SCOTLAND, fishing, security and financial services have been the cornerstones of the discussion about the Brexit Bill.
This morning MPs from all sides have argued for and against the EU (Future Relationship) Bill, which sets out the legislation needed to implement the Brexit deal.
The Prime Minister started the debate at 9.50am by saying that the UK had done something it was told it could not do - "have its cake and eat it".
He said: "Britain can be at once European and sovereign"
"I think you’ll agree our negotiators accomplished their feat with astonishing speed.
"It took nearly 8 years for the Uruguay Round of world trade talks to produce a deal, and five years for the EU to reach a trade agreement with Canada, six for Japan.
"We have done this in less than a year, in the teeth of a pandemic.."
After being interrupted several the SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Mr Johnson claimed it is “highly unlikely” that Scots would “take a decision to cast away their new found freedoms and the new found opportunities” by seeking to rejoin the EU.
He also argued that Scots fishermen would have more access to fish than before, particularly haddock and cod, despite this being disputed by the SNP.
Watch: Ian Blackford interrupts Boris Johnson within minutes of Brexit debate
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader, admitted the deal was "thin" but said his party had no choice but to vote for the Bill, adding that those who did not were supporting a no-deal Brexit.
He said a “thin deal” with “many flaws” is better than a no-deal scenario – and there is “no better deal coming in the next 24 hours”.
He added: “There’s only one choice today, which is to vote for implementing this deal or to vote for no deal."
He also criticised the lack of access to key security databases and services in Europe, and the help for the financial services sector contained within the deal.
Mr Starmer explained: "The treaty offers important protections when compared with the utter chaos of no deal. There are third-party arrangements to continue working with Europol and Eurojust... but the treaty does not provide what was promised: a security partnership of unprecedented breadth and depth.
"We will no longer have access to EU databases that allow for the sharing of real-time data, such as the Schengen information system for missing persons and objects. Anybody who thinks that that is not important needs to bear in mind that it is used on a daily basis."
Read more: Longest-serving MP issues warning not to use Brexit as argument for independence
Ian Blackford said Scots would now choose which union they wanted to be in.
He said: "Now that we see the scale of the bad Brexit deal, the question before the Scottish people is clear: which Union does Scotland wish to be part of?
"Which future will we choose: this broken Brexit Britain or the European Union?"
When asked by Liam Fox, Conservative MP, if Mr Blackford knew what the economic damage to Scotland would be by becoming independent and losing access to the UK internal market, Mr Blackford said he should be ashamed.
He replied: "[Liam Fox] seems to be threatening the people of Scotland with lack of access. Is that really the message the Conservatives want to deliver to the people of Scotland? Shame on him."
Theresa May welcomed the deal and confirmed she would vote for it, while Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservatives leader also said he thought it was a welcome agreement.
The MP for Moray took a swipe at the SNP's decision to vote against the Bill, saying: "While some thought it couldn't be done, it now seems clear that some hoped it couldn't be done because despite spending months suggesting the dire consequences of a no-deal Brexit, Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP will vote for exactly that.
"Nicola Sturgeon is the same politician who just a couple of weeks ago sai, and I quote, 'A deal, any deal is better than no deal'. The SNP's Westminster leader said, and again I quote, in the House of Commons, 'No deal will result in unprecedented harm'."
He added that now the Brexit deal had been agreed and the vaccine was being rolled out, it was time "to get the focus back on supporting jobs, individuals, families, and communities".
Several Labour and Conservatives MPs said they would defy their whip and either abstain or vote against the Bill.
Among them were Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney, and Owen Paterson, Conservative MP for North Shropshire.
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