

It was then moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, seconded by Councillor Martin Phipps, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of a new paragraph (o) as follows:-

(o)       resolves that this Council supports a People’s Vote, which includes the option to remain.

7.4

It was then moved by Councillor John Booker, seconded by Councillor Jack Clarkson, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the addition of the following words:-

(a)       notes that UKIP stands for a complete and total withdrawal from the European Union, and contends that the democratic will of the people must be respected and acted upon; Brexit must mean exit;

(b)       further contends that, irrespective of whatever 'Withdrawal Agreement' HM Government agrees with the EU, we must continue to fight for the UK's total independence from the EU, and to fully restore the UK's former status as an independent, self-governing, sovereign state;

(c)        believes that no more money should be paid to the EU, no more EU laws should be imposed upon us, and there should be no more jurisdiction over us by the European Court and no more open-border EU immigration;

(d)       contends that a clean exit from the EU must include withdrawing from the PESCO (Permanent Structure Cooperation), the EU's 'Defence Union', or nascent Army, which the Government agreed to prior to Brexit;

(e)       believes that, post-Brexit, the UK will be free of the costs and impositions of the Common Agricultural Policy, and will be able to move from a system which subsidises large landowners to one that supports food producers and environmental protection, and further believes that leaving the EU will enable the UK to design a tailor-made agricultural policy, rather than a one-size fits all scheme designed to benefit continental farmers; allowing us to (i) introduce a Single Farm Payment to support British farmers; (ii) create a National Agricultural Council to ensure ‘joined-up thinking’ between different Government Departments for food, farming and environmental matters; (iii) re-establish the Agricultural Wages Board for England, which would protect the incomes and conditions of farm workers; and (iv) introduce legislation for food labelling to show country of origin, method of production, transport and slaughter;

(f)        also believes the UK must have total withdrawal from the EU's Common Fisheries Policy without a transition period, and that (i) post-Brexit, the UK should take control of the full 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as is our entitlement under international law; allowing us to rebuild our fishing industry, its ancillary industries, and our coastal towns, (ii) we need a complete overhaul of our fisheries systems for a fairer allocation of post-Brexit fishing opportunities, with priority given to the low-impact, small-scale fishers, (iii) there must be an end to the discard system, with no fish going to waste, and (iv) the UK Government must invest in British ports and fishing infrastructure, and amend the Maritime Shipping Act with a view to limiting the exploitation of UK fishing waters by foreign vessels; and that these changes will provide opportunities for British business and career opportunities for British citizens;

(g)       notes that Britain's trade policy has been under the control of the EU since we joined in 1973, and our businesses have been obliged to obey EU legislation, even when they do not export to the EU, and believes that leaving the EU will free Britain to pursue its own trade and commercial polices, which offer enormous opportunity for increased trade and employment; and

(h)       contends that, outside the European Union, Great Britain will be a more prosperous nation, it will gain control of its trade policy, free business from unnecessary regulation, regain control of its agricultural industry and restore its fishing industry, and that increased prosperity will mean more jobs, and more tax revenue to pay for the things we all want for the British people.

7.5

It was then moved by Councillor Colin Ross, seconded by Councillor Andrew Sangar, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (o) to (r) as follows:-

(o)       notes the closeness of the referendum result in Sheffield where 49% of residents voted to stay in the EU and the national result of 48% of the UK population voting to stay in the EU;

(p)       notes that analysis by The Centre for European Reform shows that the UK economy is already 2.5% smaller than it would have been had Remain won the referendum;

(q)       believes there should be a People’s Vote on the final terms of the deal which includes an option to remain in the European Union; and

(r)        calls on the Council to actively support a People’s Vote on the final deal which includes an option to remain in the European Union.

7.6

After a contribution from one other Member, and following a right of reply from Councillor Joe Otten, the amendment moved by Councillor Ben Miskell was put to the vote and was carried.

7.7

The amendment moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson was then put to the vote and was negatived.

7.8

The amendment moved by Councillor John Booker was then put to the vote and was also negatived.

7.9

The amendment moved by Councillor Colin Ross was then put to the vote and was also negatived.

7.9.1

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

7.10

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       notes the ongoing impasse in Brexit negotiations, and the increasing risk of a "no deal" Brexit;

(b)       notes the opposition to the Chequers Plan in Parliament and among EU Heads of Government;

(c)        notes that agreement has not yet been reached on many of the issues arising from the Brexit referendum, including Government red lines, and both sides have stated that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”;

(d)       notes that whilst the principle of a Northern Ireland backstop has been agreed, the UK’s plan to temporarily avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland has not been agreed and there is still no agreement on a long-term solution;

(e)       notes that HM Treasury has stated that a no-deal Brexit could require the UK to borrow £80 billion more by 2033, the Government have begun releasing the 84 no-deal technical notes, and the UK health sector is stockpiling medicines in case of a no-deal;

(f)        notes that the 2016 EU referendum gave no clear destination for Brexit, as the terms of any deal were not yet known, but that many options were said to be possible including staying in the Single Market (the Norway model);

(g)       accepts that the public voted to leave the EU, but believes that when people voted to ‘take back control’ they were not voting for fewer rights, economic chaos or to risk jobs, and welcomes efforts to hold the Government to account on this;

(h)       believes that the Conservatives should not be given a ‘blank cheque’ to drive through a destructive Brexit deal and notes that workers in industries across the economy, in ports, food, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, chemicals, in our public services and beyond, are worried about the impact of a hard Brexit on livelihoods and communities;

(i)         believes we need a relationship with the EU that guarantees full participation in the Single Market, but the Brexit deal being pursued by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP, is a threat to jobs, freedom of movement, the NHS, and peace in Northern Ireland, and that a Conservative Brexit means a future of dodgy trade deals and American-style deregulation, undermining our rights, freedoms and prosperity, and notes that Labour has set six robust tests for the final Brexit deal and believes that Parliament should vote against any deal failing to meet these tests in full;

(j)         notes the Labour Party’s commitment to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, including no hard border in Ireland, and believes that there is no satisfactory technological solution that is compliant with the Good Friday Agreement, and resolves to oppose any Brexit deal that would see the restoration of a border on the island of Ireland in any form for goods, services or people;

(k)        notes that the recent Labour Party conference passed a motion that if Parliament should vote down the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, or the talks end in no-deal, this would constitute a loss of confidence in the Government and in these circumstances, the best outcome for the country is an immediate general election;

(l)         believes that if a general election is not forthcoming, then support should be given to all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote, and contends that if the Government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from, they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public;

(m)      believes that crashing out of Europe without a deal risks being, in the words of the Rt. Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, “a national disaster” and that the Government and EU officials must do all they can to avoid a no-deal outcome; which would be so damaging to jobs and living standards in both the UK and EU countries;

(n)       supports the principle of extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds for the People's Vote and all other elections and referendums;

(o)       resolves to seek access to Government impact assessments of all Brexit options for all sectors that are significant to Sheffield, prior to any "meaningful vote" in Parliament; and

(p)       resolves to send a copy of this resolution to all Sheffield MPs and to the Prime Minister.

7.10.1

(NOTE: Councillors Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Adam Hanrahan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Shaffaq Mohammed, Paul Scriven, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley and Mike Levery voted for paragraphs (a) to (j) and (n) to (p) of the Substantive Motion, and voted against paragraphs (k) to (m) of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.)