One of the highlights of the [EU Withdrawal Bill] debate so far was this exchange between two Labour MPs, the pro-leave Frank Field and the pro-remain Hilary Benn. Proposing his amendment, NC49 [in favour of setting a date to leave EU], Field said he had never bought a house “without having in the contract the date when it’s mine”.
Benn, son of the late Labour cabinet minister and sometime hereditary peer Tony Benn, intervened, saying:
I think his analogy about buying a house falls down at the first hurdle, because nobody commits to a date to buy a house before they know what it is that they’re buying.
Field replied:
As my right honourable friend was kind to me about the house analogy, I’ve always bought my houses, never inherited them.
Benn then said that he bought his too, prompting Field to withdraw his comment.
Extract from The Guardian
Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall
Detail of pavilion at Hardwick Hall. Image: Wikipedia
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